A Florida woman has been arrested after allegedly drugging a man she met at a club in Hallandale Beach and stealing his Rolex, which had been valued at almost $100,000.
Lynda Mae Crouse, 32, is accused of taking the watch after travelling by Uber to the man’s home following their meeting at the Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park in South Florida.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the pair met around midnight on 12 April and exchanged Instagram details before going their separate ways. The man later arranged for a rideshare to collect Crouse from her home and take her to his residence at about 1.20am.
They drank together in the living room, but the man told police he began to feel “funny” and “extremely tired” when he went to his bedroom to change clothes. He said he then heard a distinctive clapping sound coming from the living room.
When he returned, Crouse was allegedly behaving differently and suddenly said she was going home. The man fell asleep within minutes of her leaving and woke several hours later still feeling unwell.
He checked the box containing his gold 40mm Rolex Presidential and discovered that it was missing. The watch, featuring diamond hour markers and a diamond-covered bezel, was listed in a signed appraisal at $98,400, according to the affidavit. Police said he later identified Crouse from a photo line-up.
Investigators said the case bore similarities to at least four other incidents in Miami-Dade County involving alleged druggings and the theft of valuable watches. The cases are being investigated by police in Miami, Miami Beach and Aventura.
In one of those investigations, a victim’s toxicology test reportedly detected zolpidem, a prescription sleeping drug used to treat insomnia. The Hallandale Beach victim did not undergo toxicology testing, and the allegation that he was drugged has not been established in court.
Crouse was arrested on Friday, 11 September, by Seminole Tribal Police and booked into Broward County Jail. She faces a charge of second-degree grand theft and was released the following day after posting $2,500 bail.
No lawyer representing Crouse was listed in the available records. The allegations have not been tested at trial.
