Manatee couple arrested for stealing from man's mom

MANATEE -- A Manatee man and his girlfriend have been arrested after jewelry was stolen from his mother’s home while she was in Blake Medical Center for respiratory problems, the sheriff’s office reports.
According to an arrest report, Lionel Rodriguez, 26, and Tiffany Bedwell, 23, took jewelry and coins from the victim’s home while she was in the hospital from July 29 to Aug. 7.

On Aug. 4, Rodriguez and Bedwell completed a pawn shop transaction for five pieces of jewelry for $75, the report said.

The victim is still missing three antique wheat pennies (valued at $75), three silver dollars ($120), a two-dollar bill and other jewelry valued at $250, the report said.

Following their arrest Tuesday, both suspects gave investigators different accounts of who took the jewelry and what occurred afterward, the report said.

Since Bedwell’s name was on the pawn ticket, she received charges of dealing in stolen property and defrauding a pawn broker, according to the report.

She is currently in Manatee County jail on those charges, along with grand theft and possession of a controlled substance, the report said. She is being held without bond.

Rodriguez is also at Manatee County jail on a $1,000 bond and has been charged with grand theft.