State College of Florida Student Arrested or Charged?

Are you a State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) student who was stopped, cited, questioned or arrested, or the parent of one? SCF has campuses in Bradenton, Venice and Lakewood Ranch, and some students are dual-enrolled high school students. Attorney Ron Frey helps students when something on or off campus turns into a criminal matter. Attorney Ron Frey has been practicing law for over two decades. He is licensed in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina and admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the U.S. Supreme Court.

An accusation is not a conviction. Before you explain anything to an officer or to the college, call a lawyer. Call or text (813) 775-2276 for a free, confidential initial consultation by phone, video or in person. A student, a parent, or a friend or family member can make that first call.

Manatee and Sarasota Police and Courts

• SCF has a Department of Public Safety on its campuses. SCF says it works with the Manatee County and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Offices, FDLE, the FBI and other agencies when a crime is reported.
• Which agency gets involved depends on the campus and where something happened, including city police departments near each campus.
• Manatee County and Sarasota County are both in Florida’s Twelfth Judicial Circuit.
• Manatee County cases are heard at the Manatee County Judicial Center in downtown Bradenton.
• Sarasota County cases are heard at the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center in Sarasota or the South County Courthouse in Venice. Your paperwork will say which building to go to.
• A federal case from either county goes to the Tampa Division of the Middle District of Florida, at the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse in downtown Tampa.

Campus security arrangements and college rules change over time. Check SCF’s current official policies, and have your situation reviewed by a lawyer rather than relying on this page, the internet or AI.

Situations SCF Students May Face

Many SCF students juggle classes, jobs and family. A single stop or argument can turn into a charge. Allegations can include:

• DUI or other traffic-related charges
• Drug charges, including marijuana, vapes or pills without a prescription
• Underage drinking or a fake ID
• Theft or shoplifting
• A fight, an assault or a battery accusation
• Resisting an officer during a stop
• Weapons charges
• Computer and internet issues, such as account access, threats or images shared online

How each one is handled depends on the facts, the evidence and the agency involved. For dual-enrolled students under 18, a case may be handled differently than an adult case, and that should be reviewed with a lawyer. For many students it is a first arrest. See first-time offenders.

What to Do First

• Stay calm and polite. Do not run, argue or physically resist.
• Speak with an attorney first, before answering questions, giving a statement or agreeing to a search of a car, a backpack or a phone.
• If officers ask you to unlock a phone or give a passcode, speak with an attorney before you decide. Whether a person can be required to unlock a device depends on the circumstances, the jurisdiction and any warrant or court order.
• Keep the citation, notice to appear or release papers, and share them with your lawyer.
• Check which courthouse is listed on your notice. Do not skip a court date because of class or work.
• Parents, or a friend or family member, can call Attorney Ron Frey on the student’s behalf.

SCF’s Student Code of Conduct

SCF has a Student Code of Conduct, and the college says it can discipline a student for off-campus activity it decides affects the college community. SCF also says its process can go forward while criminal proceedings are pending, and that the school process is not challenged just because criminal charges were dismissed or reduced.

What a student says to the college can matter in court, and the reverse. Talk with a lawyer before you respond to the school about the incident. Depending on the case, Attorney Ron Frey can discuss how the two processes may affect each other.

Every Situation Needs Its Own Review

A charge in Bradenton can play out very differently from one that looks similar in Venice. Each situation has to be evaluated case by case under current laws, with a response tailored to it, not what the internet or AI tells you. Attorney Ron Frey looks at which agency made the arrest, why the stop happened, how any search was done, and what reports, video and witnesses actually show. Every case is different. The State still has to prove each charge with admissible evidence.

Talk With Attorney Ron Frey

If you or a friend or family member at SCF was stopped, cited or arrested, call before you talk to investigators or the college about it. Attorney Ron Frey handles cases in Manatee and Sarasota Counties from his office in downtown Tampa. Call or text (813) 775-2276 for a free, confidential initial consultation by phone, video or in person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who investigates a crime reported at an SCF campus?

SCF’s Department of Public Safety takes reports on campus, and SCF says it works with the Manatee County and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Offices and other agencies. Which agency acts depends on the campus and the facts.

Where will an SCF student’s case be heard?

It depends on where the incident happened. Manatee County cases go to the Manatee County Judicial Center in Bradenton. Sarasota County cases go to the Silvertooth Judicial Center in Sarasota or the South County Courthouse in Venice.

Can SCF discipline a student for something that happened off campus?

SCF’s Code of Conduct says the college can discipline a student for off-campus activity it decides affects the college community, and that its process can go forward while a criminal case is pending.

My child is a dual-enrolled high school student at SCF. Can I call?

Yes. A parent, or a friend or family member, can call Attorney Ron Frey to talk about the situation and the options.

What should a student say if police want to talk?

Be polite, and speak with an attorney first, before answering questions or agreeing to a search. Call or text (813) 775-2276 for a free, confidential initial consultation by phone, video or in person.

Related: College student defense · Manatee County criminal defense · Sarasota County criminal defense · Federal offenses · Drug charges · First-time offenders