Memory care worker accused of pawning wedding rings pleads guilty to felony theft

(ABC 6 News) — A Texas woman has pleaded guilty to theft after being accused of stealing and pawning wedding rings from a woman with dementia in Albert Lea.

Clasette Leanne Way, 23, entered the guilty plea in April after stealing the rings from a dementia patient in February 2024.

The plea entails that Way’s charge will be amended to theft of property or services $1001-$5000.

Way’s sentencing is set for June 25 at 2 p.m.

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(ABC 6 News) – A Texas woman accused of stealing and pawning wedding rings from a woman with dementia failed to appear in Freeborn County Court Oct. 31.

Clasette Leanne Way, 23, moved back to Donna, Texas before being accused of the Albert Lea theft.

According to court documents, in February of 2024, a man contacted police because his wife, a dementia patient in a memory care facility, was missing her wedding rings.

The three wedding sets were appraised at $7,775.

According to court documents, the facility lead said the rings had been noted missing in late February, and the last time they’d been accounted for were when Way removed them so the woman could bathe.

In April, an Albert Lea investigator searched for pawn shop activity by Way and noted that two of the rings had been sold to shops in Alamo and Harlingen, Texas.

The memory care facility said Way had moved back to Texas for a family emergency.

Way allegedly told an investigator that she had “forgotten” the rings were in her pocket months prior, brought them to Texas, panicked, and “one thing led to another”– so she sold them.