The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested 14 people during a four-day operation targeting retail theft in Sarasota County.

 

During the operation, deputies focused on retail corridors in Sarasota and Venice. The unique public-private partnership between the sheriff’s office and local retailers began in 2013 with the goal of working together to curb retail theft.

 

Of particular note are the arrests of Glen Best, Jason Leach, James Romaglio, Jennifer Schmitz and John Sellers. On May 18, loss prevention personnel at a Sarasota retailer alerted deputies to Jason Leach and James Romaglio as they attempted to conceal and fraudulently return stolen merchandise. During a subsequent traffic stop and short foot pursuit, deputies also identified John Sellers, Glen Best and Jennifer Schmitz as co-conspirators who were also in possession of stolen merchandise and later determined to also be involved in fraudulent merchandise returns. All five were taken into custody and deputies discovered drug paraphernalia inside their vehicle.

 

Also worth noting is the arrest of Adam Currier and Jamie Wood. While conducting surveillance in the Home Depot parking lot at 4111 Cattleman Road, Tactical Unit deputies initiated a traffic stop on a suspicious vehicle after the license plate came back unregistered. During the stop, deputies located a fully loaded .45 caliber handgun which Currier admitted to removing from a concealed holster when deputies activated their emergency equipment for the initial stop. During a search of their vehicle, deputies also recovered methamphetamine, a digital scale, plastic baggies, two meth pipes and prescription pills.

 

“These retail operations are part of our intelligence-led policing model,” said Sheriff Tom Knight. “Based on crime analysis, we can look at hotspots and deploy resources during these maintenance-type initiatives. Our goal is to not only assist local retailers but also to send a strong message to these repeat offenders  that retail and drug crimes will continue to be strongly monitored and enforced in this community.”

 

In total, deputies made 14 arrests and filed 38 charges. Altogether, those arrested have 193 prior charges and 96 prior convictions.

 

• Glen Best, DOB 01/09/86, of 702 East 6th Avenue, Bradenton, is charged with one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

• Kyle Courtright, DOB 12/18/81, of 4707 Busti Way, Sarasota, is charged with one count of Driving While License Suspended.

• Jacob Crowder, DOB 03/31/83, of 2184 Banneker Way, Sarasota, is charged with one count of Grand Theft.

• Adam Currier, DOB 02/06/85, of 5404 East 15th Street Court, Bradenton, is charged with Carrying a Concealed Firearm, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Failing to Register Motor Vehicle and Attached License Plate Not Assigned.

• Felipe Huerta, DOB 06/25/90, of 785 North Osprey Avenue, Sarasota, is charged with Petit Theft, Possession of Marijuana and Tampering with Evidence.

• Jason Leach, DOB 08/11/78, of 1604 Pattison Avenue, Sarasota, is charged with Petit Theft, Scheme to Defraud, Dealing in Stolen Property, Resisting Retail Merchant and Resisting Arrest.

• Melissa Napier, DOB 06/04/87, of 2184 Banneker Way, Sarasota, is charged with one count of Grand Theft.

• Leider Osorio, DOB 04/06/86, of 507 Kumquat Court, Sarasota, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear stemming from a prior charge of Driving While License Suspended.

• James Romaglio, DOB 10/15/85, of Sarasota, is charged with Scheme to Defraud, Dealing in Stolen Property and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

• Roberto Ruiz, Jr., DOB 12/17/83, of 2507 19th Street, Sarasota, is charged with one count of Driving While License Suspended.

• Jennifer Schmitz, DOB 09/07/85, of 836 Hancock Avenue, Sarasota, is charged with Scheme to Defraud, Organized Dealing in Stolen Property and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

• John Sellers, DOB 01/02/86, of 3150 Jamaica Street, Sarasota, is charged with Scheme to Defraud, Organized Dealing in Stolen Property, False Identification Given to Law Enforcement, Resisting Arrest, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Driving While License Suspended. He was also charged on three outstanding warrants for Fraudulent Use of Personal Identification.

• Jonathan Sheffield, DOB 05/30/00, of 3224 Granada Place, Unit 231, Sarasota, was arrested on a warrant for Attached License Plate Not Assigned.

• Jamie Wood, DOB 02/06/85, of 1616 East 53rd Avenue, Bradenton, is charged with Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Controlled Substance without Prescription and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

This operation utilized the Patrol, K-9, Tactical, Intelligence, and Crime Analysis Units. To date, Sarasota County retail theft operations have resulted in nearly 300 arrests.