A Bradenton man who crashed through a Holmes Beach art gallery window and became a suspect in a West Bradenton burglary now has a warrant out for his arrest.
Louis Knowles, 28, was on court supervision for the burglary case April 30 when a 12th Circuit Court judge ordered his supervised release revoked and set a $25,000 bond.
Knowles’ supervised release required he maintain a drug-and-alcohol-free residency at a Bradenton prison ministry.
According to the supervised release officer’s affidavit, Knowles “was discharged from Jim Russo Ministry after testing positive for illegal drugs while in the program.”
Knowles’ attorney, Peter Lombardo of Bradenton, contends the judge’s order was improper without a hearing and he filed a May 6 motion to set it aside.
“Before you can revoke someone’s release, you have to have a hearing,” Lombardo said.
At Islander press time, Knowles had not been arrested and no hearing was set on Lombardo’s motion.
Before Knowles’ arrest for the mid-February burglary, classified as armed after the theft of a Smith & Wesson rifle, his SUV was involved in a Feb. 13 crash through the front window of the Guild Gallery at 5414 Marina Drive, operated by the Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island.
Lombardo said he’s filed a motion to “throw out” the statements gathered by a Holmes Beach officer during the crash investigation.
The motion states, “Law enforcement conducted a traffic crash investigation with Louis Knowles, never read him Miranda warnings and during the traffic crash admitted being the driver.”
Lombardo said HBPD’s failure to warn Knowles of his Fifth Amendment rights is grounds for suppressing the statements.
The defense motion is set be heard June 19 at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
