Record Arrests and Multi-Agency Sweep to Keep Momentum in Solving East Pasco Burglaries

The final two months of 2007 is turning out to be a busy and productive time for Pasco Sheriff's Office deputies working in the Property Crimes Section. During the first week of December, the Pasco Sheriff's Office Property Crimes Unit rounded up members of a Dade City burglary ring and conducted a multi-agency warrant sweep on December 7.

Property Crimes Detective, Zak Arey, believes some of the members in the burglary ring he helped arrest could be responsible for as many as 60 to 90 home burglaries in and around Dade City.

In all, five individuals have been identified and arrested in the burglary ring. They face as many as twenty felony charges. They are identified as Levon Hughes (19), Robert Herrera (18), Mario Alvarez (17), Miguel Ibarra (15), and Miguel Herra (14) and have been booked into the Land O'Lakes jail. (See www.pascosheriff.com arrests).

Photo: Detective Steve Greiner (left) and Detective Tim Marshall (right) logging and taking inventory of impounded property from the December 7th warrant sweep in Dade City.

"This is one of our higher profile cases that will have a tremendous affect on our clearance rates in 2007," said Sgt. Joe Gleaton, the Property Crimes Unit supervisor in eastern Pasco. Earlier in the year, his property crimes unit made arrests in an auto burglary ring in the Wesley Chapel area that resulted in three arrests and detectives estimate they will be able to clear close to 150 auto burglaries from those arrests. "We've had a tremendous year in our Property Crimes Section," said Gleaton.

Preparation for the December 7 sweep started well in advance of the operation that involved planning meetings with other agencies. In all, more than 20 deputies and police officers took part in the effort including units from the Pasco Sheriff's Office Property Crimes East, Major Crimes, Street Crimes Unit, and the Community Policing Team. Two other agencies, Zephyrhills Police Department and Dade City Police Department also had members participate in the multi-agency effort.

The warrant sweep had a number of goals including trying to identify other suspects, gaining additional intelligence and recover stolen property such as jewelry, automobiles and guns. "There have been at least 50 guns stolen around Dade City since this summer that have not been recovered and the Pasco Sheriff's Office would like to get those guns off the streets," said Sgt. Joe Gleaton.

In the end, the sweep was credited with recovering four stolen guns, two stolen vehicles, one stolen trailer, jewelry, tools and numerous stolen prescription medications. Drugs including marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and various drug paraphernalia were also recovered in the sweep.

If you have any tips about any of these burglaries, contact the Pasco Sheriff's Office Tips line at 1-800-706-2488.