Police: Fired Maid Went Back To Break Into Houses She Cleaned

THOUSAND OAKS (CBSLA) — Authorities say a maid who had already been fired for stealing from the houses she cleaned has been arrested for going back and burglarizing those houses.

Guadalupe Sam Pedro, 31, and Emanuel Melendez, 32, both of Chatsworth, were arrested this week in Panorama City by Thousand Oaks police officers.

When officers searched their car, they found jewelry stolen from a Thousand Oaks home, along with other pieces of jewelry they believe to be from unidentified victims, Thousand Oaks police Detective Jason Louis said.

One of the burglaries involved a home in the 200 block of Siesta Avenue. The resident reported her jewelry had gone missing sometime on Sept. 13, the same day her husband remembered coming home to find the door unlocked and their hidden key missing.

The victims had used a local, family-owned cleaning service, whose manager told police Sam Pedro was fired in 2013 after being caught stealing from clients' homes. The manager told detectives Sam Pedro had cleaned the home on Siesta Avenue several times and knew where the hidden key was kept.

Police say Sam Pedro tried to break into two more Thousand Oaks homes that she had also cleaned in the past.