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Police: Caregiver stole thousands in jewelry from 100-year-old

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody police are looking for a caregiver who they say stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from a 100-year-old woman and her daughter.
               
After a bad nursing home experience, Synthia Roberson started caring for her elderly mother at her Dunwoody home. One-hundred-year-old Florazelle Teele needs 24-hour care.

To help, Roberson hired a full-time caregiver, Katherine Allen Carter. Roberson said the caregiver came with good recommendations. 
               
"She gained my trust. She seemed to do a good job. She seemed to care for my mother," Roberson told Channel 2 Action News reporter Rachel Stockman. 

Roberson said she started to notice that her and her mother's jewelry was disappearing about six months after she hired Carter.

"She was here a lot. She knew my patterns. I'm very regimented, I'm very predictable which is one thing you shouldn't be," Roberson said.

Roberson said her mother's gold capped tooth, which was recently removed by a dentist, even disappeared. After counting up 20 pieces of missing jewelry, she called Dunwoody police.

Detectives linked the crime to 52-year-old Carter after some of the stolen jewelry turned up at a pawn shop, Sgt. Mike Carlson said.

"Unfortunately, we were not able to get all of the merchandise back," Sgt. Carlson said.

Police suspect that the caregiver stole about $8,500 worth of jewelry from Roberson and her mother.

They issued a warrant for Carter's arrest, on charges of theft by taking. They are urging anyone with information to contact Detective R. DeLima at the Dunwoody Police Department at 678-382-6914.