Newport’s ‘serial’ burglar found guilty

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- As the saying goes, there is no place like home.

Robert Peter Vordale, 48, apparently took that euphemism to the extreme

by burglarizing the community in which he was raised.

Vordale, a former Newport Harbor High School student, was found guilty

Wednesday of 13 felony burglary counts. The judge ordered Vordale to

return Dec. 3 when it will be determined when sentencing should occur.

Because Vordale is a “three strikes” candidate due to two prior burglary

convictions in the mid-1980s, he could face a life sentence.

The jury, comprised of seven men and five women, took less than a day to

convict Vordale on the burglary charges. The jury was presented with

evidence that linked the defendant to a string of Newport Beach

burglaries over a 13-month span.Vordale was arrested in June in Newport

Beach by police who caught him red-handed a block from an Ocean Vista

home he had just burglarized. Police recovered a suitcase stolen from the

home that contained jewelry and silverware.

Police also found a stolen 1996 Land Rover that Vordale was driving.

Inside the sport-utility vehicle they found more stolen property and

Vordale’s driver’s license and passport.

Authorities note thefts aren’t uncommon in Newport Beach because of the

lucrative prospects of stealing potentially priceless loot. According to

FBI statistics, there were 635 burglaries reported last year, the

fifth-highest in the county.