A judge sentenced a Castle Rock caregiver to 90 days in jail after she pleaded guilty to stealing more than $110,000 worth of jewelry from the family of a disabled son under her care.

Elsa Montejo-Fuentes, 32, had worked for the family for five years caring for their quadriplegic, nonverbal son when she began stealing valuable jewelry and other items, investigators said.

The thefts came to light in January 2024 when the family contacted the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office after discovering that a wedding ring and wedding band were missing. 

A subsequent investigation by sheriff’s detectives revealed that Montejo-Fuentes had pawned several items belonging to the family, including a Rolex watch, beginning in August 2023.

Authorities said Montejo-Fuentes initially denied the allegations. However, after detectives confronted her with pawnshop receipts documenting the transactions, she admitted to the thefts. She also turned over the missing wedding ring after acknowledging it had been stored in the trunk of her vehicle.

Montejo-Fuentes later pleaded guilty to felony theft. In addition to serving 90 days in jail, District Judge Beth Elliott-Dumler ordered her to pay more than $39,000 in restitution and serve four years of probation.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Wes Stafford said the defendant abused the trust placed in her by the family, according to a news release from the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

“Instead of protecting the family’s property and caring for their son, she used her position of trust to steal valuable and deeply personal possessions,” Stafford said in a statement. 

Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly also commended the detectives who investigated the case.

“When someone is invited into a home to care for a vulnerable family member, that person is given an extraordinary level of trust,” Weekly said. “Betraying that trust for personal gain is unacceptable, and our detectives did an outstanding job bringing the facts of this case to light.”

District Attorney George Brauchler said the case highlights the impact of crimes committed against vulnerable individuals and their families.

“To prey upon a vulnerable, disabled person and a loving family’s trust is more than just a despicable crime,” Brauchler said in the release.