More theft charges possible for dog walker
SEATTLE -- A trusted, grandmotherly dog walker and house sitter who allegedly stole at least $100,000 worth of jewelry from clients' homes in Seattle, Medina and Bellevue may face additional charges, prosecutors said at her arraignment on Wednesday.
Former clients say Mary Winslow Chodl, who they knew as Allison, has a face you can trust. However, records show Chodl is a convicted felon in Washington, California and Alaska for felony theft, embezzlement and bank fraud.
Prosecutors have already charged Chodl, 64, with stealing $100,000 worth of watches and wedding bands, and said more charges could follow as more pieces of evidence are processed.
Earlier this month, Medina police searched Chodl's apartment and found valuable art, including a painting worth $6,000, as well as boxes of jewelry inside. They uncovered more stolen loot inside her storage locker.
Patrick Berkley, Chodl's apartment manager who has known her for ten years, said he helped her move countless boxes into that basement storage unit.
"She had a lot of stuff in the apartment, a lot of boxes," he said. "It took me a few days to fill in the pieces of the story, but there's few surprises left these days."
Police said it could take several weeks to cataloged the items found in the boxes, which also contained cookware and clothing.
"We did have truckloads of evidence that was recovered. And we're well over 100 pieces of evidence," said Police Chief Jeffrey Chen.
A dozen victims have come forward to claim their property. All say they trusted Chodl with their pets and keys to their house. One family even gave her a BMW station wagon.
In return, according to court documents, Chodl tried to pawn their $55,000 Piaget watch and a 1.5-carat diamond wedding ring. Those pieces turned up at a pawn shop in Redmond. The shop's contracts show Chodl pawned them for $1,500, investigators said.
Police want to remind residents to run background checks on anyone who has a key to your house. In Chodl's case, police said a simple Internet search would have been sufficient to sound the alarm.
Former clients say Mary Winslow Chodl, who they knew as Allison, has a face you can trust. However, records show Chodl is a convicted felon in Washington, California and Alaska for felony theft, embezzlement and bank fraud.
Prosecutors have already charged Chodl, 64, with stealing $100,000 worth of watches and wedding bands, and said more charges could follow as more pieces of evidence are processed.
Earlier this month, Medina police searched Chodl's apartment and found valuable art, including a painting worth $6,000, as well as boxes of jewelry inside. They uncovered more stolen loot inside her storage locker.
Patrick Berkley, Chodl's apartment manager who has known her for ten years, said he helped her move countless boxes into that basement storage unit.
"She had a lot of stuff in the apartment, a lot of boxes," he said. "It took me a few days to fill in the pieces of the story, but there's few surprises left these days."
Police said it could take several weeks to cataloged the items found in the boxes, which also contained cookware and clothing.
"We did have truckloads of evidence that was recovered. And we're well over 100 pieces of evidence," said Police Chief Jeffrey Chen.
A dozen victims have come forward to claim their property. All say they trusted Chodl with their pets and keys to their house. One family even gave her a BMW station wagon.
In return, according to court documents, Chodl tried to pawn their $55,000 Piaget watch and a 1.5-carat diamond wedding ring. Those pieces turned up at a pawn shop in Redmond. The shop's contracts show Chodl pawned them for $1,500, investigators said.
Police want to remind residents to run background checks on anyone who has a key to your house. In Chodl's case, police said a simple Internet search would have been sufficient to sound the alarm.