Two men were apprehended by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office after stealing copper wire and a vehicle on Tuesday.
According to the sheriff’s office, Jesse Barker, 26, and a 17-year-old companion drove their vehicle on Mosaic property and began stealing a large amount of copper power wire.
At some point during the theft, their vehicle got stuck in the sand and they walked over to GnD Farms and stole a truck.
The drove the stolen vehicle back to Mosaic and attempted to pull their vehicle from the sand.
Mosaic employees saw the suspicious behavior and notified the sheriff’s office.
When deputies arrived, the Barker and the 17-year-old’s disabled vehicle was found full of copper wire.
K-9 units tracked the suspects along SR-62, issuing verbal warnings.
After a short chase, one of the K-9s on scene bit the 17-year-old and deputies made the arrest.
The Aviation Unit located Barker hiding the woods. He was also taken into custody.
The 17-year-old suspect had an outstanding warrant for narcotics and Barker had two warrants, one out of Polk County for theft and one out of Pasco for narcotics.
Deputies are still investigating the wire theft, vehicle theft and other potentially related crimes.