Everything in this report comes from police accounts and court records as described by news organizations. Lynda Mae Crouse, 32, has been charged with second-degree felony grand theft in Broward County. A charge is an allegation. She has not been convicted, and nothing here should be read as a finding of fact.
What police say happened
According to police accounts reported by People, NBC Miami, Local 10 and FOX 29, the charged incident began around midnight on April 12, 2026, when Crouse and the complainant met at the Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.
Police say the two exchanged Instagram accounts and initially went separate ways. At about 1:20 a.m., the man reportedly sent an Uber to bring her to his residence. This charged incident involved his home, not a hotel.
They drank alcohol at the residence, according to the police account. The man told police that after he briefly left the room and returned, he felt, in his words, "funny" and extremely tired, and that he suspected he had been drugged.
He later discovered his gold Rolex Presidential missing. The $98,400 figure attached to the watch comes from the complainant and the police record. It is not an independent appraisal, and secondary-market values for a gold Presidential vary widely by reference, condition and documentation.
Police say the man identified Crouse in a six-person photo lineup.
What the affidavit reportedly adds
An affidavit reportedly identifies four similar open investigations in Miami-Dade involving Crouse and missing luxury watches. In one separate case, an alleged victim tested positive for zolpidem, a prescription sleep medication.
Those remain open investigations. No conclusion has been reached in them, and they are not charges in this case.
Crouse was arrested September 11 in Hollywood after officers responding to a trespassing call found the outstanding warrant. She was later released on bond. Several local outlets reported the amount as $2,500. We were not able to confirm that figure in official records, so we are reporting the release rather than emphasizing the number.
What jewelry and watch owners should know
This is the part worth your time, and it is not about blaming anyone who was victimized. A person who is drugged did nothing wrong. The point is that a recognizable watch makes a wearer identifiable as a target long before anyone leaves the venue, and there are decisions that reduce exposure and improve the response afterward.
- Treat an unfamiliar person entering your home or hotel room as a security decision, not only a dating decision. Those are two different questions and they deserve two different answers.
- Do not leave a drink unattended, and do not accept an opened drink you did not watch being prepared.
- If you suddenly feel far more impaired or sleepy than the amount you drank explains, call 911 or seek medical help and alert hotel security or trusted staff immediately. Do not sleep it off. Medical documentation also becomes part of the record.
- Before nightlife, use a hotel safe or secure storage when practical. A watch left loose on a nightstand is the easiest version of this story.
- Keep serial numbers, clear photographs, receipts, appraisals and appropriate insurance on file, off your phone and somewhere you can reach them at 4 a.m. A serial number is what makes a watch traceable.
- None of this promises prevention. It reduces exposure, and it improves how quickly a report, a claim and an investigation can move.
Athletes, entertainers, jewelers and anyone else wearing something recognizable should assume the piece has already been noticed. That is not paranoia. It is the same awareness a jeweler applies to a display case.
Where the case stands
Crouse faces one second-degree felony grand theft charge in Broward County and is presumed innocent. The Miami-Dade investigations described in the affidavit are unresolved. We will update this report if the court record changes.
