A woman in North Carolina is facing criminal charges after police said she went to at least three homes under the guise of working as a nanny when she was actually casing the homes for pills and other valuables to steal.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, 33-year-old Sarah Seltzer was arrested on August 5 after being caught stealing items from a victim's home where she had applied for a job.
Seltzer is charged with breaking and entering, obtaining property by false pretense, and felony and misdemeanor larceny, among other offenses.
In the most recent case, police stated that Seltzer attended a nanny job interview on August 2 and then later returned to the same residence after the interview. She alleged entered the home through the back door and took several things, including bottles of prescription drugs.
"Some of the items stolen had sentimental value to the victim," police said in a statement.
In the other two cases, Seltzer was actually working as a childcare provider for the families she victimized, police said.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is continuing to investigate the case and additional charges may be possible if more victims are identified.
At least nine separate reports stretching back to Christmas Day 2021 have been filed with police against Seltzer, WBTV reported. Accusations include stolen pill bottles, breaking and entering, and stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and designer bags.
One alleged victim told WBTV she used the babysitting app Bambino to hire Seltzer, who she knew as "Cat," in February.
"I really liked Cat's profile because she had experience and positive reviews from other families," Allison, a Charlotte mom, told the station.
After Seltzer watched her daughter, Allison said she "noticed something was a little wrong" with her prescription pill bottle, but she brushed it off -- until she asked Seltzer back to watch her daughter for a second time.
"When she was leaving she asked me if she could use the restroom," Allison told WBTV. "I went in there right after she left and the pill bottle was on my counter open with nothing in it. It was completely empty."
Allison filed a police report, though it's unclear if any of the charges against Seltzer are related to her claims.
In a statement to WBTV, Bambino said it provides safety standard checks for all parents and sitters including ID verification, phone number and carrier validation, sex offender background check, and terror watchlist lookup.
"Several months ago, a family reached out to us, accusing a sitter of stealing. We immediately removed this sitter from our platform and personally reached out to all families that communicated with her to alert them of the accusation. In addition, we worked closely with law enforcement to assist with their case," the statement said. "Sadly, this sitter was highly rated and many of the parents we spoke with were worried for her and her change of behavior after reporting that she had gone through a personal tragedy. No child was ever in danger or directly affected by these theft accusations and the more serious theft occurred outside our platform."
An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about related crimes is asked to contact police.
Related
Related
