Trio Sentenced For Crime Spree In Cuyahoga County

CLEVELAND — Three men convicted of a county-wide burglary spree were sentenced to a combined 25 years in prison this week. The trio's crime wave hit a dozen cities in Cuyahoga County between November 23, 2018 and December 11, 2018.

Christopher Harvath, 41, was sentenced to 14 years in prison; Joseph Harvath, 42, was sentenced to 8 years in prison; and Carl Deditch, 37, was sentenced to 5 years in prison, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's office announced.

“Christopher and Joseph Harvath are career criminals who have preyed upon the citizens of Cuyahoga County for far too long,” said Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “They will no longer be able to wreak havoc in our communities thanks to the diligent work of all law enforcement agencies involved.”

Over a span of three weeks, the trio broke into numerous apartment complexes and stole cars, televisions, iPads, power tools, cell phones, clothes, wallets, cash, Christmas trees and more. Burglaries were reported in Parma, Fairview Park, Westlake, Rocky River, Beachwood, Lakewood, Broadview Heights, Shaker Heights, Strongsville, Euclid, Lyndhurst, and Cleveland.

Shaker Heights police and Cleveland police's airport unit took Deditch into custody in a parking lot at Hopkins Airport on December 5, 2018, prosecutors said.

On December 11, 2018, the Harvath brothers were driving a stolen car in the parking lot of Hyland Software in Westlake. When they got out of the car, they tried to swap their car's license plates with the plates of a car parked in the lot. An employee of the business spotted the Harvaths and went outside to confront them.

Joseph Harvath was detained by a group of employees until police arrived and took him into custody. Christopher Harvath escaped but crashed his car on Detroit Road and was taken into custody after being treated at a hospital.

Investigators linked the trio to various burglaries using surveillance footage, fingerprints, DNA evidence and witness testimony, prosecutors said.

Christopher Harvath pleaded guilty to 21 charges, including robbery, burglary, aggravated vehicular assault, grand theft, breaking and entering, failure to comply, receiving stolen property and drug possession. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $8,775 in restitution.

Joseph Harvath pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including robbery, burglary, grand theft, breaking and entering and receiving stolen property. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $6,700 in restitution.

Deditch pleaded guilty to four charges, including burglary and attempted burglary. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison.