Couple accused of stealing jewelry from Iowa City man's deceased wife

UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: A couple has been arrested on suspicion of stealing jewelry belonging to an Iowa City man's deceased wife and then pawning it to help pay rent.

Stacy James Levell, 40, and Melissa Kay Levell, 38, are accused of visiting a man -- who they knew as a friend or acquaintance -- at his Iowa City home on H Street on March 10 and taking jewelry that his wife left to him after she died, according to a criminal complaint.

The pair is accused of taking 12 rings worth more than $15,000, police reported. Stacy Levell returned to the victim's home the next day and admitted to taking the jewelry because he needed rent money, police reported.

He said he pawned them at Money and More Pawn Shop in Iowa City, and then he asked the victim if he could borrow money, according to the complaint.

An investigator went to the pawn shop in search of the rings and discovered that the pair had pawned 11 of the rings for a total of $1,307, according to the complaint. The most expensive ring was not pawned there, the investigator reported.

Both suspects were arrested on charges of felony first-degree theft and booked into the Johnson County Jail on Tuesday, according to online records.

On the same day, Stacy Levell was arrested and booked on an apparently unrelated charge of third-degree theft for taking money from Marco's Taxi. Levell was a driver for the cab service, according to a criminal complaint, and during an audit of his logs, managers discovered that he had been falsifying his daily log totals and keeping the difference.

When a manager confronted Levell about the suspected lying and stealing, Levell vowed it wouldn't happen again, according to the complaint. In a subsequent audit, however, Levell is accused of again falsifying his records and again taking a total of $703.30 that belonged to Marco's Taxi, according to police.

A home address if not listed for the Levells in the criminal complaints. They were released from jail Wednesday morning.

Stacy Levell's criminal history in Iowa includes arrests on drugs, theft and assault charges. He also has numerous financial-related court actions on his record. Melissa Levell also has a long criminal history in Iowa, including prior convictions for disorderly conduct, forgery and theft. She also has financial-related court actions on her record.