A stolen rifle and hundreds of ammo rounds have been recovered after they were sold to a pawn shop, according to the Sarasota Police Department.
The items were stolen in one of two weapon thefts this week that led Sarasota police and the NAACP to reschedule a community meeting out of concerns for safety.
Detectives found the AR-7 and 600 rounds of ammunition Thursday.
Joseph Stout III, 39, of Sarasota, a three-time convicted felon, sold the stolen items to the pawn shop, according to Sarasota Police Department.
Stout has been charged with dealing in stolen property, defrauding a pawn broker, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.
The timing of the thefts of the AR-7, an AK-47 along with about 1,700 ammo rounds occurred close to a community meeting to discuss police relations.
In response, police rescheduled the meeting for 6:30 p.m. July 25 at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex at 1845 34th St. in Sarasota.
“I couldn’t feel comfortable knowing that an AK-47 … was on our streets in close proximity to where the meeting was to take place,” Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said at a news conference Thursday.
The AK-47 and additional rounds hadn’t been recovered as of Friday morning.
