WESTPORT–Police have arrested a housekeeper after hundreds of thousands of dollars of jewelry went missing from her employer’s home.
On Tuesday, September 22, police arrested Martha Lopez, 57, at her Norwalk home on outstanding larceny warrant.
The warrant stems from an investigation that began May 25 when a Judy Point resident reported a large amount of jewelry had been stolen from two safes in her house. Westport Police investigated, along with an insurance investigator from AIG.
The investigation revealed that 35 pieces had been stolen, and the total value was $384,330. It was eventually learned that the codes to the safe were stolen from the victim’s day planner.
During the investigation, police contacted Connecticut Gold and Silver of Wilton and learned that at least 20 items had been pawned by Lopez between July 2012 and December 2014. The owner of the business sent photos of the jewelry, and the victim identified 31 items as having been stolen from her home, and at least 13 were taken out of the two safes in her house.
The victim was Lopez’s employer for the past 18 years.
Lopez was charged with larceny in the first degree. She is being held on a $150,000 bond and is next due in court October 5.
