A Holmes Beach restaurant owner was robbed four weeks ago and the employee who stole from him has yet to be arrested.
Wolfgang Jahn, owner of Old Hamburg Schnitzelhaus, 3246 E. Bay Drive, said his former employee stole a company checkbook while working at his restaurant and she’s “writing checks and cashing them all over town.”
Jahn said he reported the incident to the Holmes Beach Police Department in May and has provided leads for her whereabouts.
He said he’s upset at the amount of time its taking for police to file charges arrest 27-year-old Chelsea Rose Maksimowicz, a former employee of the German-style restaurant. She worked there approximately six months.
“People go to jail for having a cup of alcohol on the beach, but this girl is running free,” he said.
Jahn said he has been in touch with Detective Sgt. Brian Hall of the HBPD, and was told the department had been having trouble contacting ths suspect.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said the case is more complicated than it seems.
“We have to prove this case is prosecutable before we make an arrest,” he said. “That means getting with the banks, getting records and investing time.”
Jahn said he learned after he had hired Maksimowicz that she had a criminal record.
“I never thought to check,” he said. “I have employees here that have worked with me for 14 years and wouldn’t touch $10,000 if I left it under the counter.”
Maksimowicz has been charged in the past with grand theft, embezzlement and uttering a forged check, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office website.