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Hit-and-run, battery cases in Sarasota County end with probation

Harry November 16, 2024

A hit-and-run driver and a North Port man were arrested for stealing a homeless man’s phone. put him in a suffocating position They made plea deals in their cases.

William David Green, 28, was arrested in February by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office after he was identified as the driver in the hit-and-run. Accordingly previous Herald-Tribune reportOn Feb. 24, a Toyota Tacoma struck a man in a crosswalk at North Washington Boulevard and Main Street. The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital.

Deputies later determined the truck was involved and Green admitted he was the driver. He told deputies that when he started driving after the light turned green, he heard something hit his car, according to previous reports. Thinking that someone had hit the hood of his car with his fist, he stopped the car and saw an old man lying on the ground at the intersection.

He told deputies he was “scared” and left the area, according to court records.

Green pleaded no contest to a hit-and-run charge after failing to stop in an accident involving injury. Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Donna Padar reversed the decision and sentenced Green to five years of probation, which can be transferred to Alabama, according to court records. Green was also ordered to complete eight hours of basic driving school and pay court costs.

Padar also ordered Green to pay $21,000 in restitution to the victim, according to court records.

In March, police arrested Dustin Dodge, then 45 years old., for strangling a homeless man and stealing his phone.

According to previous reports, Dodge approached the man sleeping on a bench under a gazebo at the intersection of Pan American Boulevard and Tamiami Road. While walking home from a nearby bar after drinking, Dodge thought he left his phone in the gazebo and thought the man had it.

According to previous reports, the victim told police he was sleeping with his phone next to him while Dodge tried to grab it. When the victim refused to give up his phone, Dodge strangled him.

The victim bit Dodge’s arm and threw her phone into the nearby grass in hopes of getting Dodge away from her, according to previous reports. Dodge did not let go of the victim and fled with the phone to an unknown area.

The victim flagged down a nearby person to call police, and the person located the Dodge at the intersection of Alley and Eager Streets. Officers found the victim’s cell phone on the ground next to Dodge, and the victim was able to identify Dodge as the man who attacked him.

According to previous reports, Dodge told officers he thought the cell phone belonged to him and woke the victim up to demand the phone back. When the victim refused, Dodge told officers: “I put him to sleep for a while because I know what I’m doing.”

Dodge pleaded no contest to the battery charge and was convicted Oct. 31, according to court records. He was given credit for time spent in the county jail and sentenced to 24 months probation as well as a 16-week anger management course. Court records show he spent about seven weeks in jail before leaving on April 16.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support his work in some way. Tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska: [email protected]or on X: @GabrielaSzyman3.