Hyperlocal news for Parrish, Palmetto, Ellenton, Duette, Rubonia, and Terra Ceia in north Manatee County, Florida
A murder suspect who evaded capture for nearly seven years has been arrested in Mexico and returned to Manatee County to face charges in the 2019 shooting death of an 18-year-old. Irving Zuniga was booked into the Manatee County Jail on Saturday, Jan. 10, following a joint operation by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and […]
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An 18-year-old Ruskin man driving a stolen vehicle died Monday night after fleeing from deputies and crashing into another car in Palmetto, authorities said. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office identified the driver as Michael Jerome Austin. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 9:12 p.m. following the collision. The incident began shortly after […]
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A 21-year-old Parrish man was arrested in December following a child sexual abuse material investigation that began with a cyber tip forwarded to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, according to a probable cause affidavit. Authorities said the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report in late August from the messaging platform Kik […]
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An 18-year-old Palmetto High School football player was arrested following a post-game incident on campus last month, but the charges were later declined, court records show. Jamari Isiah Smith, a defensive back wearing No. 27 for the Palmetto Tigers, was initially charged with disrupting a school function and a battery-related offense involving a school employee […]
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A man arrested earlier this year after allegedly breaking into a Palmetto home and touching a sleeping woman without her consent has been sentenced to prison, court records show. Roger Ivan Lopez Gomez, 26, entered a no contest plea on Oct. 23, 2025, and was adjudicated guilty, according to Manatee County court records. He was […]
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