Three charged with stealing $800 worth of fishing poles

Three men accused of stealing $800 worth of fishing rods and reels from West Marine have been arrested.

On Tuesday around 2:27 p.m., Keith Gordon, 31, entered the 1860 South Tamiami Trail, Venice, location and ran out carrying an armful of fishing poles, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said.

The store manager chased Gordon through the parking lot and saw him enter a dark colored van in the parking lot that then fled southbound on South Tamiami Trail. He relayed the vehicle’s tag to deputies.

Deputies were able to locate the vehicle at the intersection of Laurel Road and Pinebrook Road with Gordon, the stolen merchandise and his accomplices inside. Video surveillance from the parking lot depicted Brain Heeter, 26, and Eric Delgado, 27, assisting in Gordon’s getaway, according to the sheriff’s office.

Gordon was charged with grand theft and remains in Sarasota County Jail on $1,500 bail. Heeter and Delgado were charged with principle to grand theft. Heeter was released after posting his bail, but Delgado remains in jail on a $1,500 bond.

This story was originally published November 8, 2017 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Three charged with stealing $800 worth of fishing poles."