Convicted Felon Arrested for Carjacking, Kidnapping

NEWS RELEASE 18-079 - APRIL 16, 2018
White, Thomas

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office arrested a 31-year-old Sarasota man for Kidnapping and Carjacking following an incident that occurred Saturday in a parking lot on Fruitville Road.

Deputies were first alerted just before 5:00 p.m., as the victim was loading mulch into the back of his trunk when the suspect entered the driver’s seat of his car and fled. The victim’s 9-year-old daughter was in the back seat but was able to escape before the suspect left the parking lot. Deputies located the stolen vehicle and initiated a traffic stop however, the suspect fled and was eventually stopped at the intersection of Cattlemen and Bee Ridge Roads. Thomas White, DOB 09/20/86, fled from the vehicle into a nearby restaurant where he was ultimately arrested. Investigation revealed the car White drove to the parking lot where the kidnapping took place was reported stolen out of the city of Sarasota.

White has two dozen prior arrests in Sarasota County for crimes including Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, and Dealing in Stolen Property. He was released from prison in October 2016 after being sentenced to four years behind bars for Trafficking in Stolen Property, Burglary, and 10 other felony charges.

Today White remains in custody at the Sarasota County Jail on two counts of Resisting an Officer, Carjacking, Burglary, Kidnapping and Vehicle Theft. He is being held without bond. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending from both the sheriff’s office and Sarasota Police Department.