SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Two firearms and several pieces of specialized equipment were stolen from a Sarasota County detective's vehicle this week.
It happened sometime between Monday evening and early Tuesday morning when a suspect(s) entered the unlocked agency vehicle parked at the detective's North Port home.
The detective, an 18-year veteran on the force, is a member of the agency's SWAT team, and as such has specialty weapons in his car including a sniper rifle.
“That the actions of this one detective do not reflect the nearly 1,000 members that we have here that hold our accountability and our responsibilities to the public very seriously," said Kaitlyn Perez with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
An internal affairs investigation has been launched as the detective remains on the job.
“It’s a hard day for all of us because what happened represents our agency, so this isn’t a good day for us," said Perez. "It’s not something that we’re proud of and it’s not something that Sheriff Knight is proud of either.”
Anyone with information related to the burglary and/or stolen equipment is asked to contact our Criminal Investigations Section at 941.861.4900 or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers of Sarasota by dialing 941.366.TIPS.
