IRVINE – An 18-year-old Eagle Scout is facing six counts of petty theft and one count of possession of burglary tools charges after his arrest on suspicion of car burglary.
Carter Sudeith has been released on his own recognizance, according to court records, with a pre-trial hearing scheduled next week. He pleaded not guilty to all seven charges during his arraignment.
Irvine police arrested Sudeith at about 1 a.m. Wednesday - just a few hours after he was scheduled to graduate from University High School. The officers stopped Sudeith in the 3700 block of Hamilton Street, a few blocks from his home, because they thought he looked suspicious dressed all in black. When officers asked him to take his hands out of his pockets they noticed he was wearing latex gloves, police said.
Sudeith was carrying iPods, cash and packs of cigarettes, police said. Police so far have matched five victims to the recovered property.
Police said that Sudeith may have tried to open more than 100 cars in an Irvine neighborhood while searching for open or unlocked vehicles, getting into as many as 30.
Sudeith reached the Eagle Scout rank with Irvine's Troop 606 in 2005.
Neither Sudeith nor his court-appointed attorney could be reached for comment.
