Police apprehend burglary suspects

The Longboat Key Police Department has linked two suspected burglars that were apprehended breaking into the Waterfront Restaurant in Anna Maria early Tuesday, May 19 to the Centre Shops of Longboat Key burglaries May 11.

Longboat Key Police Detective Kristina Roberts said John O'Keefe, 18, of Sarasota, and Patrick Samuel Banker, 18, of Sarasota, will be charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of grand theft for burglaries at Longboat Key businesses.

A third grand-theft charge is also likely, Roberts said, because the Exit Art merchandise found in the bushes by the Centre Shops adds up to $300 or more worth of merchandise stolen from the business.

Just like in the Centre Shops burglary, a sheriff report depicts a routine check of the area uncovered the suspects running from the Waterfront Restaurant Tuesday.

A Holmes Beach police officer found one of the suspects, and a sheriff’s K-9 caught up to the other suspect. Manatee County Sheriff spokesman Dave Bristow believes the two suspects could be responsible for as many as 15 to 20 recent burglary cases from Longboat Key to Anna Maria Island.