A double homicide arrest, a prison sentence in a yearslong sexual abuse case and charges after a 4-year-old fatally shot himself were among the notable Manatee County crime developments this week.
Here are six cases to catch up on:
- Sophia Hyatt, 32, of Bradenton, is charged with trafficking in counterfeit credit cards and fraudulent use of a credit card after detectives said they found information for 34 compromised cards on her cellphone. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation began when a New York woman reported a fraudulent charge at a Bradenton hotel where Hyatt had been staying.
- Diamond Sharee’Nicole Phillips, 29, of Sarasota, was arrested on a culpable negligence charge after her 4-year-old child fatally shot himself in June with a loaded handgun left inside her purse on a kitchen island, deputies said. Investigators said the firearm remained loaded and unsecured, and that the child could reach the counter where the purse sat.
- Tyler Lang, 35, of Palmetto, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of sex offender probation after pleading no contest to sexual battery and two counts of lewd or lascivious touching involving two teenagers, court records show. Investigators said the abuse of one victim began when he was 11, and that Lang approached the other under the guise of practicing massages.
- Jessica McVay, 48, a veterans affairs coordinator with the local public defender’s office, is accused of stealing nearly $65,000 from a woman who gave her access to her finances while she was held at the Manatee County Jail, Sarasota police said. McVay faces charges including grand theft, scheme to defraud and communications fraud, and detectives say there may be additional victims.
- Jakourtney Johnson, 34, of Bradenton, faces two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm in the Sept. 22 shooting deaths of Antonio Rosario, 30, and Willie Stubbs Jr., 43, according to police. Bradenton police said the shooting followed an ongoing dispute.
- Quazone Elijawun Taylor, 34, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 44-year-old Starr Lashua, whose body was found wrapped in a sheet beneath a mattress behind her Bradenton duplex, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said. Taylor had been hiding at her home after allegedly stabbing a 15-year-old boy days earlier and is also charged with attempted first-degree murder in that case, according to court records.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
Source: www.bradenton.com
