SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A burglar caught breaking into a Winter Park home last year has now been sentenced to three decades in prison, the State Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday.
James Danforth, 41, entered the home in the Howell Branch Woods neighborhood last year through a sliding-glass door in the early-morning hours while the family living there was still asleep.
Ring camera video shows Danforth going into the house via the back door, looking around the place and picking up different items.
“I scrolled, and then I see some man opening the sliding-glass door, walking in,” homeowner Adam Perdue told News 6 after the burglary. “My stomach just went right into my throat.”
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According to Perdue, Danforth came in and out of the home over 20 times, taking thousands of dollars worth of the family’s belongings.
Those items included a wallet, an Armalite airsoft rifle, a Nintendo Switch console, an Oculus virtual reality glasses and a Blu-Ray DVD player. In total, the items were valued at $2,210, deputies said.
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But Perdue stated that the scariest part of the incident was finding out his son’s iPhone and charger were stolen from his bedstand.
“To realize that he had taken the phone on the charger off of my son’s nightstand, which means that he was standing right next to him,” Perdue said.
Perdue claimed Danforth left his home after about 45 minutes, and according to the sheriff’s office report, Danforth tried entering a neighbor’s home but was chased away by the homeowner.
Later on, investigators found a witness who helped them identify Danforth, ultimately leading to the burglar’s arrest.
“Today, he was sentenced to 30 years in state prison, ending a lengthy arrest history dating back to 2003,” the State Attorney’s Office wrote.
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