The man ticketed for crashing an SUV through the Guild Gallery window in Holmes Beach was arrested March 10 on a warrant for a Bradenton burglary.
Louis Knowles, 28, of Bradenton, was arrested after Manatee County Sheriff’s Office investigators traced Knowles’ fingerprints to a mid-February burglary, according to an MCSO report.
Knowles was issued a citation for leaving the scene of the Feb. 13 crash at the Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island gallery in the Island Shopping Center, 5414 Marina Drive, according to a Holmes Beach Police Department incident report. HBPD issued him tickets for no valid registration and no proof of insurance.
The crash shattered the window, destroyed artwork, damaged carpet and bent display cables, according to Artists’ Guild president Wendell Graham. She estimated the damage at $20,000.
In support of the warrant arrest, the MCSO filed a complaint that stated Knowles had called the burglary victim Feb. 13, asked him for money and learned he was out of town. Knowles went to the residence and a pet sitter let him in that day and the next.
One of the items allegedly taken in the burglary was a Smith & Wesson rifle.
At a March 11 court appearance, Knowles was ordered into a supervised release program.
The order requires him to report to a court officer, not to consume illegal drugs or alcohol, abide by a curfew and take medication as prescribed. The court also ordered him to maintain residency at a prison ministry in Bradenton.
In the case relating to the gallery crash, Knowles pleaded not guilty and waived formal arraignment on the charges March 12. A pre-trial conference is set for 1:30 p.m., April 21.
At the gallery, the front window remains boarded and tire tracks still stain the carpet.
Insurance estimators are assessing the damage and a new window is on order, according to Graham.
“To us it’s still very raw. When he drove through our window, he damaged our art and damaged our hearts,” Graham said.
“We hope to have some kind of fundraiser in the future to make up for the lost funds, but we shouldn’t have to,” she said, adding Knowles should be held accountable.
Graham hopes to regain attention to the artists, including Cheryl Jorgensen, a watercolorist and teacher, featured in March.
A new display on the boarded-up window features the art of Dee Pastorius, Kathy Sparks, Mary Beth Johnson, Graham and others.
“We are all volunteers who want to give back to the community. To the people and visitors of AMI, we hope you stop by,” Graham said.