Woman charged with stealing $1 million in jewelry out on bond, police say
ATLANTA - A metro Atlanta man who said he was the victim of a young woman who was arrested, accused of stealing $1 million in jewelry is upset that she got bond.
Paula Reyes Azambuya is now accused by four gentlemen of being robbed by her, police said.
One of those, a metro Atlanta man said his chance encounter with a young woman at a bar ended with his Rolex watch being snatched. He said it wasn’t a date, but a planned robbery.
Police believe this woman made off with about $1 million in jewelry, stolen from a man who took her on a date. (Photo courtesy of APD)
The man, who is in his 60s, said he can recall offering to take the young woman to a nearby location and drop her off. He said several hours had passed and he’s waking up in a swank Buckhead hotel, the shower running and his $40,000 Rolex is missing.
Azambuya was named in a police report as the person who took that high-priced watch. She was charged with theft.
The man did not want his name used for this story but wanted to share his story.
"Nothing usual, nothing off-color," the man said about the encounter adding that she "chatted him up" at a Roswell Road nightspot where he had gone to wait for his wife to come into Buckhead and meet him.
Police believe this woman made off with about $1 million in jewelry, stolen from a man who took her on a date. (Photo courtesy of APD)
The man went over to hook up his phone to a charger which momentarily took him away from his drink at the bar. He told police that the then unidentified lady must have put something in his drink.
"I stood up to go to the restroom and I was wobbly on my feet. The young lady asked if I could drop her off right around the corner," he said agreeing to help her.
"But I woke up at six o’clock the next morning in a hotel room," the man said.
When he got up, his clothes were still on, but there was no one else in the room and his watch was gone. He said he felt so bad he said he went to the hospital the next day to get checked out.
"They indicated that unless I knew exactly what the drug was, there was no way of telling," the man said.
"We can’t comment on the specific facts of the case, but we haven’t seen anything to indicate drugs were involved in any way," said Charles Cullen, an attorney at Arora Law Firm.
A former prosecutor said it is nearly impossible to back up what the victim is claiming about alleged doping.
"The victim can’t say they saw it because if they did, they certainly wouldn’t take that drink," the former prosecutor said. "And number two, the drugs, what are sometimes referred to as date rape drugs, they’re in and out of the body very quickly. So, it’s very hard to prosecute that part of the case."
Azambuya was arrested charged with theft. She has since bonded out of jail.
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