SARASOTA, Fla. — Deputies say that a Florida man called 911 to report a home invasion and ended up in custody after they found no one breaking in, but rather a trafficking amount of cocaine and Xanax.
According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, who shared news of the arrest on Twitter with the caption, "FloriDUH," Austin Stuenkel, 22, was arrested on Tuesday on nearly a dozen felony drug charges.
According to the sheriff's office, deputies responded to Stuenkel's home around 11 p.m. on Monday after he called to report people running through his home and backyard on Yorktown Street in Sarasota. Deputies say he was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the call.
When deputies arrived, Stuenkel invited them inside where they noticed several narcotics and paraphernalia often used to sell narcotics, in plain view, according to the arrest report.
Detectives executed a search warrant early Tuesday morning on Stuenkel’s home where they say they recovered several dozen pieces of evidence including:
- 45 grams of cocaine
- More than 3,000 Xanax pills
- 3,800 grams of marijuana
- Various synthetic drugs
- More prescription pills
Several miscellaneous substances were also submitted to the agency’s drug lab for further testing.
Stuenkel faces 11 charges including:
- Trafficking in Cocaine
- Four counts of Possession of a Prescription with Intent to Sell
- Four counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance
- Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Sell
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.
Mary Stringini is a Digital Reporter for WFTS. Follow her on Twitter @MaryWFTS.
