A dog-walker pleaded not guilty Thursday to burglarizing the home of a client in Palos Verdes Estates.
Nephi Henderson, 36, is charged with two counts of first-degree residential burglary.
Co-defendant Zulma Lourdes Farias, 19, of Hermosa Beach, is charged with one count of first-degree residential burglary.
Henderson was entrusted with a key to the client’s home so he could walk the family dog, according to testimony presented at a Sept. 14 hearing in which he was ordered to stand trial.
Detectives launched an investigation after the homeowner who hired Henderson through the website Care.com reported that the suspect and an accomplice were captured on surveillance video entering his home and removing property on two occasions while the resident was away in August, according to Palos Verdes Estates police.
If convicted as charged, Henderson faces a maximum of more than seven years in state prison, while Farias could face up to six years behind bars, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
–City News Service