Palmetto High Tigers Player Arrested Following Post-Game Incident

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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Palmetto Man Sentenced In Overnight Home Break-In And Battery Case

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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Palmetto Woman Shot Dead by Boyfriend, 9-Day-Old Baby Unharmed

A devastating tragedy has struck the Palmetto community with the shooting death of Blanca Guzman-Bartolon, a 30-year-old mother, daughter, and beloved friend. According to officials, the incident occurred late Sunday evening, September 21, 2025, when Palmetto police responded to reports of gunfire at the 1400 block of 12th Avenue West. Upon arriving at the scene, […]

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Unborn Child Dies in Wrong Way DUI Crash on DeSoto Bridge, Driver Arrested

A tragic crash early Sunday morning claimed the life of an unborn child and left a woman critically injured after a head-on collision on the DeSoto Bridge. Authorities say the crash occurred around 4:36 a.m. on April 6th, when Laurentino Serrano-Juarez, 31, of Bradenton, was driving a GMC SUV southbound in the northbound lanes of […]

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Restaurant Manager Assists Police in Arrest of Dishwasher for Home Invasion, Battery

A man was arrested after allegedly breaking into a home in Palmetto in the early morning hours of March 2, 2025, at approximately 4:55 a.m. and touching a sleeping woman without her consent, authorities reported. According to the Palmetto Police Department probable cause affidavit, the suspect, Roger Ivan Lopez Gomez, age 26, entered the residence […]

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