Pet Groomer Arrested For Animal Abuse In Sarasota

Photo by Sarasota Police Department | Facebook

Last week, Sarasota Police arrested 41-year-old North Fort Myers woman Diana Stevens, owner of a pet grooming franchise on South Tamiami Trail, on multiple animal cruelty and abuse charges.

A press release from the Sarasota Police Department posted on Monday, March 11, states that police were originally investigating this franchise location for financial crimes when they noticed repeated incidents of animal abuse by Diana Stevens. 

When employees of the store spoke to detectives, they claimed that they not only witnessed the animal abuse but had to intervene on several occasions. Some customers also came forward to report unusual behavior from their pets after picking them up from the business.

Witnesses say that the abuse often occurred while Stevens groomed the animals. When Sarasota police detectives obtained a search warrant, they were able to acquire video evidence of the animal abuse from the store. The press release disclosed that this footage supports the allegations that “Stevens beat, berated, and tossed animals as she groomed them”.

On Friday, March 8, Diana Stevens was officially arrested on five charges of animal abuse and five charges of animal cruelty. The animal abuse charges are felonies, and the animal cruelty charges are misdemeanors. 

The Sarasota Police Department encourages anyone with information about this case to reach out to Detective Sullivan at [email protected]. Alternatively, to leave an anonymous tip for Crime Stoppers, call 941-366-TIPS or visit www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com

Article by Ema Tibbetts