Man arrested for burglary, shot by homeowner

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has arrested Michael Sterlace of Sarasota, for a burglary on Stone Ridge Trail Saturday night, in which the homeowner fired two shots at the suspect before he fled.

Detectives received an anonymous tip yesterday afternoon identifying Sterlace as the suspect, and learned a short time later that he was at Sarasota Memorial Hospital seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to his right arm.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for Sterlace’s apartment, and his girlfriend, Taylor Dammann, was also arrested when she refused to provide the keys to a 2009 Infiniti where evidence was being stored. Detectives seized her vehicle and a 2004 Ford sport utility vehicle used in Saturday’s crime for further investigation.

At this time, Sterlace is charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, and Dammann is charged with obstruction without violence. Both are considered suspects in a number of other recent residential burglaries.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].