Police say woman pointed gun at 16-year-old girl at Lido Key, made girl drive her around
Sarasota police arrested a woman Wednesday night who witnesses say pointed a gun at a 16-year-old girl and had the girl drive her around, before a police officer intercepted them at Lido Beach.
The woman, who is 61 and from Fort Myers, is being held at Sarasota County Jail and is facing the charge of false imprisonment, according to Sarasota Police Department.
The victim told police that she went to Lido Beach on Wednesday to watch the sunset, according to SPD. As the girl was opening her car's trunk in the parking lot by Lido Beach Pavilion, the Fort Myers woman approached her and asked for jumper cables. When the victim said she didn’t have any, Wilson asked a nearby couple for jumper cables, who also didn’t have them.
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The victim said the Fort Myers woman then pulled a small gun from her right side and held it where the victim could see it. The woman told the girl to drive her to her car at South Lido Beach.
After arriving at South Lido, the woman got out of the car, leaving the passenger door open. The woman then told the victim to take her somewhere where she could get food, so the girl drove her to a convenience store in the 1000 block of North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota.
When the woman went into the store, the victim sent text messages to her friend, telling her she was being forced to drive the woman around while being threatened with a gun. The friend called 911, and the victim let her know that they were heading back to the Lido Beach area.
A Sarasota Police officer was already at South Lido after locking the park’s entry gate for the night. Other officers shared that the victim was driving a gray SUV, and moments later, an SUV pulled into the park through the exit gate and drove quickly toward the officer’s patrol car.
The officer drove toward the victim’s vehicle, stopped it and ordered the Fort Myers woman out of the car. The officer then placed her in handcuffs and took her to police headquarters.
“Detectives believe this was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public,” an SPD press release said.
SPD spokeswoman Genevieve Judge said it’s always a good idea to remain vigilant and to notify law enforcement if something seems suspicious.
She said the police department has no reason at this point to believe that the girl and the woman knew each other. The woman is being held in jail on a $250,000 bond.
“Detectives believe this was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public,” an SPD press release said.
The woman is being held in jail on a $250,000 bond.
Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Lido Beach: Fort Myers Woman charged with false imprisonment of teen girl
