LAKELAND, Fla. – A stolen urn that contained the remains of a retired Florida police officer has been recovered, authorities said.
A Polk County Sheriff's Office news release said Daniel Antonio Nolasco Cardona, 27, was arrested Tuesday in Miami. He's charged with four burglaries in the Lakeland area, but officials said he's connected to 14 other thefts in nine Florida counties.
Detectives said the four Lakeland burglaries occurred March 28. Officials said that includes the one in which 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 said 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.