Democrat Dodd's office burglarized

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - Officers arrested a homeless man Monday in connection with a weekend burglary at the office of Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd, police said.

Gilbert Soto, 48, who lives in a city shelter and has a lengthy arrest record, allegedly took a television, computer and other items from Dodd's Senate district office, police said Monday.

"It does not appear right now that he knew he was breaking into a presidential candidate's office or that there was any political motivation," Assistant Police Chief Neil Dryfe said.

Officers recovered the stolen television and computer Monday after Soto took them to the spots where he allegedly sold the items, police said.

Soto is, "for lack of a better term, a career criminal," Dryfe said, and appears to have selected the burglary site at random. He faces charges of third-degree burglary, third-degree larceny and criminal mischief.

"It looks like a crime of opportunity by someone looking to support a possible drug habit," Dryfe said, adding that Dodd's office was notified of the arrest.

Dodd has served in the Senate since 1981.

Dodd spokeswoman Justine Sessions said she had no comment on the investigation or arrest. To the best of her knowledge, she said, no personal or confidential information was compromised when the computer was stolen.

Officers were called Sunday afternoon when a property manager found the building's front door unlocked. Detectives determined that the suspect went into an adjacent parking garage sometime before dawn Sunday, used wood planks to create a makeshift walkway to a second-floor window, and broke into Dodd's office there, Dryfe said.

The suspect took the items out through the front door, he said. The building has an alarm system, but police never received a report that it had been activated, Dryfe said.

Soto was taken into custody without incident and was being held Monday on $15,000 bond, police said.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jack Carter, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in Nevada last fall, has endorsed Sen. Joe Biden to be the Democratic nominee for president.

Carter, the son of former President Jimmy Carter, seemed to snub Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for his lack of experience and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for having high unfavorable ratings in polls.

"With Joe Biden, we don't have to worry about the problems of lack of experience or high negatives affecting our chances in November 2008," Carter, 60, said in a statement released by the Biden campaign Monday. "I'm very comfortable that he can win."

Biden called Carter's support a valuable asset in Nevada and in early nominating state Iowa, "where the Carter name is revered."

Jimmy Carter is renowned for going from obscurity to becoming the Democratic nominee in 1976 after winning the Iowa caucuses.

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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Democrat Bill Richardson on Monday will propose a $500 million plan to ensure that police and firefighters receive generous health care benefits after they retire.

Richardson's plan focuses on police and firefighters who want to retire from their physically demanding jobs after 20 years of work. Such retirements often are clouded by the cost of health insurance, which can fall more heavily on individuals when they leave their jobs.

The New Mexico governor, who planned to unveil his plan later Monday at a meeting with Cedar Rapids-area firefighters, criticized President Bush, charging that he has sought to publicly identify with popular first responders while undercutting programs designed to increase their numbers and benefits.

"His administration has failed to protect those who protect us and in doing so he has failed his sworn duty to protect this nation," Richardson said in remarks released to The Associated Press.

Richardson said Bush has sought a 50 percent cut in a program paying for new equipment for firefighters and has opposed increasing the number of police and firefighters.

"Year after year, Mr. Bush has tried to slash the resources for first responders," said Richardson.

Richardson's plan would pay for health coverage for first responders from the time they retire until they become eligible for Medicare. He would split the cost between the federal government and state and local governments, a move he estimates would cost the federal government $500 million a year.

The plan also would cover emergency medical technicians who frequently work from fire stations.

By courting police and firefighters, Richardson is targeting a large and politically active network that can be influential in local politics.

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Associated Press writer Mike Glover in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects suspect's age and spelling of first name, ADDS charges, ADDS byline. AP Video.)

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070827/ap_po/political_briefs [link]