Man arrested for Cape burglaries a suspect in additional incidents
A man has been tied to at least two burglaries in Cape Coral and is a suspect in more than two dozen others, according to police officials.
On Tuesday, Cape detectives charged Barry Wayne Burdette, 34, of 17672 Holly Oak Ave., Fort Myers, with two counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and two counts of larceny theft $300 or more but less than $5,000.
He remained at the Lee County Jail on no bond Wednesday.
According to officials, Burdette was identified by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office as a possible suspect in a Nov. 11 burglary on Caribbean Boulevard in east Fort Myers. When Burdette was arrested and charged, he was found in possession of a set of car keys taken from a Cape home during a burglary.
On Nov. 4, Cape police were called to a burglary at 1458 Viking Court. The homeowner was out of the country and several flat screen televisions, computers and other electronic equipment were stolen. Parked next to the home was a 2001 Ford Excursion that also was taken, along with the keys.
In a similar case, police responded to a burglary at 2334 S.W. 28th St. on Oct. 28. The homeowner again had been out of the country and the burglary was reported by the property management company. A flat screen TV, Sony stereo and other items were stolen.
Connie Barron, spokeswoman for the Cape police, reported that detectives with the Property Crimes Unit made contact with Burdette at the Lee County Jail following his Nov. 11 arrest. Burdette agreed to cooperate and admitted to his involvement in the two Cape burglaries.
The sheriff’s office had already charged Burdette on Nov. 11 with:
n Grand larceny of firearm — four counts
n Armed burglary of dwelling or conveyance — two counts
n Grand theft of firearm — two counts
n Possession or concealment of weapon or firearm by convicted felon — two counts
n Unarmed burglary of unoccupied dwelling — one count
n Criminal mischief property damage $1,000 or more — one count
n Criminal mischief property damage $200 and under — one count
n Criminal mischief property damage $200 or more but less than $1,000 — one count
n Larceny $20,000 or more but less than $100,000 — one count
n Grand larceny theft $5,000 or more but less than $10,000 — one count
n Larceny theft $300 or more but less than $5,000 — one count
n Resist officer obstruct without violence — one count
n Grand theft of vehicle — one count
During the Cape interview, Burdette was established as a suspect in more than 30 additional burglaries in the Cape, North Fort Myers and Fort Myers.
“Additional charges may be forthcoming,” Barron said.
Burdette has two court dates, Dec. 13 and 27, for the multiple charges.