Handyman accused of stealing almost $10K in jewelry from Port Charlotte home he was hired to repair

A handyman was arrested on Thursday after being accused of stealing almost $10K worth of jewelry from a home he was hired to work on. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office arrest report, the victim contacted deputies on August 9 and said that while looking through her jewelry box, she discovered several pieces of jewelry missing. The victim said she then searched her room and discovered even more pieces of jewelry missing. The total value of the missing jewelry was estimated to be around $9,850, the report said. The victim told deputies that the only people who had been in her home in the last week were a longtime friend and a handyman she had hired to repair her kitchen. The handyman was identified as Richard Foust, 50, the report said. Deputies discovered that Foust had a history of pawning jewelry, including several pieces of women's jewelry. Deputies made contact with the manager of a Port Charlotte pawn shop, who provided deputies with the jewelry Foust had sold to the shop weeks prior, the report said. Deputies met with the victim again, who was able to positively identify the jewelry as hers and Foust as the suspect, according to the report. On Thursday, Foust was arrested. He faces charges of dealing in stolen property, grand theft from a person 65 years or older, and making a false verification statement to a secondhand dealer. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV