Search for suspect overlooked the jail

Jail records aren't always checked when searching for a suspect, a sheriff's spokesman says.

By THOMAS LAKE, Times Staff Writer
Published October 18, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Kenneth Benzo was arrested after DNA evidence linked him to a 2-year-old burglary.

PORT RICHEY - Wednesday's paper had a story about a burglary two years ago during which the burglar cut himself and left blood in the house.

The authorities announced they had finally made an arrest based on DNA evidence. They caught the man Tuesday because he'd become a suspect in an unrelated bank robbery.

But the story had a gaping hole.

It failed to explain why, in light of the DNA evidence, Richard Benzo wasn't charged with the burglary months earlier.

After all, he wasn't so hard to find. He was in the county jail.

As the story pointed out, Benzo was in the Land O'Lakes jail for more than a year - from Sept. 27, 2006, until last Friday.

On Tuesday, sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said he didn't know what had caused the delay.

On Wednesday, an explanation came forth.

Doll said Detective Sean Kennedy obtained the DNA evidence in June, or thereabouts.

But Kennedy didn't check the jail for Benzo.

"Detectives don't always check the inmate records every day to see who's been booked in," Doll said.

Kennedy told Doll he should have put an alert in the inmate information system about the pending charge, but he didn't do that either because of his heavy caseload.

He didn't think about the case again until Tuesday, after someone robbed the Wachovia bank at 8994 State Road 52.

Benzo fit the suspect description, and a deputy detained him.

That's when Kennedy arrested him on the old burglary charge.

One might conclude that a bank robbery could have been prevented with an earlier arrest. But that's not necessarily true.

As it turns out, Benzo has not been charged in the bank robbery. It seems investigators have not developed probable cause.

And at 2:24 p.m. Wednesday, despite the new burglary charge, Benzo posted $10,000 bail and went free again.

Thomas Lake can be reached at tlake@sptimes.com or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6245.

[Last modified October 17, 2007, 21:43:15]