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Criminal charge dropped against woman accused of $2.1 million jewel theft by Palm Harbor ex-fiance

 
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit prosecutors on Oct. 24, 2016, dropped a year-old grand theft charge against Mary Catherine Hunt, right, once accused of stealing $2.1 million in jewelry from her former fiance, Scott Mitchell, left. However, Mitchell's federal civil lawsuit against Hunt, seeking damages of $6 million,  is still pending. (Screen grab from The Knot)
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit prosecutors on Oct. 24, 2016, dropped a year-old grand theft charge against Mary Catherine Hunt, right, once accused of stealing $2.1 million in jewelry from her former fiance, Scott Mitchell, left. However, Mitchell's federal civil lawsuit against Hunt, seeking damages of $6 million, is still pending. (Screen grab from The Knot)
Published Oct. 28, 2016

LARGO — Prosecutors dismissed a felony grand theft charge on Monday against Mary Catherine Hunt, who was accused of stealing $2.1 million worth of gold and jewelry from a former fiance's safe, court records show.

Palm Harbor businessman Scott Patrick Mitchell accused Hunt of lifting the items from his vault after he broke up with her last year. In federal court, he is suing Hunt and her parents in a $6 million lawsuit.

Mitchell reported that his losses included 99 three-diamond necklaces, 147 gold rings and 172 loose diamonds.

The Pinellas-Pasco prosecutor assigned to the case could not be reached Monday afternoon.

In a statement, Hunt's defense attorney, Barry Cohen, said Mitchell altered videos and potentially falsified witness accounts and other legal instruments to "smear her name and to destroy her reputation through these allegations."

"This case seemed to be a frivolous one brought forwarded by a presumptively, jilted ex-fiancé," the defense attorney wrote.

Attorney Todd Foster, who represents Mitchell in federal court, said Pinellas prosecutors abandoned the state case "due to their perception of an evidentiary hurdle that we do not face in our federal civil case."

Foster said he will be allowed to admit into evidence an audio recording in which Hunt's Virginia father tells Mitchell about a shipment of jewelry received from Hunt and her mother.

"We also look forward to taking sworn statements from the three defendants, who, as the court record reflects, previously combined to invoke the Fifth Amendment more than 600 times," Foster said.