Couple accused of posing as exterminators to steal from homes

BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - Two people were arrested after they allegedly impersonated exterminators to gain entry to several Bradenton condos in order to steal jewelry, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies say they received a 911 call May 12 after the owner of a condo on Lake Bayshore Drive allowed two people in to spray for pests, even though she had not hired anyone to do so.

After the exterminators left, she noticed several rings, valued at over $3,000, had been stolen.

When deputies arrived, they spotted a female suspect on the second floor and a male suspect, identified as Laura Frank and Sean Frank, in the parking lot. Both suspects were detained.

Investigators also found a pump sprayer and several pieces of jewelry in a trash can in a laundry room on the fourth floor.

The victim positively identified both suspects, and it was determined that some of the jewelry found belonged to the victim. Deputies also learned that the suspects had entered additional units, but none of those residents reported having had anything stolen.

On May 11, suspects fitting the same description used the same pest control scam to get inside several condominiums in the 2300 block of Bayshore Drive, where one victim reported two wedding rings were missing from a jewelry box.

The investigation continues.