Mar 13, 2015 1 min read

LATROBE (AP) – State police said a cleaning woman stole $193,000 worth of jewelry from a western Pennsylvania home, then sold them piecemeal to a precious metals dealer by claiming they belonged to her late mother.

Forty-seven-year-old Deborah Decker’s defense attorney didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Friday.

The Ligonier woman was charged Thursday by police and faces a preliminary hearing May 4.

Police say the owner of the jewelry began investigating when she noticed a ring and necklace missing from her jewelry box. The woman contacted pawn shops and precious metals stores and called police when she found her necklace on display in one such store.

Police were able to trace a list of stolen items all of which they say Decker sold to the store. The thefts occurred last year, when Decker cleaned the victim’s home twice a week.