A video and community outreach equals two arrests.
Bradenton Beach police arrested a Bradenton couple for a July 10 scooter theft after the suspects were reported at Circle K, 103 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach.
Jessie Yantz, 26, and Richard Hoyt, 36, were arrested for allegedly stealing a scooter parked at the landside end of the Historic Bridge Street Pier in the 200 block of Bridge Street.
The victim reported the scooter stolen about 10 hours after parking it. The keys had been left in the ignition and $100 was stashed under the seat.
A Bradenton Beach Police Department video — distributed to the victim and, in turn, shared with friends — allegedly revealed Yantz and Hoyt checking out the scooter and Hoyt taking the scooter, according to the police report.
Two days later, a woman who’d seen the police video told BBPD the suspects were at Circle K.
Yantz and Hoyt were located, arrested and transported to the Manatee County jail.
Yantz was released on her own recognizance. Hoyt posted a $7,500 bond. Court-appointed public defenders filed not-guilty pleas on their behalf.
Arraignments for Hoyt and Yantz are set for 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
