According to reports, suspected burglars allegedly broke into a home along Northeast Third Street and 12th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
Police reports indicate that among valuable items taken from the home, the family's Yorkie was also taken.
Burglary of an unoccupied dwelling is a second-degree felony, punishable by a maximum of 15 years in state prison, with a minimum recommended sentence (per the Florida Criminal Punishment Code's guidelines) of 21 months in prison. The 21-month sentence is a recommendation, but it is not a mandatory minimum. Mandatory minimum sentences for burglary only exist if the accused has been enhanced under any number of Florida's "career criminal" statutes, with the exception of Habitual Felony Offender (which does not carry a mandatory minimum prison term).
Burglary of a dwelling requires proof that the accused entered a dwelling with the intent to commit a crime inside of the dwelling, such as theft. Merely entering a dwelling without the intent to commit a crime inside of the dwelling is trespassing.