POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- A burglar took something its owner could not replace: an urn containing the ashes of her late husband Buddy Newsome, a retired Lakeland police officer.
Now, the suspected burglar is in jail, and the urn is back where it belongs.
“I knew God was in control,” said Michelle Newsome, Buddy Newsome’s widow. “I also knew Sheriff Grady Judd was in control, and his deputies and the Polk County Sheriff's Office. I knew and I had every belief that we were going to get this back.”
Judd said it's miraculous they not only found the suspect, but they also found that urn intact.
“That was way over the edge, and the resources were committed,” Judd said.
Speechless, Michelle Newsome accepted the urn and thanked each of the detectives who worked the case.
“'Thank you' doesn't seem like it's adequate enough,’ she told them.
Surveillance cameras outside of the Lakeland subdivision where the burglary happened captured still images of the suspect and a white minivan. That lead was a start, and they eventually tracked down the suspect all the way in Miami.
“We determined our burglar is not even from this country,” Judd said. “He's Honduran.”
Detectives caught up with Daniel Cardona at a rental car lot in South Florida, but they say he came to the U.S. on a tourist visa, with several passports and IDs and a plan to burglarize homes. They say he hit homes in at least 10 counties, racking up thousands of dollars worth of cash and jewelry.
“But he made a fatal mistake,” Judd explained. “He came to Polk County.”
Investigators suspect he's part of a ring that rents cars and picks victims in high-end neighborhoods far from home base in Miami.
“This is one of the more special times of my life, and these detectives made it happen,” Judd said.
He also knew Officer Newsome and his widow.
Judd said this arrest is just the beginning, even for a sheriff who makes announcements like this on a regular basis.
Cardona will make a first appearance in court on Thursday. Judd said he's asked ICE to take care of him once he faces his charges here. He'll likely face more charges from each of the counties he's suspected of committing a crime in.
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