BSO: Man Leads Deputies To Serial Burglar, Stolen Weapons

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POMPANO BEACH (CBSMiami) -- Broward Sheriff's deputies said a vigilant man led them to a cache of stolen weapons and the man allegedly trying to sell them.

Deputies said John Singer, 25, is a serial burglar who had acquired a small arsenal of weapons from the homes he had hit in Broward and Palm Beach County.

Singer was arrested on August 16th after he tried to sell the stolen weapons at the Pompano Beach Gun & Knife Show on Sunday. He had allegedly approached various attendees with pictures of vintage bayonets dating back to World War I and somone recognized the items as belonging to a friend.

"They're all gun collectors. Everybody knows each other and due to the amount of weapons stolen, the information was already being circulated among the Tri-County area," said Robert Rutkowski with BSO.

That's when the attendee alerted BSO and led them to Singer who, deputies say, has been arrested 17 times in the last six years for similar crimes.

Singer had also burgled a car in Pompano Beach in July and was caught  on surveillance video, deputies said.  Cameras captured him as he rummaged through the car and then scared himself off when he accidentally triggered the garage door opener. BSO said he eventually returned and took several items including sporting goods, a credit card and some cash.

Deputies said, due to to the arrest, they were  also able to recover dozens of stolen items including guns, computers, cameras, phones and other electronics. They also found several stolen ids and credit cards at the home.

"We walked into the bedroom and we saw all these weapons and all the other electronics and we were blown away. It was that large of a scene," said Jack Vaccaro with Lighthouse Point Police.

They are now searching for additional victims to reunite them with their property. Anyone with information is urged to call Broward Crimestoppers at (954) 493-TIPS.