HOLMES BEACH – In the early afternoon of Sept. 24, Holmes Beach Police Officer Chris Liotti responded to a dispatch call about a possible fraudulent renter with a bad credit card at 210 72nd St.
When the officer arrived at the home, he met with Adrian Johnson, the owner of Seabreeze Vacation Rentals. Johnson said he received a rental agreement for the property and sent the renter the door code by email, but shortly after, he learned the credit card had been declined. An email and phone call to the renter went unanswered, so he called police.
However, an arrest would be made on an entirely different matter.
According to Liotti’s report, Johnson allowed him and other officers into the home so they could make contact with whoever might be inside. Officers loudly announced their presence, but no one responded. After continuing to order anyone in the home to make their presence known, a male and female came out of a bedroom and said there were more people in the house, but they weren’t sure how many.
Continuing to clear the house, Liotti went to the second floor and found a locked bedroom. A male and female eventually came out, looking as if they had been asleep, according to the report. Officer Jason Higgins escorted the couple downstairs while Liotti continued to the third floor where he found a fifth person hiding beside the bed, who was placed in handcuffs and detained while the officers continued to clear the house.
Liotti noticed the door to the upstairs patio was open, so he walked outside and saw a spiral staircase leading to a rooftop observation deck, which appeared to be empty at first glance.
“After advising the roof was clear, Sgt. Copeman advised he could see someone hiding on the lower portion of the roof,” Liotti said in his report. “I tried to walk across the roofline to try to make contact with the subject, but due to the pitch of the roof, along with the slippery texture, I made the determination it was no longer safe to proceed.”
Police determined the only way to safely reach the roof was with a tall ladder, so they called West Manatee Fire Rescue, which didn’t have a ladder truck available at the time but sent another truck to try and assist. Once firefighters arrived on the scene, the man on the roof, later identified as Eric Woods, 43, of Sarasota, came out of hiding and surrendered. Once he came off the roof, police found there was an active Sarasota warrant for Woods for theft. In addition to being arrested for the warrant, Woods was charged with obstruction and resisting arrest without violence.
No charges were filed against any of the occupants of the home, but Liotti’s report says charges could be issued pending further investigation. None of the other occupants had any warrants and were allowed to get their items and leave the home.
While being processed, Woods complained of an injured foot and was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital. Afterward, he was taken to Manatee County Jail by a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
