A Sarasota man is accused of breaking into two businesses and robbing a third.
Police say 46-year-old Elijah Smith’s crime spree began on November 14th, when he used a large rock to smash open the front door of Wicked Cantina on U.S. 41. Police were called to the restaurant when its burglary alarm was activated but by the time officers arrived, they say Smith had fled with a cash register. More than two weeks later, on November 29th, police say Smith used the same technique to break into Pines of Sarasota Thrift Store The following day around 5:30pm, police say Smith walked into the Metro PCS store on North Washington Boulevard, implied he had a gun, and stole $149 in cash. Smith was arrested on December 6th in Martin Luther King Park. He’s charged with two counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure and one count of robbery. Smith is being held in the Sarasota County Jail.
