SARASOTA, Fla.—The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men as part of its investigation after a detective had two guns and specialized equipment stolen from his unlocked agency-issued truck.
David Byrd, 18, and James Tolbert, 18, were arrested in connection to the burglary, according to deputies.
An 18-year detective left the unmarked truck unlocked Monday night into Tuesday morning at his North Port home, according to sheriff's office spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez. The detective left the weapons inside the truck.
Investigators said Byrd was arrested after he tried to sell one of the rifles for $300. Byrd then admitted he had the weapon and had stolen other things during the burglary, the sheriff's office said.
Law enforcement said Tolbert was in possession of the 9-millimeter duty weapon before he sold it to a friend.
“This has been a challenging week for the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Tom Knight said. “Whenever a weapon gets into the hands of a criminal and in this case, a convicted felon, it puts a community on edge. I am proud of the personnel who worked around the clock to get these guns off the streets and brought resolution to this incident.”
Byrd faces two counts of grand theft of law enforcement equipment, two counts of dealing in stolen property and a single count of tampering with evidence.
Tolbert is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and dealing in stolen property.
Both criminal and internal investigations are ongoing, the sheriff's office said.
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