Elderly Couple Targeted in Home Invasion

PALMETTO, FL — The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man it says broke into an elderly couple’s home early Thursday morning.

According to the agency, the female victim walked outside her Lakeview Drive home in Palmetto around 6:40 a.m. to take out the trash. When she went back inside the home in the Leisure Lake Mobile Home Park, she realized she wasn’t alone.

“The suspect demanded money and threatened the female,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a media release. The suspect implied he was armed, but the woman did not see a firearm in his possession.

At that point, the woman’s husband heard the noise and confronted the man. A scuffle ensued and the man took off on foot, deputies said.

Deputies searched the area, but were unable to find the suspect.

The victims are 76 and 78 years old. The sheriff’s office did not provide further details about the victims, but did say they were unharmed and nothing was taken from their home. Detectives did learn that cash and property were stolen from the victims’ vehicle.

The suspect is described as a black male in his 20s. He stands about 6 feet tall, has a thin build and facial hair.

A second suspect is also believed to be involved in the case. That person, the sheriff’s office said, worked as an accomplice.

Anyone who recognizes the man in the photo or who has information about the crime is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-TIPS.

Suspect photo courtesy of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office