3 teens face charges after alleged burglary; cops say they may be responsible for more

Three teens are facing charges after officials say they burglarized several homes and vehicles in Sarasota County.

The owner of a vacant home in the 2100 block of East Leewyn Drive in Sarasota returned to his property around 1 p.m. Thursday to find three teenagers inside, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The homeowner went inside while a contractor that was with him called for help. He then confronted the teens in an upstairs bedroom, where they stayed until deputies arrived, according to the probable cause affidavit. Officials determined that the teens entered the home through the back door.

Several windows in the home were damaged or removed from the home, according to the affidavit.

Investigators also found that the three teenagers were involved in several other burglaries in the area, according to the sheriff’s office. A laptop, prescription pill bottles, a wallet, marijuana and several other items that did not belong to the homeowner were found in the home, according to the affidavit.

Deputies also responded to multiple reports of vehicle burglaries near the neighborhood of the old Sarasota Golf Club around the same time, according to the affidavit. The teens allegedly took a semiautomatic firearm from one of the vehicles.

One 15-year-old boy was charged with felony burglary of an unoccupied structure and misdemeanor criminal mischief, five counts of felony burglary of a conveyance and one count of armed burglary of a conveyance.

A second 15-year-old boy was charged with felony burglary of an unoccupied structure and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

A third 15-year-old boy was charged with felony burglary of an unoccupied structure and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal mischief, five counts of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and one count of armed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance.

Additional charges are expected and the investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff’s office.

This story was originally published June 9, 2017 at 5:58 PM with the headline "3 teens face charges after alleged burglary; cops say they may be responsible for more."