Sarasota Cleaning Man Accused in $10K Rifle Theft

SARASOTA, FL — A 24-year-old Sarasota man faces a number of criminal charges after deputies say he swiped about $10,000 worth of rifles from a local business.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the owner of a business at 6321 Port Road notified authorities about a possible theft on Tuesday. Deputies learned the victim had several rifles and shotguns stored at his business. He inherited the weapons from his father.

As investigators spoke with the business owner, they learned four people had keys to the unit, including the cleaning crew. After speaking with the cleaning company’s owner, detectives learned the names of the crew members. They later learned that one of those two crew members had pawned two rifles at a Bradenton pawn shop, an arrest report said.

The victim ultimately identified both rifles as his own, the report noted.

With a suspect identified, detectives interviewed the man's girlfriend, who also works on the cleaning crew. She told them she was out of town at the time of the theft, but had left her keys at home.

As it turned out, the business in question received an alarm call on July 29 just after midnight. When deputies responded to check things out, they found the business secure, the report noted. The suspect in the case, however, was on probation and house arrest with an ankle bracelet. A check that electronic device's records showed the man had left his home during the hours of the business alarm call.

Justin Aaron McFarling was ultimately charged with armed burglary and theft of a firearm on Thursday. He remained in the Sarasota County Jail Friday in lieu of $21,500 bond. The investigation is ongoing with more charges pending, the sheriff's office wrote in an email to media.

Photos courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office