3 Pennsylvania Men Arrested For Burglarizing Business: Sheriff

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Three Pennsylvania men have been arrested for burglarizing a local business, crashing a vehicle and hiding from deputies in a canal, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Deputies were alerted to a burglary in progress in the 5600 block of Derek Avenue in Sarasota Monday morning. The owner of the unnamed business called 911 after watching two suspects enter his property on live security cameras, the sheriff’s office said.

When deputies arrived, the suspects drove away, heading westbound along Clark Road, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies pursued the suspects until they eventually crashed near the intersection of Lockwood Ridge and Bee Ridge Roads.

The suspects ran off as deputies established a perimeter, SCSO said. Members of the agency’s Aviation Unit, working with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, located the three men hiding in a canal in a residential area along Pinecrest Street.

The investigation revealed the three Pennsylvania men stole 14 catalytic converters from seven vehicles parked on the business’s property, the sheriff’s office said. The total estimated value of the equipment is more than $11,000.

All three suspects were taken into custody. Two of them were also treated for possible hypothermia. They have since been released and booked in the county’s jail, the SCSO said.

David Albino, 31; Robert DeJesus, 21; and Juan Carlos Santos, Jr., 20, have been charged with burglary, grand theft and resisting an officer without violence, the sheriff’s office said.

DeJesus was also charged on an outstanding warrant from the Department of Juvenile Justice for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Santos was also charged with fleeing to elude for this incident and was also charged on several outstanding warrants issued by the Sarasota Police Department, including four counts of operating a motor vehicle without a license, two counts of fleeing to elude and one count of failure to register a motor vehicle. He has local arrests dating back to 2014, the sheriff’s office said.

Operating a Motor Vehicle without a License, two counts of Fleeing to Elude, and a single count of Failure to Register a Motor Vehicle. Santos has local arrests dating back to 2014.