Deputies investigate auto thefts on Siesta Key

Thieves took a Mazda rental car and a custom Hummer from residences along Midnight Pass Road last week, but in one case a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputy resolved the matter quickly.

Officer Mike Nickerson recovered the Hummer, reported missing by its owner at approximately 9 a.m. on Jan 1, according to an incident report provided by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, in the Turtle Beach parking lot before a “be on the lookout” could be issued. Nickerson found no damage to the vehicle occurred and no evidence of ignition tampering, though the owner reported he had the only set of keys.

In the second case, at 6:25 p.m., Jan. 4, an out-of-state visitor heard her rental-car alarm in the parking lot of Sunrise Cove Condominiums. According to the incident report, she left the unit she was staying in to check the vehicle, a blue, 2016 Mazda 3, but found it gone when she reached the parking lot. It is still missing.

According to Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Wendy Rose, there were 11 auto thefts reported in 2015 on Siesta Key. In two of those cases, known suspects stole the vehicles. In every case, the stolen auto was recovered.