Friday, May 17, 2013
Deputies will be on the lookout for impaired drivers this weekend and over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is stepping up its efforts to curb drunk driving with DUI "saturation patrols" this weekend and next. Instead of setting up what is known as a DUI checkpoint, "a number of patrol and traffic deputies will work targeted zones at the same time and monitor the activity of motorists," the sheriff's office said in a media release. The patrols will be spread out in different parts of the country this weekend and over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. “Aggressive drivers and people who get behind the wheel while impaired put themselves and others at risk,” said Sheriff Tom Knight in a release. “We want citizens and visitors to know we are working diligently to ensure their safety on Sarasota County roads.” …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Two teenagers are charged with beating another teen until he was unconscious, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said.
Two teenagers have been arrested and charged in a vicious attack that left another teen boy unconscious last week on Siesta Beach, authorities said Thursday. According to witnesses, Devin Roman, 18, of Sarasota, and a 15-year-old boy attacked a 17-year-old after he tried to intervene when the two threatened to beat up his friend. The two teen suspects punched and kicked the victim several times, including after he has been knocked unconscious, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. The 15-year-old also reportedly ordered witnesses not to help the victim, who was later airlifted to Blake Medical Center in Bradenton. The boy suffered a fractured jaw and hearing loss in the attack, according to an arrest affidavit. An update on …
27.26726
-82.55175
Siesta Beach
Beach Rd & Beach Way Dr, Sarasota, FL
/articles/two-teens-charged-in-siesta-beach-attack
1733679
/locations/9394658
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office announced the results of "Operation Red Flag" on Wednesday. Find out who's been arrested and what they're charged with.
A Sarasota County Sheriff's Office operation aimed at cracking down on crime in north Sarasota has resulted in the arrests of 53 people, including a trio of teenagers with connections to nearly 30 vehicle burglaries, officials said Wednesday. "Operation Red Flag" utilized "proactive policing methods" and the agency's "Intelligence to Action" system to target an area near 17th Street and Lockwood Ridge Road north to University Parkway and unincorporated areas to the west, where a number of burglaries had been occurring, according to a sheriff's office spokesperson. Among those arrested was a group of three teenagers — 19-year-olds Shawn Whitfield and Tyler Radkey, plus a 17-year-old — whom the sheriff's office said were connected to at …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Alligator mating season is prompting some unusual calls for help to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
An eight-foot alligator spotted walking across the Publix parking lot was subdued by a Sarasota County Sheriff's deputy Sunday, after it crossed four lanes of traffic. The Venice Gondolier reports that Deputy Blake Luce, who handles alligator calls, was summoned to the Jacaranda roundabout on Sunday, May 5. Deputy Luce used a pipe with a noose-type of rope at the end, similar to a dog catcher's pole, to catch the 'gator and move it off the road to a curb, where its jaws were taped shut. The capture took less than five minutes. The 'gator was turned over to state wildlife officials, who relocated the reptile, according to the Venice Gondolier. It was the fourth alligator that had wandered into public areas in Sarasota County Luce was …
Carlos Longoria, caught Tuesday in Fort Myers, is one of three men charged in the robbery at a Clark Road home.
A third suspect in a violent 2011 home invasion robbery has been captured, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. Carlos Longoria, 25, was apprehended at a Fort Myers home Tuesday and booked in Sarasota County Jail, where he was being held without bond, authorities said. The arrest was made in connection with a Nov. 1, 2011 incident at a home in the 2900 block of Clark Road, in which a man was hit in the head and choked until he was nearly unconscious, police said. A woman was pulled to the floor by her hair and had a gun held to her head. Three suspects ransacked the home before fleeing. One man, Anthony Lusson, who police said was an acquaintance of the two victims, was arrested a short time after the crime. He was …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Convicted of sexually assaulting a child from the time she was 3 until she was 6, the abuse actually continued for years afterward, Sarasota County detectives said Tuesday.
A sexual predator's abuse of a child continued for years after he was convicted, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. Jerald Gene Williams, 70, was convicted in 1989 of sexually assaulting a girl from the time she was 3 until she was 6. But the abuse actually continued until she was a teenager, detectives alleged Tuesday. The victim, who is now an adult, recently contacted detectives to report that Williams sexually assaulted her until she was 14 years old. Williams had been sentenced to community control but was not prohibited from contact with the girl, authorities said. Detectives recently monitored a conversation between the victim and Williams, during which he made "tacit admissions without denial" as the victim …
Monday, May 6, 2013
The man was found in a water retention pond behind a Tamiami Trail grocery store Monday evening, officials said. Police identified the man Tuesday.
Detectives have disclosed the identity of the 56-year-old man found floating and unconscious Monday evening in a water retention pond behind a Sarasota grocery store. The man is Joseph M. Gorey. He was treated by paramedics, but they were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, behind the Publix at 8409 S. Tamiami Trail. The death does not appear to be suspicious, detectives said Tuesday, though it is still under investigation. Deputies responded to the rear of the Publix at 6:30 p.m., where they found an unresponsive man in the water. There were no obvious signs of death, officials said, but it hasn't yet been determined how the man died. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sarasota County Sheriff's Criminal …
27.228974
-82.494369
8409 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL
/articles/detectives-investigate-death-of-man-found-floating-behind-publix
/locations/9358350
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office is looking for three people accused of beating up a teenager near the picnic area early Monday.
[Editor's note: The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has revised its earlier report, adding that the victim in the incident is not homeless and that it involved juveniles. We've updated our story.] Authorities are looking for three people accused of beating up a teenager early Monday near the picnic area at Siesta Beach. The incident happened around 12:45 a.m. at the public beach, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. The victim, who was not identified, suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, officials said. The three suspects reportedly frequent the Payne Park area, according to a sheriff's office spokesperson. They are described as follows: Anyone with information is asked to contact…
Friday, May 3, 2013
Police are investigating an email message sent to a priest at a Sarasota Catholic church. The writer asks about 'executing' staff at Planned Parenthood.
Monday, April 29, 2013
"Ashton," a 4-year-old mastiff, was beaten to death with a tire iron by a man who jumped a barbed wire fence at a Sarasota automotive shop, according to the sheriff's office.
Updated, 4:34 p.m.: Bond for the suspect was increased to $46,000 on Monday, Sarasota County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Wendy Rose said. Earlier: A man is charged with beating a dog to death during a burglary at a Sarasota automotive shop, authorities said Monday. The 61-year-old suspect was seen on surveillance video beating the dog with a tire iron at John's Automotive, 1815 Snug Harbor Pl., the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reports. The business owner had reported the 4-year-old mastiff, "Ashton," missing on Sunday morning, officials said. Later that day, the owner reviewed surveillance video and saw the beating by a man he later identified as 52-year-old Kevin Koscielniak, an employee who was asked to leave a day earlier after …
27.353094
-82.525049
John's Automotive
1815 Snug Harbor Pl, Sarasota, FL
/articles/deputies-man-beat-dog-to-death-during-burglary
1636321
/locations/9327252
Palmetto Joe
4:39 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Thanks for the tip..I will avoid Sarasota as of the boubonic plague just hit. They had one last night called ..wolf pack in manatee never saw a police car..and watched drunks racing at 1am down cortez. more ›