A school teacher and her husband have been arrested, accused of burglary of a residence, grand theft and scheming to defraud, Polk County deputies said.
Cherie Fields, 25, and Owen Fields, 27, of Lakeland filed for “adverse possession” on a residence located on Echo Lane (Imperial Lakes) near Lakeland, on March 27, 2013, investigators said.
Neighbors and witnesses told investigators they saw a locksmith, as well as trucks from Rooms-To-Go and Aaron’s Rentals at the residence. Deputies say, Owen Wilson activated the electric service at the residence on March 27.
The owner of the property, Rebecca Skipper, when contact in California, confirmed to investigators that no one had permission to take possession of her residence which is valued at $160,000.
Cherie Fields, a school teacher at Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School and her husband, Owen Fields, a night auditor at a local motel, were both located Wednesday and arrested without incident.
The couple was transported to the Polk County Jail and will have their first appearance in court tomorrow, Friday, May 3.
“It is hard to believe that an educated person could believe that you can just walk into someone else’s house, change the locks, and take it from them. I think this couple has learned that stealing is wrong, and that our deputies will enforce the law. Some of life’s best lessons are not learned in the classroom, it seems,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
