Former Cam High employee jailed for stealing

A judge sent a former Adolfo Camarillo High School employee to jail on Tuesday for stealing from a student.

Kristen Rene Santoya, 37, of Oxnard was sentenced to 180 days in jail and felony probation for three years and taken into custody.

Police arrested Santoyo in November after parents of a 14-year old special education student told school officials someone was taking their child's lunch money. A hidden camera set up in a classroom caught Santoyo, a paraeducator at the school, taking money out of a student's bag.

Santoyo was arrested on theft and drug charges. Police say she was under the influence of a controlled substance at time of her arrest and had drug paraphernalia in her possession.

In January, the drug charges against Santoyo were dropped and she pleaded guilty to felony petty theft and misdemeanor cruelty to a child.

A 12-year employee of the Oxnard Union High School District before resigning in November, Santoyo had an earlier conviction.

She pleaded guilty to grand theft in December 2001, and spent 15 days in jail, according to court records.

The Oxnard Union High School District performs background checks on all its employees but only at the time of hire.

Superintendent Jody Dunlap has said she thinks it was possible for Santoyo to hide her criminal activity from the school district by serving jail time during an extended school break.

- Michelle Knight