Sheriff's Office Nets Car Fishing Crew

SEBRING - A Sebring man was free Tuesday on $6,250 bail, after he was arrested Monday in connection with a rash of "car fishing" burglaries in Highlands County.

Claudio Zachary Sadens, 20, of 204 Red Pine Drive, in Sebring, was charged with six counts of burglary of a conveyance and one count of petty theft.

The name of at least one juvenile suspect was deleted by sheriff's central records from Sadens' arrest report, pending a possible arrest.

"Car fishing" as it has been termed by law enforcement and criminals alike, is when people try the doors on parked cars, and when they find an open door, enter and remove valuables that are easy to carry off.

Sadens was charged in connection with car burglaries in the 300 and 400 blocks of Lotus Avenue and the 500 block of Volvo Avenue.

During her quarterly report to the county commission, Sheriff's Susan Benton said investigators may have solved as many as 80 recent car burglaries.

Deputies caught "a group red-handed" in the act of car fishing, Benton said.
Sadens was arrested in the Sebring Country Estates subdivision, according to Sheriff's Capt. Randy LaBelle.

He said Tuesday that this investigation solves about 10 recent car burglary cases.
Ten affidavits have been filed with one arrest. Other arrests may be pending.

"The most recent ones were in the Harder Hall - Lake Haven Estates area," LaBelle said.
However, in the last eight months there have been closer to 100 car burglaries reported throughout the county.

In Sun 'n Lake of Sebring, there were 14 affidavits filed, 2 people arrested and $1,000 in property recovered. There are about 20 to 25 cases with arrests pending.

"There have been as many as 80 car burglaries in the last six months. Det. Bobby Burch solved about 50 in from Sun 'n Lakes south to Sun 'n Lake north back in May of 2007."

In those cases, a total of 100 affidavits were filed on four people. About $25,000 in stolen property was recovered.

There have been many victims, LaBelle said. But when they were contacted about prosecutions, at least a dozen victims refused to prosecute, LaBelle said.

"And that's their prerogative," he said.

LaBelle said he is very proud of the work they have done in solving conservatively 50 percent of these cases, many of which had no physical evidence.

Often times victims have been driving around for a day or more before they realize something is missing, he said.

"It was just good old-fashioned police work," LaBelle said. "These guys, these detectives, Bobby (Burch) is like a one-man wrecking crew. With more than 50 percent of these cases closed, that's beyond outstanding."

The sheriff's office continues to advise residents to lock their car doors and not leave valuables in plain view.