Convicted felon charged in Bradenton with stealing gun from ex-roommate

MANATEE -- A convicted felon was charged with stealing a firearm from a former roommate, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Christopher Simmons, 24, was already in Manatee County jail after being arrested Feb. 7 on a burglary charge when he was charged Wednesday.

In March 2015, the victim moved in with Simmons and Simmons' girlfriend. At the time, the victim kept a black Bersa Thunder 40 Pro handgun in a safe and kept it in his room. According to a report, by the end of 2015 the victim had a verbal disagreement with Simmons and moved out, leaving much of his belongings behind in a hurry to get out. Deputies said the victim was not allowed to come back and obtain his belongings immediately.

According to the sheriff's office, Simmons' girlfriend called the victim in February and told him to retrieve his belongings, including the safe with the gun. After getting his safe, the victim's key did not work and so he had the safe drilled and found it contained paperwork for a new safe. Deputies said the victim then realized his safe had been switched for a similar-looking one and reported it to the sheriff's office.

The victim found photos of Simmons on Facebook that showed Simmons holding what the victim identified as his gun. Simmons told deputies that he had never held any firearm except one owned by family members. After showing him the photos with what appeared to be the victim's gun, Simmons then changed his story and said he remembered that day and that it was a friend's gun, according to the report. He said he was with a friend who is not pictured and claimed to have never met the victim or stole the firearm.

Simmons was charged with grand theft of a firearm and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, according to the sheriff's office website. He was being held on bonds totaling $9,000.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Convicted felon charged in Bradenton with stealing gun from ex-roommate ."