FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A night out took a dangerous turn for a Fort Lauderdale man who said a woman he met drugged him and stole thousands of dollars in cash and valuables.
The 52-year-old victim, who identified himself as Eddie, said he and a friend were out and about along Las Olas Boulevard on Jan. 3 when they ended up at Piazza Italia.
“Me and him, we’re talking, and this woman was sitting at the bar, so my guy comes, ‘Hey, how are you doing? Blah, blah, Blah,’ so she started talking to us,” said Eddie. “She said, ‘I just came from [Los Angeles] or someplace, and I have three kids at a hotel.'”
Eddie said he went to an ATM to give her $100. He now believes she saw his passcode.
The victim said the two of them headed back to his Fort Lauderdale home.
He said nothing physical happened. The plan was for her to get a cab.
“Then she asked me for a drink, and I put out two drinks: one for me, one for her, and then, I went to the restroom,” said Eddie. “That was when she put something in my drink, and I felt dizzy and stuff.”
Eddie said he never lost consciousness but felt disoriented, and the woman began to act erratically before she left.
“Then I went to get my telephone, and my telephone was not here. My wallet? I don’t have my wallet,” he said.
Eddie said she ultimately took $6,000 out of his account, but he later discovered she had left behind a surprising piece of evidence. As it happens, the Cloud stores his pictures.
“When I went to my iPad, [I saw that] she took a picture of her face when she took my telephone,” he said.
Now, he hopes the woman’s picture will land her in jail.
“For me, it’s such an embarrassing situation. There are some people, that is what they do,” he said.
On top of everything, Eddie tested positive for COVID-19 five days after the incident. It’s unclear whether or not he got it from the woman.
If you have any information on this robbery or the woman’s whereabouts, call Fort Lauderdale Police or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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