Clearwater Burglary Case

A few years ago, I represented a client who had been charged with burglary of a motor vehicle.  The vehicle that was allegedly burglarized belonged to an out-of-state cop in Clearwater attending a conference.  At the time of the cop's deposition, he testified that the burglar took a gun from the car during the burglary.  During the course of the deposition, I asked him why he hadn't reported the gun as stolen.  He stated that he had forgotten to report it.  During the trial, my client was facing a life sentence.  The trial took place in Division M, the career criminal division.  In this division, the penalties are often double because of the previous record.  As I questioned my client on the stand, it came out that my client had pulled up to the cop's car and noticed the car's glass had been removed and was laying on the ground.  My client testified that he moved the glass so that it didn't present a danger to his vehicle.  The jury found him not guilty and my client was able to avoid the life sentence.