Former maid accused of burglarizing Thousand Oaks homes

A Los Angeles woman was arrested Monday after authorities say she burglarized a home where she previous worked as a maid.

Guadalupe Sam Pedro, 31, was arrested Monday evening in Panorama City along with Emanuel Melendez, 32, also of Los Angeles.

Sam Pedro was wanted in connection to a break-in and jewelry theft that took place at a home on the 200 block of Siesta Avenue in Thousand Oaks. On September 14, the homeowners found their door unlocked, their hidden key missing and jewelry stolen from a dresser drawer.

The victims told Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputies that they used a local cleaning service to clean their home. When deputies spoke to the manager of the cleaning service, the manager told them about a former employee who was fired in 2013 for stealing from customers’ homes.

The employee was Sam Pedro and it was learned that she had cleaned the victim’s home in the past and knew where the hidden key was located.

When detectives located Sam Pedro and Melendez, they searched their vehicle and located stolen items from the home on Siesta Avenue. Other items were located which police say could belong to some unidentified victims.

Sam Pedro and Melendez were arrested and could face charges for burglary, attempted burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Sam Pedro is also considered a suspect in two other attempted burglaries in Thousand Oaks in which she posed as a house cleaner.