Clerk reports that man came into store wearing a mask and carrying an AR-15
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) has arrested a 19-year-old Bradenton man in connection with a June 10 robbery at a convenience store on Honore Avenue in Sarasota, the agency has reported.
Denzel Alejandro Hernandez Cuevas, of 1007 59th Ave. Terrace East in Bradenton, was taken into custody by Holmes Beach Police Department officers during a traffic stop on June 10, a news release said. Because Cuevas had been identified as a person of interest in the convenience store incident, the release explained, the Sheriff’s Office had issued an arrest warrant for him, charging him with armed robbery.
On June 10, the release said, a person called 911 to report the convenience store robbery. “The store cashier described the suspect as a Hispanic male wearing a mask and carrying an AR-15 rifle,” the release continued. “He demanded money from the cashier and left the scene,” the release added.
After the June 10 traffic stop, Cuevas was transported to the Manatee County Jail, the release noted.
Then, on June 13, Cuevas was transferred to the Sarasota County Detention Center, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office records indicate. He is being held without bond, with his arraignment scheduled for July 11.
On June 17, he entered a plea of “Not Guilty” in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court and demanded a jury trial, as shown in records maintained by the Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller’s Office. Cuevas is being represented by the Public Defender’s Office for the 12th Judicial District, that document noted.
Records maintained by the Manatee County Clerk of Court’s Office said that the Holmes Beach officers charged Cuevas with running a stop sign and failure to use a seat belt.
(No other Manatee County records — and no other Sarasota County cases — involving Cuevas showed up during a Sarasota News Leader search of court records this week.)
Cuevas’ arrest “was a well-coordinated effort” among members of the Sheriff’s Office’s Patrol Division and Tactical Unit, as well as its Criminal Investigations Section (CIS), with the assistance of the Holmes Beach Police Department and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the release pointed out.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” the release said.
The arrest warrant for Cuevas says that a man working at the 7-Eleven near Fruitville Elementary School in Sarasota County was the person who called 911 on June 10 to report the robbery at that store. The store’s location was redacted from the document, but a News Leader review of 7-Eleven addresses in the county indicated that the store stands at 705 Honore Ave.
The employee told the responding Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office detective that he was working alone when the robbery occurred. The man described the thief to the detective, the warrant added.
The employee also reported that the thief told him, “ ‘I just want the money’ over and over again in a monotone voice and then instructed him to open the cash register drawers,” the warrant continued. “The defendant held the rifle aimed at [the employee’s] torso or pointed down,” the warrant noted.
The thief grabbed an estimated $200 from the employee and fled the store, the warrant said.
In canvassing the area for surveillance video, the warrant continued, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office personnel found that Fruitville Elementary School, located at 601 Honore Ave., and the Fruitville Veterinary clinic, which stands at 719 Honore Ave., both had exterior video cameras.
In video from the school, Sheriff’s Office personnel were able to see a dark pickup truck driving in the area of the 7-Eleven, the warrant said. After a delivery truck left the 7-Eleven parking lot, the warrant added, the video showed the black truck pulling into the parking lot about 4:51 a.m. Approximately 2 minutes later, the truck pulled out of the parking lot, the video made clear, the warrant said.
Sheriff’s Office personnel were able to read the truck’s license plate, the warrant continued.
After checking License Plate Readers in the area, the warrant continued, officers saw the same truck in the area of the store between 4:17 am. and 4:53 a.m.
After Sheriff’s Office personnel set up surveillance at Cuevas’ residence, the warrant said, the same truck was observed leaving the dwelling.
Later, Holmes Beach Police Department officers advised the Sheriff’s Office of their traffic stop of Cuevas in that vehicle, the warrant noted. They reported having “smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle,” it continued, though Cuevas acknowledged that he did not have a medical marijuana card.
After he was transported to the Holmes Beach Police Department, the warrant said, Cuevas was advised of his Miranda rights and then interviewed. He told Holmes Beach officers that the AR-15 belonged to his cousin; he took it with him to the 7-Eleven “with the intent to rob the store,” the warrant said. He “needed money to fix his car up,” it added, noting that he took about $200 from the cash registers.