Man charged after trying to collect drug debt at wrong house

Man charged after trying to collect drug debt at wrong house

BRADENTON -- A Sarasota man seen checking the door handle of a car parked at someone's home, and then wiggling the door handle at the house, was charged with loitering, according to the Bradenton Police Department.

Travis Sams, 25, was arrested at 4:31 a.m. Tuesday in the 400 block of Martin Luther King Avenue West. According to the report, Sams and another male approached a home in the 500 block of MLK Avenue West at a time described by deputies as "not usual for law-abiding individuals."

A witness told deputies he saw Sams "check" the handle of his vehicle and approach his residence and "wiggle" the door handle. Sams fled and returned a short time later, deputies said.

According to the report, Sams admitted after his arrest he looked into the window of the vehicle and proceeded to the residence to collect a drug debt from a man he named. Deputies reported no one by the name lives in the residence. Deputies said Sams denied knowing the other person who approached the residence.

Sams was charged with loitering and was held in Manatee County jail without bond, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office website.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Man charged after trying to collect drug debt at wrong house ."