Huntsville police hope to have last laugh on serial burglars

HUNTSVILLE, Al.
Huntsville police said they're often arresting the same burglars over and over again, and during a recent case the suspect basically laughed during the booking and told police he'd be on the streets again soon.
"The frustration comes from the fact we are seeing a lot of repeat offenders being able to bond out," said Sgt. Mark Roberts of Huntsville police, speaking of the recent spike in home and commercial burglaries. "And then they recommit burglaries again and again.
"It's well-known out there. People committing crimes know that the system will allow them to be bonded out."
For example, Huntsville police arrested Marquez Antonio Sandifer, 28, on Wednesday and charged him with two counts of third-degree burglary and a violation of probation. It came a week after Sandifer was charged with two counts of third-degree burglary, violation of probation and menacing by other weapon. He had been released on bond.
Sandifer also has earlier burglary and other charges in Madison County. On the latest charge, the court granted no bond.
Michael Devon Dillard, 29, was also arrested Wednesday on two counts of third-degree residential burglary and driving with a suspended license. He was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with first- and third-degree burglary, on July 1 with two counts of third-degree burglary and has other past charges. His bond for his latest offenses has yet to be determined, and Roberts is hoping it will be revoked.
Huntsville Police Chief Mark Hudson and Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning recently got Madison County Magistrate Lee Leggett to raise the bonds to try to deter the repeat burglars. Criminals who used to face a $10,000 bond to get out for first-degree burglary will now face a $60,000 bond, for example.
A cash bond requires the defendant to pay 10 percent of a bond's value, so the change would raise the defendant's cost of getting out of jail from about $1,000 to $6,000. Huntsville police are hoping the increase in bond amounts will reduce burglaries, which spiked 24 percent in September and October from the same period last year - 415 reported in 2010 versus 518 this year.
"We're hoping the increase in the bonds will make a difference in allowing them to be kept in jail and not committing more burglaries," Roberts said.
Under the new bond guidelines, Dillard's bond could be as high as $60,000 on four charges of third-degree burglary.
"We've been seeing it for years and years - serial burglars and people breaking into cars," Assistant District Attorney Randy Dill said. "We try to stay on top of it. If we're aware of something, we try and bring it back before the judge to have the bond increased or revoked. Sometimes, we're successful, sometimes we're not. That's the way it is."
Huntsville police have caught 15 to 20 burglars since the increase went into effect, Roberts said.