The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has arrested three Venice teenagers in connection with a string of burglaries in the Venice Gardens area.

Detectives say on March 11th, 19-year-old Matthew Morton broke into a home on Yucca Road just after midnight. When the homeowner woke up, Morton confronted him with a hunting knife before running off with stolen medication.

On March 16th, Morton broke into the garage of a home on Gardenia Road at around 11:30 p.m., and stole a purse and other items from the victim’s car.

On March 20th, Morton and 16-year-old Curtis Quinn, 1757 Dagon Road, entered a neighbor’s home just after 3:00 a.m., with a key provided by Quinn that was previously stolen from the victim. While 18-year-old Eric Sedore acted as a lookout, the pair stole a backpack from the disabled resident as he sat in his wheelchair.

Some of the stolen items were recovered from behind Quinn’s home as well as an area behind the Venice Gardens Civic Center where Morton and Sedore had been living. The investigation into their possible involvement in other neighborhood crimes is continuing.

Morton is charged with one count of Armed Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling and two counts of Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling. Sedore and Quinn are each charged with one count of Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling. All three suspects have prior arrests.