Newport Beach woman accused of stealing $2 million in jewelry at South Coast Plaza store pleads not guilty

A woman who police say tried on $2 million worth of jewelry at South Coast Plaza and then fled with it after threatening security with a large knife has been charged in the crime and has pleaded not guilty, court records show.

Karen Yvonne Floyd, 54, was arrested Monday, Jan. 13, on suspicion of stealing the jewelry from a store in the mall two days earlier, according to Costa Mesa police.

The Newport Beach woman was arraigned in court Wednesday where her bail was set at $100,000, according to the criminal complaint. She posted bond and was released Thursday, jail records show.

She was charged Wednesday with second-degree robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, both felonies, and a misdemeanor count of brandishing a weapon. Floyd also faces a sentence enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon, the complaint shows.

She is set to return to court on Jan. 24 for a pretrial hearing at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.

Costa Mesa police said that Floyd entered the store, which they have not named, and asked to try on several pieces. When she did, she told staff she wanted to see them in the sunlight, Roxi Fyad, spokeswoman for the Costa Mesa Police Department said.

When staff told her she could not leave with the jewelry, she walked toward the entrance of the store and brandished a large knife when security tried to stop her. She fled and guards followed her to the parking lot where she drove away. With her license plate number and video surveillance, police were able to find her at her home in Newport Beach and arrest her.

Last month, Floyd was charged with a felony count of unlawful taking of a vehicle for allegedly stealing a 2020 Land Rover, according to court documents.