Deltona, FL – A 29-year-old Deltona man is in custody after confessing to several break-ins, including one where he walked into a woman’s bedroom while she was sleeping.
Sean Whalen immediately confessed to the break-ins when deputies confronted him at his Blackstone Avenue residence on Sunday night, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
VCSO spokesman Gary Davidson says it all started around 2:30am the day before when a 62-year-old woman called to report a burglary at her Algoma Street home.
“The victim said she initially thought she had dreamt about a figure in her bedroom, but later realized it was real after discovering two wallets, a purse, a smart phone and a Galaxy tablet were missing from the house,” Davidson stated. “That’s when she ran to a neighbor’s home to summon help.”
From there, a VCSO K-9 team found one of the stolen wallets and a crowbar behind the woman’s home. That eventually led investigators to Whalen’s home around a half-mile away, according to Davidson.
“On Sunday, Sheriff’s investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence,” Davidson added. “When they got there Sunday night, Whalen immediately confessed to investigators, saying they didn’t need to search the house because he had committed the burglary and would take them to the stolen property.”
That property – including GPS units, silver, a laptop computer, stolen cell phones and jewelry – was found in a duffel bag and a backpack in Whalen’s home.
Whalen also admitted to another home break-in and several vehicle break-ins, per Davidson.
“Sheriff’s investigators will be filing additional charges in the rest of the cases,” Davidson noted.
Investigators also discovered that Whalen had Xanax on him, which he was charged for after he couldn’t produce a prescription for it.
As of Noon Monday, Whalen is held on $60,000 bond at Volusia County Jail on charges of grand theft, burglary of an occupied dwelling and drug possession.
VCJ records show Whalen was also arrested last April for drug paraphernalia possession and giving law enforcement officers a false name when detained.
Sean Whalen (mugshot courtesy Volusia County Jail)
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.