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Burglar accused of resuming his trade
By JAMIE MALERNEE © St. Petersburg Times, published May 15, 2001 SPRING HILL -- More than a decade ago, Scott Ian Robinson was convicted for being part of one of the largest burglary rings local authorities had ever seen. At the time of his arrest, he was only 18. Apparently, a decade in prison and time to mature did little to change his chosen profession, authorities say. Robinson, 32, of 15451 Lancer Ave. in Spring Hill faces 10 counts of home burglary and one count of car burglary. Authorities say he admitted last week that he had committed a string of break-ins. And officials say he is a suspect in several more burglaries being investigated in Hernando and Pasco counties. "This case is still evolving," said Hernando sheriff's Lt. Joe Paez. "He's confessed to some incidents that were never even reported." Robinson was being held in Hernando County Jail Monday night. Robinson was released from prison in 1999. Since the beginning of this year, authorities said, he has broken into at least 10 homes in western Hernando County on Eastern Circle Drive, Forzando Avenue, Sun Road, Fairway Avenue, Nordica Road and Bailey Hill Road. Along the way, they said, he stole hundreds of dollars in compact discs, stereos, VCRs, cameras, video games, jewelry and personal items, as well as cash. He would then pawn the items and use the money to buy crack cocaine, he told investigators. The recent break-ins are similar to those he committed more than a decade ago in that Robinson said other friends in their teens or 20s helped him. In the original ring, two men would recruit teenagers or young people in their early 20s to break into homes; the men then would buy stolen property from them and sell it to pawnshops. That ring involved $50,000 worth of merchandise, and Robinson was one of the teens who helped, authorities said. Robinson was stopped May 7 after leading deputies on a chase. Authorities had identified him as a suspect in a handful of recent burglaries. But when they tried to arrest him, he fled, reports said. While fleeing, he almost hit a patrol car. When he was apprehended later, he was charged not only in the five burglaries, but also with fleeing police and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. After his arrest, Robinson admitted to dozens more break-ins and even took detectives around the county to show them where he had been, Paez said. State records show Robinson had previously been convicted of 21 counts of burglary, 16 counts of grand theft, one count of grand theft auto, one count of possession of burglary tools and one count of battery on a law enforcement officer from cases stemming back to the late 1980s.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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