Dog Watcher Accused of Stealing Valuable Property From Rochester Couple’s Home

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- An incarcerated woman has been charged in a Rochester felony theft case. 

See Also: Rochester Man Tried to Trigger Explosion During Home Invasion 

The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court earlier this week, says the theft occurred this past July.

Minnesota Department of Corrections records indicate she was booked into a state prison six days after the theft report for an unrelated case. 

Get our free mobile app

Charges: Dog Watcher Stole Cash, Gold Coins, Play Station & Cell Phones from Rochester Couple's Home

38-year-old Elizabeth Jean Smith is accused of committing the theft while she was watching a dog belonging to a Rochester couple at their home. 

One of the victims told Rochester police she came home on July 20 and noticed a Playstation, three cell phones, a pair of gold coins and $5,000 in cash were missing from the home. 

Smith admitted to stealing the gaming council when one of the victims asked her about it, the complaint says. 

Investigators learned seven days after the theft report that Smith was found with the two coins and three phones that belonged to the victims when she was taken into custody in Winona County for violating the terms of sentencing in a 2023 Winona County felony DWI case. 

The charges say some of the stolen property amounted to a combined value of $7,400. Other items reported stolen have not been appraised, according to the court document. 

Smith is currently incarcerated at the state correctional facility in Shakopee, where she’s serving a five-year sentence for the DWI conviction.

She’s charged with felony theft and is due to make her first court appearance for the Rochester theft case next month.