In an alarming incident from Miami’s Brickell district, a woman hailing from Chicago, aged 40 years old, was taken into custody under accusations of drugging two men and appropriating their belongings worth more than $30,000 in a private residential setting. Named Tamika Hayes, she faced allegations of carrying out a burglary while people were present, along with grand theft, pertaining to an event that unfolded on the 28th of February.
The two affected individuals, Sean McClain and his companion, Jack Rubin, pleaded with the court to withhold bail from Hayes. They testified about the severity and depth of their ordeal, with McClain recounting, ‘I find myself here due to becoming a target of a profoundly disturbing and ruinous crime.’
The origins of the encounter trace back to The Corner, a pub found alongside E11VEN Miami nightclub on North Miami Avenue. Here, McClain and Rubin encountered Hayes and another female companion. Following some time spent socializing, the quartet decided to return to the gentlemen’s accommodation located on Brickell Bay Drive, with the women driving them in a 2024 BMW X3.
A nearby gas station’s surveillance footage backs this, as it captured the group’s arrival in the aforementioned vehicle, roughly around the early hours of 4 a.m. The incident unfolded that night with both victims reporting losing their consciousness after reaching their apartment. One of the victims sported a Rolex piece valued at around $10,000.
The how of the incident was recounted by McClain, stating: ‘I regained my senses in an unfamiliar way, unaware of my surroundings, even though I was still in my own dwelling.’ McClain and Rubin then noted the absence of several belongings, which included the aforementioned Rolex watch, an iPhone 16, bank cards, and a quantity of cash.
Describing the aftermath, McClain mentioned, ‘I found myself without a phone, wallet, credit or debit cards, driver’s license, timepiece, and any recollection of the past hours. It was only when my friend Jack, who had gone through the same ordeal, shook me awake that we slowly began making sense of our reality.’
Post-incident, both victims proceeded to seek medical attention. The Miami police are treating this episode as a ‘bad date case’, which refers to situations where women target men wearing pricey jewelry, coax them back to their homes, administer sedatives, and then proceed to rob their valuables.
Hayes was recognized as the driver of the implicated vehicle and a bulletin on the vehicle’s license plate facilitated her capture in Pompano Beach. Post-arrest, Hayes was subsequently transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center situated in West Miami-Dade.
In the courtroom, the victims explained to the presiding judge how deeply unsettling the event had been for them. McClain shared, ‘I lost a phone which was central to my personal and professional existence, a timepiece for which I saved for years, cash, along with a fair share of my social standing in my own residential building.’ The victims admitted to being in Miami on vacation from their home, New York.
Rubin’s statement further underlined the gravity of the situation: ‘I wrestle with the thought that my parents were at the risk of losing their only child, and my sibling could have been left without a brother. I beseech the court to refuse her the bail—not only for my mental peace and so I could maybe enjoy undisturbed sleep again, but to also forestall her from repeating this with anyone else.’
The offender’s legal representation countered that there was no tangible proof asserting that the victims were drugged. The attorney questioned, ‘There’s nothing endorsing the assumption that Ms. Hayes administered any sort of substance.’
However, the judge informed that given that Hayes did face charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling, she must post bail set at $100,000, with an additional $75,000 for the grand theft accusation. Furthermore, Hayes was instructed to refrain from approaching the victims and was barred from visiting The Corner Bar.
Authorities are now awaiting the results of lab tests to definitively establish if narcotics were part of this incident or not. The havoc that has been caused brings a chilling reminder of the unanticipated dangers that can result from seemingly harmless social encounters.