Joe Martinez campaign burglar took computers, door hangers

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With five months to go before the Republican primary in the Congressional race for district 26, former Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez was thrown for an early loop this weekend: A burglary at his campaign office and the theft of his computers.

Martinez had just secured the space at 1401 SW 107 Avenue — which coincidentally is the same spot where he had his commission district office — on Friday. The campaign team only had the time to move in four used computers. But when someone returned on Tuesday, they found the office had been burglarized and the computers were gone.

One might think nothing of it — just another break-in of an office in West Dade near the Florida International University campus. Except that the burglar or burglars also stole a box of “sorry I missed you” door hangers.

Now, why on Earth would your typical teenage cat burglar go to the trouble of hauling a heavy box of campaign materials when he may have to get away quickly from the cops? What use would your average professional home or office burglar have for campaign door hangers?

I guess they can be really big bookmarks. Or fly swatters.

And old, used computers?

“I’m not going to say whether it was political or not,” Martinez told Ladra. “It’s a blow, but we’ll overcome it.”

He said he had not put a monetary value on the computers, which had been donated by a supporter whose business had closed.

“We don’t have money for computers. To us, a people’s campaign, it’s a lot,” Martinez said.

Police were called and will be looking at video tape from the building’s cameras, Martinez said.