The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, together with the Sarasota Police Department, the Venice Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, will be conducting a marine enforcement operation over Labor Day weekend.
The focus of this Saturday’s county-wide operation will be boating safety, particularly the enforcement of Boating Under the Influence laws.
“Just like impaired motorists, impaired boaters risk their lives and the lives of others when they are at the helm,” said Sheriff Tom Knight. “It is important to educate the public about boating safety, and we are committed to keeping Sarasota County waterways a safe place for residents and visitors alike.”
The Sheriff’s Office has also added a Boating Safety page to its Web site, www.SarasotaSheriff.org under the Public Interest section. In addition to important boating rules and regulations, there is a float plan that can be printed and filled out.
Boaters are encouraged to complete a float plan each time they embark on an extended or unusual excursion. Knowing where a boater intended to go helps law enforcement locate missing vessels or boaters in distress.
At approximately 1:00 p.m. today Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call relating to a grand theft that had just occurred at a T-Mobile store located at 4132 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
The caller was able to provide vehicle and suspect descriptions to the 9-1-1 operator, and the information was dispatched accordingly. A detective who was driving an unmarked vehicle identified the suspect vehicle and followed it to 6th Street and US301 where he attempted to make a traffic stop.
The suspect vehicle failed to yield to the detective, and at 12th Street and East Avenue it collided with another vehicle that was traveling on the road. Three suspects were apprehended at this time. One of the suspects was transported via Bayflite to Bayfront Medical Center for treatment of the injuries he sustained in the collision. The driver of the other vehicle was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
The three suspects, Marquel Dennis, B/M, DOB 1/2/89 from Tampa, Jerry G. Davis, B/M, DOB 6/1/87 and Darious L. Holloman, B/M, 8/13/87, both from St. Petersburg, have each been charged with Grand Theft relating to the T-Mobile incident. Dennis has also been charged with Fleeing to Elude, Driving While License Suspended and Leaving the Scene of an Accident relating to the vehicle accident at 12th Street and East Avenue.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Criminal Investigations at 941-861-1719 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477), or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com or via text message by texting TIP109 plus a message to CRIMES (274637).
More than 70 area children had a safer ride to school today thanks to their new bicycle helmets.
On Friday, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office positioned deputies at all middle schools and four elementary schools in Sarasota, Venice and Englewood to ensure students riding bicycles had a helmet to wear. If not, one was properly fitted and provided to them.
The helmets were donated to the Sheriff’s Office by the Southwest Florida Epileptic Foundation. Deputy Tim Underhill requested helmets last year after seeing an accident involving a child who was not wearing a safety helmet. The foundation answered the call and donated 600 bicycle helmets to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Bicycle accidents are one of the leading causes of head injuries for children,” said Sheriff Tom Knight. “We were glad to play a part in reducing this risk for local students and grateful to the Epileptic Foundation for their willingness to assist our community.”
Additional bicycle helmets were provided to Youth Services Deputies and guidance counselors at each school in case students need helmets throughout the school year.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. yesterday morning members of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Pharmaceutical Diversion Investigative Unit and the Special Investigations Section, working in conjunction with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the North Port Police Department, served a search warrant at 3243 Upson Terrace in North Port. This location was searched in relation to an ongoing prescription drug diversion case.
Items seized during the search included firearms, anabolic steroids, fraudulent prescriptions and two personal water-craft reported stolen out of Charlotte County in 2009.
Arrested were two residents, Jeffery B. Kenney, w/m, 30 years of age and Christopher T. Kenter, w/m, 35 years of age. Kenney is charged with Violation of Community Control, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Blank Prescriptions. Christopher Kenter was arrested for a warrant from Charlotte County for Violation of Probation/Obtaining Substance by Fraud.
Both subjects remain in the Sarasota County Jail and additional charges are pending. If anyone has information regarding these subjects they are asked to call Detective Don Kennard at 861-4004 or Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477), or online at www.SarasotaCrimeStoppers.com or via text message by texting TIP 109 plus a message to CRIMES (274637).
