She is accused of stealing $1,700 from the office she was paid to protect but tonight 33-year-old City Council security guard Shirley Arzu says she is innocent. As we reported on Wednesday, Arzu was charged with burglary for the theft that occurred between 4 and 5 am last Friday. Police believed it was an inside job because there was no sign of forced entry. Arzu was the security guard on duty at the time of the break-in. She visited our studios today and told us she can't explain how the burglar got into the building, but what this mother of 11 does know is that she is innocent.
Shirley Arzu, Accused of Burglary
"My version of the story started the 16th of June at about 4 o'clock. I did my last routine check, because we do an hour to hour routine check, hour to hour security routine check. About 8 minutes after four, after getting back into my booth, I heard something fall but I thought it came from behind the City Hall due to the fact that you have some guys, Leroy Young and the other guys, living there. I didn't hear any other sound so myself could never believe it was a breaking in or a breaking out. I said breaking out because police say they didn't find any forced entry. So it had to be a breaking out. My instinct told me to just go around the building, hoping not to fall asleep, and I saw the place open."
Keith Swift,
How do you explain that there was no forced entry into the building?
Shirley Arzu,
"Honestly if I could I would. As far as I know the police told me they found that there was no forced entry. I believe from my heart somebody was in there. That is the only explanation I could have."
Keith Swift,
You believe somebody was locked up inside the office?
Shirley Arzu,
"That's the only scenario I could find."
Keith Swift,
The people at the city council tell me that there was only a couple people who knew money was in that filing cabinet. Did you know it was there?"
Shirley Arzu,
"I could never have knowledge of that because everyday an armored vehicle normally comes for money, everyday. Second of all we work on a routine shift, we rotate. We rotate locations. According to the officer he said he knew it was planned for like four weeks. Come on, most of the times we have four posts. We have land fill, we have Pound Yard, we have Traffic Department, and we have City Hall. Most of the times we don't where we'll be situated. I would never have knowledge. We could never organize that because we don't know when we'd ever be set at that post.
Personally I feel victimized and I feel this could've happened to anyone. I sincerely know from my heart that I am innocent."
Arzu was released on bail. She is on a two-week suspension from the City Council. A City Council representative told us on Wednesday that they don't have to wait for the outcome of her criminal trial to dismiss her.
