Lakeland man charged with stealing urn with police officer’s ashes

Author: Associated Press
Published:
Lakeland man charged with stealing urn with police officer’s ashes. Photo via Polkland County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities say they’ve recovered a stolen urn that contained the remains of a retired Florida police officer.

A Polk County Sheriff’s Office news release says 27-year-old Daniel Antonio Nolasco Cardona was arrested Tuesday in Miami. He’s charged with four burglaries in the Lakeland area, but officials say he’s connected to 14 other thefts in nine Florida counties.

Detectives say the four Lakeland burglaries occurred March 28. Officials say that includes the one where Cardona stole the urn containing retired Lakeland Police Officer Buddy Newsome’s ashes.

Video surveillance gave detectives a tag number for a rental van involved in the crimes, and authorities say the van led them to Cardona.

Cardona faces multiple theft-related charges, along with a charge of destroying a monument or gravestone. Jail records didn’t list an attorney.

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