Nursing home worker charged with ring theft, pawn

DUNCAN — A Stephens County nursing home worker is free on $5,000 bond after she was accused of taking a resident’s $3,000 diamond ring and pawning it.

Diana Elena Estrada, 34, of Duncan, made her initial appearance Friday in Stephens County District Court where she received felony charges of larceny of lost property and false declaration of ownership to a pawn shop, records indicate.

Marlow police received the report of the ring theft on Sept. 9 when the resident’s daughter said her 84-year-old mother, who stays at Gregston Nursing Home in Marlow, had her diamond ring come up missing in June, the probable cause affidavit states. It was tracked to EZ Pawn in Duncan where an employee knew what investigators were talking about and brought out a 14K white gold fancy wedding set with three bands and 13 six-point diamonds, Marlow Police Capt. Antonio Aguilera stated.

It was learned Estrada had pawned the ring valued at $3,000 for $400 on June 20, the affidavit states. Investigators also learned Estrada works at the nursing home and had at the time of the theft.

During questioning, Estrada first said she’d found the ring in the home’s parking lot but when told police would view security camera video, she changed her story several times about where she found it but denied stealing the ring, the affidavit states. She admitted to pawning the ring after not checking to see who owned the ring, Aguilera stated.

Estrada returns to court at 9 a.m. Dec. 18 for her preliminary hearing conference, records indicate,