A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Columbus woman accused of stealing nearly 3,000 pieces of jewelry from residents of assisted living facilities, including two in Delaware County.
Susan Gwynne, 55, of 5540 Ravine Bluff Court, Columbus, was indicted on 101 charges Wednesday by a Delaware County grand jury in connection with thousands of items stolen from the assisted living facilities.
She had not yet been arrested as this story was being prepared.
Gwynne was indicted on 31 counts of burglary, which are second-degree felonies; 43 felony counts of theft; 12 counts of possessing criminal tools, which are fifth-degree felonies; and 15 counts of receiving stolen property, which are first-degree misdemeanors.
The Delaware County facilities were The Inn at Olentangy Trail and Abbington of Powell, located at 3971 Bradford Road, Powell.
An investigation of the stolen jewelry began after deputies received a call regarding a theft from an elderly woman living at The Inn at Olentangy Trial, located at 6 Corduroy Road, Delaware.
“After the initial call, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office released a picture of the suspect which had been captured on surveillance video at the assisted living facility,” said Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O’Brien.
Tracy Whited, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said Wednesday that a caller from another county contacted deputies and told them Gwynne’s identity. Whited confirmed that Gwynne is the person in the surveillance photo.
“Further investigation resulted in a search warrant being issued for Susan Gwynne’s residence and the seizure of more than 3,000 items, mostly jewelry,” O’Brien said.
Even though the search warrant was executed weeks ago, authorities did not arrest Gwynne. Whited explained that prosecutors and detectives were building a case to present to the grand jury.
Deputies reported other missing items included cash, credit cards and Social Security cards.
Prosecutors said that since the initial report and release of Gwynne’s photo, additional victims have come forward. Prosecutors said the indictment lists 31 victims who are in their 70s, 80s and 90s. The oldest victim is 101 years old.
Deputies reported Gwynne stole from at least a dozen senior living facilities in both Delaware and Franklin counties. The Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office is working with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office to prosecute the case.
“Although it is quite often very difficult to detect elder abuse, it is a preventable problem that unfortunately occurs within every gender, race, and socioeconomic class,” said Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien. “This defendant preyed upon dozens of elderly victims throughout central Ohio for her own financial gain and this type of exploitation must be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”
The indictment alleges that Gwynne has been stealing from victims since April 2008. The last theft was in March 2016, court documents indicate.
The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office has urged any other possible victims or residents with information about the crimes to contact it at 740-833-2831.
An arraignment in Delaware County Common Pleas Court has not been scheduled.
