Even in death, dog catches thief

By WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 19, 2000

LARGO -- It's unclear whether Molly was much of a guard dog in life. But long after she died, the German shepherd helped authorities nab the man who burglarized her owner's home.

Harold Hempstead probably regrets the day he stole the urn with the dog's ashes.

A jury deliberated for six hours late Monday before convicting Hempstead of 34 burglary charges, including the burglary of Molly's home, for a theft spree that brought Hempstead an estimated $200,000 in stolen property.

He faces life in prison without parole when Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Brandt Downey III sentences him Thursday.

Prosecutor Pat Siracusa said Hempstead, 23, followed a burglar's code during burglaries: What he touched, he stole to avoid leaving his fingerprints.

That philosophy led police to a diverse cache of stolen property, including three cracked safes, Devil Rays memorabilia, deer antlers, a pear-shaped Christmas ornament and 50 watches.

And it included the theft of Molly's urn and a statue of the dog.

Police charged Hempstead after they arrived last year at his St. Petersburg home to evict him for failing to pay rent. They found the urn among hundreds of stolen items.

The urn didn't identify Molly's owner. But investigators found a label identifying where the dog had been cremated. Police visited the crematorium and traced the dog to her owner, whose home had recently been burglarized.

Chalk one burglary conviction up to Molly, eternally vigilant. The urn has since been returned to her owner, who could not be reached for comment.

Siracusa said Hempstead burglarized dozens of homes in St. Petersburg's north and west districts. Then he either pawned the loot or kept it on his property because he couldn't find a buyer.

He said Hempstead worked with a friend, Kaleb Stockwell.

Stockwell, 19, pleaded guilty last year to three burglary and three grand theft charges and was sentenced to house arrest, over the objection of prosecutors.

Jeff Fineran, whose home was burglarized 10 days before Hempstead's arrest, said, "You feel like you've been raped and violated after a burglary. (Hempstead) should spend the rest of his life in a prison cell."

About $6,000 in property was stolen from Fineran's house as he was at work on a Sunday. Fineran said he recovered about 60 percent of the property.

Police discovered much of the property Hempstead stole in the St. Petersburg home he rented. Other property was stashed at a hotel room Hempstead kept on Treasure Island, a U-Haul and a trailer he owned in Citrus County.

Hempstead's trial spanned a week and was one of the largest recent burglary prosecutions for State Attorney Bernie McCabe.

The trial included 150 pieces of evidence and testimony from more than 70 witnesses.

Siracusa said investigators suspect that Hempstead may have had a hand in many more burglaries. St. Petersburg police have recovered 800 stolen items, mostly jewelry, that they have been unable to link to any victim, including two safes.

Fineran said he has learned his lesson. A vicious dog now prowls his property when he is away. And he will never again leave anything valuable in his safe.

"I'm putting a note in the safe," he said. "It's going to say, "I hope you had fun breaking into this.' "

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