Cape Coral police have arrested a man in connection with a burglary and grand theft following a vehicle breakdown on the Midpoint Bridge and a ransacked home on SE 36th Terrace.
On the night of September 9, officers were called by Florida Highway Patrol to investigate a home in Cape Coral after a broken-down silver Chrysler 200 was found abandoned on the bridge.
The vehicle’s registered owner told an FHP trooper that the car should have been at their residence on SE 36th Terrace, prompting a welfare check by the Cape Coral Police Department.
After contacting the homeowner, who was out of town, officers inspected the property and found that the Chrysler was missing from the garage. While circling the home, officers discovered hurricane shutters secured on all windows except for one, which appeared to have been forcibly opened. A screwdriver was found near the window, suggesting it had been used to remove the shutter.
With the homeowner’s consent, officers entered the home for a safety sweep and found it ransacked. Missing items included a TV, soundbar, and tablet.
Detectives from the Property Crimes Unit responded to the scene and noted that they had recently been called to the same neighborhood to investigate burglaries involving vehicles and lanais. Inside the abandoned Chrysler 200, investigators found several miscellaneous items, including a TV and soundbar, which the homeowner later identified as stolen property from the residence.
The Cape Coral Forensics Unit gathered fingerprints from the home and the vehicle, which led to the identification of Robert Edward Kennedy, 45, as the suspect. The homeowner confirmed they did not know Kennedy and that he had no reason to be in their home.
Detectives later learned that Kennedy was already in custody at the Lee County Jail on unrelated charges. On September 24, Kennedy was formally charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and criminal mischief.
Kennedy faces multiple felony charges and remains in custody as the investigation continues.
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