Florida woman Lynda Crouse charged with stealing date’s $98K Rolex — as cops uncover four other drugged victims across Miami

A Florida woman is accused of stealing an appraised $98,400 Rolex watch after meeting a man at a casino venue, according to court documents.

Lynda Mae Crouse, 32, was identified by authorities following the April encounter in Hallandale Beach.

On April 12, 2026, a man met a woman at the Carousel Club inside Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, investigators said.

The two exchanged Instagram accounts and parted ways about 20 minutes later, according to police.

Around 1:20 a.m., the man ordered an Uber ride to Crouse’s residence and had her brought to his home, court documents state.

The two drank alcohol together after arriving at the residence, according to a probable cause affidavit. The man later told investigators he had not consumed enough alcohol to black out or unexpectedly fall asleep.

At some point during the night, the man went into his bedroom to change clothes and left Crouse alone in the living room, police said.

He told police that while changing, he suddenly began feeling unusually tired and “funny.”

While he was still in the bedroom, the man said he heard what sounded like a clapping noise coming from the living room.

When he returned, the woman appeared to be acting differently, the man told investigators.

Crouse then abruptly announced that she was leaving and wanted to go home, according to investigators.

The man said he became increasingly tired and confused, falling asleep within minutes after she left.

Several hours later, he woke up and said he still felt strange.

He then remembered the clapping noise he had heard and checked the box where he stored his Rolex watch, according to court records.

The Rolex was gone, police said.

Investigators said the stolen watch was a gold 40-millimeter Rolex Presidential featuring baguette-diamond hour markers and round diamonds around the bezel.

The timepiece retailed for approximately $74,350, police said.

The owner later provided investigators with a signed appraisal valuing the Rolex at $98,400.

The man told police he came to believe the clapping sound he heard had actually been the Rolex box closing.

He also believed that explained why the woman’s behavior suddenly changed before she left, according to the affidavit.

The man told investigators he believed he had been drugged, adding that the unusual effects continued for more than a day.

However, the victim was not medically tested for drugs, authorities said.

Investigators later showed the man a six-person photo lineup, according to court documents.

He identified Crouse as the woman who had been inside his home before the Rolex disappeared, police said.

During the investigation, police searched Crouse’s name and allegedly discovered four additional active investigations in Miami-Dade County involving similar circumstances.

According to court documents, investigators said the other cases involved men who allegedly met Crouse at bars or nightclubs while wearing expensive watches.

Police said the men later went with Crouse to a home or hotel, became unusually tired or believed they had been drugged, and later discovered expensive watches or other property missing.

The similar investigations involved authorities in Miami, Miami Beach and Aventura, according to records.

In one of those cases, investigators said toxicology testing detected zolpidem, a prescription sleep medication, in the alleged victim’s system.

Police said that man reported experiencing symptoms similar to those described by the Hallandale Beach victim.

Based partly on the similarities between the investigations, police alleged that Crouse may have given the Hallandale Beach victim a sedating substance before stealing his Rolex.

However, because that victim was never tested, authorities have not confirmed that drugs were present in his system.

Crouse has not been charged or convicted in connection with the four other investigations based on publicly available court information.

On September 11, 2026, Crouse was arrested by Seminole Tribal Police, records show.

She was charged in Broward County with one count of second-degree grand theft in connection with the stolen Rolex, according to court documents.

At a probable cause hearing on September 14, a judge found sufficient probable cause for the theft charge, court records show.

As of the latest available information, Crouse had not publicly entered a plea.