Sarasota man convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of grand theft firearm

A sentencing hearing was conducted on July 13, 2023, wherein the Honorable Judge Padar sentenced him to seven years in prison to be followed by three years on probation. The defendant will have to undergo drug and mental health evaluations and treatment while on probation. Judge Padar mentioned that she appreciated all the family of the defendant who testified for him at sentencing, but the defendant’s criminal history and the facts of this case warranted the sentence.

This case involved the defendant who was visiting Sarasota County for a funeral. He entered Shark Coast Tactical where he was recorded on video. The recording shows him walk around the store while looking at firearms and glancing at the workers. He is seen concealing a Springfield Hellcat handgun in his pants then continuing to walk around the store until he picks up a FN 509 Tactical handgun, which he also conceals while walking out the door. The defendant then drove to the City of Tampa on a moped that he stole from Sarasota. The Tampa Police Department arrested the defendant the next day at a motel where he was with the stolen moped. The firearms were not recovered.

The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant State Attorney Jeff Feher commented, that “this was a brazen crime, stealing two handguns from a gun store in the middle of the day and we do not know the full damage of this crime because the guns are still on the street somewhere.” This crime was solved by quick, exceptional work form the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office and the Tampa Police Department. The Sarasota Sheriff’s Office was able to identify the defendant and send a “Be On the Look Out” that the Tampa Police Department executed the day after the theft on January 9, 2022.