Second Suspect Arrested in $40,000 Chain Theft; 18-Year-Old Charged with Criminal Mischief

Jayden James Wells, 18, of Big Coppitt Key, was arrested Tuesday and booked on criminal mischief charges tied to the alleged theft of a $40,000 gold chain, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said. Detectives contend Wells altered the piece as part of an ongoing criminal probe that already led to an earlier arrest.

“Detectives learned Wells used a drill and a grinding stone to remove identifying engravings on the stolen gold chain as part of their ongoing investigation in which the initial suspect, 38‑year‑old Alicia Marie Trottier, was arrested and charged with grand theft on Feb. 18, 2026,” MCSO said in a statement. Authorities described Wells’s arrest as connected to that investigation; the KeysNews staff report that relayed the MCSO statement did not list specific statute numbers or bond information for Wells.

Alicia Marie Trottier, 38, was the initial suspect in the case and was arrested and charged with grand theft on Feb. 18, 2026, MCSO said. Police have alleged Trottier “stole the pricey chain from a man while he was in jail,” a detail included in the sheriff’s office statement published by KeysNews; the agency has not released a detailed timeline of how the chain moved from Trottier to other parties or whether the altered chain has been recovered.

A separate social media excerpt circulating on Facebook included the line “second person charged, in connection with the theft of a $40,000 gold chain. ... A 12-year-old Little Torch juvenile was charged with burglary.” That Facebook excerpt provided no names, dates, or a clear link between the 12‑year‑old Little Torch juvenile and the chain theft; MCSO records or court filings would be needed to confirm any connection.

The KeysNews staff report also included an unrelated arrest in the same MCSO statement. MCSO said Renee Jesus Perez, 24, of Orlando, “was stopped near Mile Marker 74 at approximately 9:16 p.m. after he was observed handling suspected drugs earlier at a nearby gas station.” A search of Perez’s vehicle allegedly turned up 43.3 grams of a controlled substance, and he faces charges including trafficking cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and use of a two‑way communications device to facilitate a felony.

What remains unclear in the public record is whether investigators have recovered the $40,000 chain and whether tools allegedly used to remove engravings were seized and submitted for forensic examination. KeysNews relayed the MCSO statement on the arrests but did not include booking numbers, mug shots, bond amounts, or upcoming court dates for Wells or Trottier. Those items typically appear in booking records and court dockets and can be confirmed through Monroe County Sheriff’s Office releases and Clerk of Court filings.