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Manatee Deputies Say Burglary Victims Can Reclaim Property

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 5, 2008

TAMPA - After confiscating items from a burglary suspect, Manatee County deputies are on the lookout for his victims.

Deputies want to return the stolen property.

They say Roy Whittaker is a suspect in at least 100 Manatee County burglaries – as well as several other burglaries from other counties including Hillsborough and Sarasota.

"He wasn't your typical burglar who would enter a house and go and grab all the jewelry or any one thing," sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said. "He would grab everything he could grab as quickly as he could … and get out."

Whittaker took everything from jewelry to generators to CDs, Bristow said.

Deputies arrested Whittaker on April 18 and confiscated about $350,000 in stolen property, a sheriff's office release states.

Now they want to return items to their rightful owners.

So far, about 75 victims have been identified through everything from credit cards to birth certificates, Bristow said.

Manatee residents who were burglarized in March or April and have a police report of the burglary should call (941) 747-3011, ext. 2218. An appointment will be made for Wednesday or Thursday so burglary victims can view the property.

"If you don't have a police report, you won't get a foot in the door," Bristow said. "Basically, you've got to prove that what is here is yours."

The items that remain unclaimed ultimately might be auctioned off, he said.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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