Sarasota man arrested for stealing fishing gear

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Sarasota man on Tuesday for allegedly stealing $15,000 worth of fishing equipment.

Mike Rose, owner of Mahi Mac’s Bait & Tackle, a store in Nokomis, contacted the Sheriff’s Office Tuesday after Caleb Wagner, 28, of Sarasota, tried to sell the owner some fishing tackle. The owner of the store suspected the tackle was stolen, because a customer had come into his shop earlier that day and informed Rose of left-handed reels had been taken from the customer’s garage. Rose told deputies that the items Wagner brought in to sell matched the description of his customer’s stolen property.

Wagner told deputies he had stolen paddleboards and fishing gear from three different people at five separate occasions. Deputies searched his garage and found over 20 rod and reel combinations, and one stolen paddleboard.

Wagner is suspected of a vehicle burglary committed on Aug. 27 in Sarasota. The owner of the vehicle reported to deputies that someone broke into the rear window and stole $7,940 worth of fishing gear. He is also suspected of a boat burglary committed Sept. 3, in which $1,755 worth of fishing gear was stolen, and of stealing a paddleboard Sept. 25, valued at $2,700.

Wagner said he sold one paddleboard at a pawnshop and "threw the other one in a random dumpster."

Wagner has been charged with unoccupied burglary and grand theft. He is being held on a $13,500 bond.