Man reportedly admits to Cape burglaries
A Fort Myers man reportedly admitted to burglarizing at least six homes in Cape Coral and selling the stolen items on the street for drugs.
Barry Wayne Burdette, 34, of 17672 Holly Oak Ave., was being held Thursday at the Lee County Jail on no bond. He has been charged with more than 80 counts on a variety of charges, including burglary, larceny, vehicle theft, dealing in stolen property and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
The Cape police alone booked him on 32 counts.
According to police reports, Burdette was arrested and charged Saturday in Fort Myers Shores for a home burglary. During questioning, he confessed to committing numerous burglaries. In the following days, Cape detectives and Burdette worked to identify which homes he had burglarized in the city.
He reportedly broke into a residence in the 3400 block of Southwest 25th Place and stole a safe, cash, jewelry, watches, a video gaming system, gold coins, electronics, a pressure washer, a drill set and other items valued at nearly $14,500 in total.
Burdette removed about $800 in property from a residence in the 1500 block of Southeast 28th Terrace, including a flat screen television and DVDs, according to the reports. He also hit a home in the 1100 block of Southeast 37th Street and took a flat screen television worth an estimated $900.
About a month later, Burdette returned to the home on Southeast 37th Street but did not take anything. Following the first burglary, a relative of the homeowner had removed from the home the two TVs that were left.
Burdette reportedly took about $1,000 in items, including a flat screen TV and jewelry, from a home in the 400 block of Southeast Sixth Street. He also allegedly entered a home in the 4600 block of Sands Boulevard and stole a flat screen television valued at about $800.
According to the reports, in the most recent identified burglary, Burdette took approximately $1,900 worth of items from a home in the 1400 block of Northeast 43rd Terrace. They were a gaming system, a laptop and jewelry.
Burdette has several court dates set, with the most recent on Dec. 27.