MIAMI COMMISSIONER's CAMPAIGN OFFICE BURGLARIZED AND COMPUTERS STOLENThe Miami Herald | 02/03/2004 | County commissioner's campaign office is burglarizedCounty commissioner's campaign office is burglarized
BY LUISA YANEZ and KARL ROSS
lyanez@herald.com

Burglars broke into the Little Havana campaign headquarters of Miami-Dade Commissioner Jimmy Morales overnight, ransacking the office and stealing two computers, which held crucial information about his mayoral campaign, the commissioner said Tuesday.
Morales is one of 12 candidates in the at-large race to become Miami-Dade's next mayor.

''I really hope this was a random street crime and not something we're going to have to worry about over the next seven months'' of the campaign, Morales said.

A Miami police crime unit Tuesday dusted the second floor office at 809 SW Eighth St.

The break-in was discovered just after 7:30 a.m. when Morales' commission aide Marcia Monserrat arrived to find the campaign office unlocked and in shambles: files, supplies, boxes and even office candy were strewn about. Desks were bare of their computers.

''I'm hoping this is the work of some thugs and the computers will end up in some pawn shop today,'' Monserrat said. She estimated the value of items taken at $5,000 to $6,000.

Morales said his was the only office on the floor to be broken into, which made him wonder about intruders' motives.

Also, two of the stolen computers contained names of up to 10,000 supporters; his daily commission and campaign calendar and other related information. An older computer left behind did not hold a campaign database, he said.

Records of campaign contributions were at his treasurer's office, not on the stolen computers.

Also taken were a new computer still in a box, two digital cameras, cell phones with chargers, two scanners, printers, a fax machine and a paper shredder. The burglars also took a bat to awall air conditioning unit and a candy can.