Home Healthcare Worker Accused of Stealing Over $1K Worth of Jewelry from Residence

SYKESVILLE BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) – Charges have been filed against a Sykesville woman who is accused of stealing over $1,000.00 worth of jewelry from a residence where she was working as a home healthcare worker.

Court documents indicate the Sykesville Borough Police Department on February 21 filed criminal charges against 47-year-old Maryann Knibbs, of Sykesville.

According to a criminal complaint, around 7:37 p.m. on January 20, Sykesville Borough Police received a call from a known individual about a theft at a residence that occurred sometime between January 11 and January 18. The victim told police she realized sometime on January 13 that she was missing jewelry from her collection.

The complaint notes the victim was having health care workers in and out of her residence to assist with a family member’s medical condition.

According to the complaint, the victim told police that on January 12, she noticed one of the healthcare workers, identified as Maryann Knibbs, had spent between 12 and 15 minutes in her bathroom where her jewelry box was sitting on the bathroom sink. She noticed jewelry from the box was missing the following day and also told police that Knibbs did not show up for her shift the following day, either.

The victim then contacted the agency Knibbs works for, and the agency said Knibbs had not contacted them to inform them she would be missing her shift, either. Knibbs then showed back up at the residence for her next shift on January 18.

The complaint notes prior to Knibbs’ arrival, the victim took her jewelry box from the bathroom and hid it in another room.

According to the complaint, when she arrived, Knibbs immediately went to the bathroom, and when she exited, she allegedly commented, “I noticed you moved some things in your bathroom,” which the victim said made her suspicious.

The victim told police she then took Knibbs to her jewelry box and asked her if she took her jewelry. Knibbs responded by saying she can’t wear real gold because she is allergic to it, the complaint states.

The complaint notes the victim then received a call from the agency on January 19, stating Knibbs no longer wanted to work taking care of the victim’s relative.

The victim then contacted the owner of a Cash for Gold business in the region and ask if they had recently purchased any gold from Knibbs.

According to the complaint, records from the business showed that on January 13, the business purchased gold jewelry from Knibbs, paying her a total of $1,640.00. The victim then went to the business and was able to identify some of her stolen jewelry from photos that were taken during the transaction. The stolen items included a high school class ring identifiable by an engraving.

Police then also spoke to the business owner and were able to recover some of the victim’s missing jewelry.

The complaint notes an employee of the business also told police that Knibbs is a repeat customer, but had only previously sold sterling sliver in small amounts. The employee had been concerned that the gold jewelry did not belong to Knibbs and had contacted her boss. The employee also obtained a copy of the driver’s license produced by the seller, which corresponded with Knibbs driver’s license, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, a total of 13 of the jewelry items that were reported stolen were recovered from the business, while a total of 34 pieces of the stolen jewelry remain unaccounted for.

Knibbs was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge David B. Inzana at 3:30 p.m. on February 11, on the following charges:

– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Felony 3
– Receiving Stolen Property, Felony 3

She remains free on $20,000.00 unsecured bail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on February 24.


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