Manatee County Sheriff shares timeline of 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier's final hours
Pelletier, who was visiting family in Englewood, was last seen in the early morning hours of Aug. 1 after reportedly behaving erratically during a drive with cousins and friends.
He left the vehicle near State Road 70 and disappeared into the night. Days later, his body was discovered by a family friend in a nearby pond.
Wells shared footage during a press conference that showed Pelletier coming upon a steep embankment at an uncontrollable sprint down a hill before landing in the pond.
'Our prayers continue to go out to Bridget, the mother of Giovanni, and the entire family as they struggle during this very difficult time,' Wells said. 'We pray that blessings are bestowed upon them, and we're here to hopefully give them some information that will give them closure at some point.'
On July 31, Pelletier texted his cousin Latrell to confirm he was going to pick him up in Charlotte County and to take him back to Brevard County, where Latrell lives.
The two cousins text about smoking cannabis, when Pelletier says that he hasn't smoked in a while but that he 'definitely needs a smoke.'
In case you missed it: Body found in Manatee County pond near where missing teen was last seen
Not long into the drive, Pelletier begins smoking cannabis with Latrell and two friends. They stopped the car along River Road before getting to I-75 because Pelletier said he needed to use the bathroom.
Latrell told deputies that Pelletier began acting out and raging while getting back into the white Chevy Malibu.
Previous coverage: Family of man found dead in Manatee County pond calls for FBI to step in
The group continued driving north on I-75, about 26 miles away from State Road 70. At 1:55 a.m., Pelletier sends multiple texts to his mom saying, 'Help me.'
Jaylen, one of the friends in the car, told deputies that Pelletier was told the group, 'I am a demon, and I will wreck this car,' as Pelletier attempted to open the car door as it was moving.
Zachary, the driver, pulled over onto the side of the road on the shoulder of the northbound I-75, on the east shoulder of State Road 70.
Wells said that he's waiting to see what comes back from Pelletier's toxicology report – if there's another drug that would've made Pelletier act violently paranoid.
Jaylen and Zachary hear that Pelletier has a knife, which he always carries with him. He had two knives, a four-inch pocket knife and a blade. He never took out the knife, but he got out of the car and began running southbound in the southbound lanes of I-75.
They placed Pelletier's backpack on the side of the road near I-75 and State Road 70 at 2:26 a.m. on Aug. 1.
Latrell called Pelletier's mother, but there was no answer. They continued northbound on I-75 and made it home to Brevard County at 6:50 a.m. Latrell called Pelletier again and told her what happened.
Pelletier's mom called the Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) at 7:13 a.m. to look for Pelletier on I-75. A deputy responded to that area but didn't find a pedestrian on the interstate.
At 7:21 a.m., a truck driver picked up Pelletier's backpack and traveled to Tampa with it, where it was recovered by a Tampa Police officer at 9:21 a.m.
At 9:28 a.m., the CCSO opened a missing person case and called the Brevard County Sheriff's Office (BCSO), which assisted in interviewing all of the cars' passengers.
They voluntarily gave BCSO the white Chevy Malibu that was driven. No foul play, no blood or evidence was found inside the car, Wells shared.
CCSO reached out to the MCSO to see if Pelletier was admitted to any hospitals or arrested, Wells said, but there was no sign of him.
On Aug. 4, CCSO requested MCSO's help with conducting an extensive search east of the interstate in wooded areas on both sides of State Road 70, but they found nothing.
On Aug. 5, CCSO came back with an aviation unit and a volunteer team that had cadaver dogs. At this point, detectives began thinking that Pelletier never made it to State Road 70.
Pelletier was found on Aug. 8 at 3:15 p.m. in a pond right off of I-75 at the exit ramp to State Road 70 by a friend of the family.
Investigators did a deep X-ray scan of the body that showed no signs of trauma. There's no indication that he was shot or stabbed, Wells said. The District 12 Medical Examiner performed an autopsy. Preliminary indication shows no signs of trauma or foul play, but the cause of death is still undetermined.
MCSO began reviewing all of the Florida Department of Transportation cameras. Footage from the 44th Avenue camera located 1.2 miles from State Road 70 shows Pelletier crossing the interstate at 2:18 a.m. Footage showed Pelletier coming upon a steep embankment at an uncontrollable sprint down a hill before landing in the pond.
Wells said that no one was chasing him, and there was no one around him when he came down from the embankment. At that moment, the car is two miles away from Pelletier.
'What we don't know is what happened when he hit that pond,' Wells said. 'I don't know. I'm not going to speculate. The death is undetermined.'
Melissa Pérez-Carrillo covers breaking news and public safety for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Reach out at mperezcarrillo@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee County sheriff reconstructs night Giovanni Pelletier vanished
Solve the daily Crossword
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
Guns or weed? Trump administration says you can't use both.
The Justice Department wants the Supreme Court to make clear that regular pot smokers, and other users of illegal drugs, cannot own guns. WASHINGTON – The Trump administration's aggressive defense of gun rights has at least one exception. The government's lawyers want the Supreme Court to make clear that regular pot smokers – and other drug users − shouldn't be allowed to own firearms. An appeals court has said a federal law making it a crime for drug users to have a gun can't be used against someone based solely on their past drug use. Limiting the law to blocking the use of guns while a person is high effectively guts the statute that reduces gun violence, the Justice Department told the Supreme Court. They're asking the justices to overturn the appeals court's decision. Trump's Justice Department has sided with gun owners in other cases The department's defense of the law is particularly notable as the Trump administration has sided with gun rights advocates in other cases – including one in which they declined to appeal a lower court's ruling against a federal law setting 21 as the minimum age to own a handgun. More: Trump DOJ wants Supreme Court to bring down hammer on gun rules But on the issue of drug use, the government is appealing four cases to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to focus on one involving a dual citizen of the United States and Pakistan who was charged with unlawfully owning a Glock pistol because he regularly smoked marijuana. The FBI had been monitoring Ali Danial Hemani because of his alleged connection to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which the government has designated a global terrorist group, according to filings. The government also alleges Hemani used and sold promethazine, an antihistamine used to treat allergies and motion sickness that can boost an opioid high, and used cocaine, although he was prosecuted based on his marijuana use. Hemani's attorneys said the government is trying to 'inflame and disparage' Hemani's character and the only facts that matter are that he was not high when the FBI found the Glock 19 in his Texas home. Hemani was charged with violating the federal law that prohibits the possession of firearms by a person who 'is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance.' More: Supreme Court sides with Biden and upholds regulations of ghost guns to make them traceable Appeals court ruled past drug use not enough to stop gun ownership The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the law can't be applied to Hamani under the Supreme Court's landmark 2022 decision that gun prohibitions must be grounded in history that is "consistent with our tradition of gun regulation." While history and tradition support 'some limits on a presently intoxicated person's right to carry a weapon,' the appeals court said, 'they do not support disarming a sober person based solely on past substance usage.' The Justice Department said the appeals court got it wrong. Laws that existed at the time the country was founded restricted the rights of habitual drinkers, even when they were sober, they argued. 'And for about as long as legislatures have regulated drugs, they have prohibited the possession of arms by drug users and addicts – not just by persons under the influence of drugs,' they wrote. Law used in hundreds of prosecutions, including Hunter Biden's Since the federal government created its background-check system for firearms in 1998, the federal restriction on drug users has stopped more gun sales than any requirement other than the ban on felons and fugitives owning weapons, according to the filing. And it's used in hundreds of prosecutions each year, they said. (Hunter Biden, who was later pardoned by his father during President Joe Biden's final weeks in office, was convicted in 2024 of violating the law by purchasing a gun despite having a known drug addiction.) Hunter Biden trial recap Joe Biden's son guilty on all charges in historic gun case Hemani's lawyers argue that the government's interpretation of the law makes no sense when an estimated 19% of Americans have used marijuana and about 32% own a firearm. That means millions of Americans are violating the law that could put them behind bars for up to 15 years, they said in a filing. The appeals court, Hemani's lawyers said, correctly applied the Supreme Court's past decisions and 'common sense' to rule that 'history and tradition only supports a ban on carrying firearms while intoxicated.' In addition to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, two other appeals courts have issued rulings that restrict use of the federal ban: both courts ruled there should be individualized assessments of defendants' drug use to determine if their rights could be restricted. Trump administration touts program to restore gun rights The Justice Department argues that 'marginal' cases are better addressed on a case-by-case basis, through a federal program the Trump administration restarted that lets individuals petition to have their gun rights restored. The administration's championship of that program makes it less surprising that the Justice Department is vigorously defending the ban on drug users having guns, said Andrew Willinger, executive director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law, a research center. In addition, the administration has shown a broad desire to crack down on illegal drug use. 'In some sense, when those two areas are colliding – gun rights and anti-drug policies – it looks like anti-drug policies are going to win out,' he said. More: Supreme Court rules Mexico can't sue US gunmakers over cartel violence Willinger said there's a relatively strong chance the Supreme Court will get involved, which the justices tend to do when a lower court strikes down or restricts the application of a federal criminal law – especially if the government asks them to intervene. But the high court could also wait to see how other appeals courts handle similar cases and how well the Justice Department's program for restoring gun rights addresses these concerns, he said. The court could announce whether it will take up the issue this fall.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Ex-coach at top Iowa gymnastics academy arrested on child pornography charges years after he was first accused of sexual abuse
An ex-coach at a renowned Iowa youth gymnastics academy known for producing top Olympians was arrested for having a trove of child pornography years after he was accused of sexually assaulting multiple young athletes. Sean Gardner, 38, was busted by the FBI for producing child pornography materials after authorities raided his home, finding hundreds of images of children, following an investigation into inappropriate contact with gymnasts at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines. It's believed Gardner 'primarily targeted children' at the gyms in Iowa, Mississippi, and one in Louisiana, where he worked for 10 years until 2014, the FBI told the Associated Press Tuesday. 4 Sean Gardner's mugshot was taken on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. AP Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute previously trained Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas to Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012. Investigators had been on the alleged creep gymnast coach's trail for years. The West Des Moines Police began investigating Gardner in March 2022 after an Iowa gymnast reported his conduct at Chow's to the US Center for SafeSport, which oversees sex-abuse cases in Olympic sports. The gymnast — a minor at the time — claimed Gardner would rub his hands in inappropriate places while helping young female gymnasts practice routines, would ask them personal questions like if they were sexually active, and used sexually degrading language towards them, calling them names like 'idiots, sluts, and whores,' the Associated Press reported. In July 2022, four months after the gymnast's report, the SafeSport database shows Gardner was suspended for 'allegations of misconduct.' 4 Gardner was busted by the FBI for producing child pornography materials after authorities raided his home following an investigation into inappropriate contact with gymnasts at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines. AP Gardner was suspended from Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute following SafeSport's suspension. The victim chose not to prosecute, pausing the investigation until a second gymnast came forward with new allegations in April 2024. The second victim claimed that she started taking lessons from Gardner when she was 11 or 12 years old in 2019 and viewed him as a 'father figure.' She claimed Gardner had repeatedly touched her inappropriately during exercises, made her perform inappropriate stretches, which he recorded on his phone, and discussed his sex life with her. About 16 months after reporting his alleged disturbing behavior, the West Des Moines Police Department obtained a warrant to search Gardner's home. Law enforcement seized several electronic devices from Gardner's home in May 2024, finding hundreds of videos and images of girls, ages 6 to 14, nude, changing, or using the bathroom—believed to have been filmed on a hidden camera at Jump'In Gymnastics in Purvis, Mississippi, between 2017 and 2018, according to court documents obtained by the Associated Press. Handwritten notes between Gardner and his former students were also found in the search. 4 Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute previously trained Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas to Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012. AP Athletes in Motion, the Louisiana gym where Gardner worked from 2004 to 2014, was notified of the allegations and is cooperating with investigators. Following his suspension, Gardner landed a job as a surgical technologist at MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center in Des Moines in May 2024. Hospital spokesperson Todd Mizener stated that Gardner is no longer employed there. 4 A mugshot from Gardner's arrest for a drunken driving offense in 2021. AP Gardner is being detained at the Polk County Jail and made his initial court appearance in Des Moines on Friday on a charge of producing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He is expected to be transported to Mississippi to face the charge there, the US Marshals Service told the Associated Press. The FBI is also seeking to identify any other potential victims. Gardner faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty. with Post wires
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
White House sending social media teams with FBI on some arrests in D.C., sources say
By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House has dispatched social media teams alongside FBI agents executing arrest warrants in the nation's capital to generate videos that promote U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on crime in the District of Columbia, according to two people briefed on the matter. The highly unusual arrangement runs afoul of longstanding Justice Department norms which seek to insulate criminal investigations from political influence. It could hamstring prosecutors' ability to try their cases by generating pre-trial publicity and raise constitutional questions about suspects' rights to privacy in cases involving arrests carried out in non-public areas, legal experts say. The White House has been playing an outsized role in the FBI's operations since Trump announced on August 11 that he was initiating a federal takeover of the District of Columbia's police department and calling in the National Guard to help patrol the streets. Critics have decried his actions as an authoritarian-like abuse of power. The White House posted a highly produced promotional video on its X account on Thursday documenting the arrest of Sean Charles Dunn, a now-former Department of Justice employee who is facing an assault charge after he hurled a Subway sandwich at a federal agent. In the video, armed agents can be seen storming Dunn's apartment and putting him in handcuffs. The video was taken by a social media team sent by the White House, one of the sources said, speaking anonymously to discuss personnel matters. According to X, it has received 2.4 million views. The social media team that filmed Dunn's arrest remained embedded with the same FBI squad throughout the evening, the source said. Reuters could not determine whether the people who produced the video are White House employees, nor could it determine on how many occasions the White House has sent people to film arrests since the operation began. The White House declined to answer those questions. "This is not a standard law enforcement posture because this is action directed by the president deeming what is necessary and appropriate under the law. Of course the White House is involved in highlighting our hugely successful efforts to stop violent crime in Washington, DC," a White House official said. "As the most transparent administration in history, we will continue sharing these efforts with the press and the American people," the official added. Spokespeople for the FBI declined to comment. Dunn's attorney Sabrina Shroff declined comment about the White House's role in filming the arrest, which took place just outside the doorway of Dunn's residence inside what appears to be an apartment-style building. "These are political media influencers who are there for a sole purpose, which is to document things in a light most favorable to a political agenda," said defense attorney Bradley Moss. "It has nothing to do with law and order." CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS The White House has also stationed employees inside the FBI's command post overseeing the federal operation who are tasked with reporting back with arrest numbers, the two sources said. A social media post from the Drug Enforcement Administration on Saturday featured Stephen Miller and White House Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Tony Salisbury appearing at the command post alongside Justice Department officials. In recent days, the FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department have referred media inquiries about arrests involving federal agents to the White House. Legal experts said embedding social media teams who are not employed by law enforcement agencies to film arrests could in some instances run afoul of people's Fourth Amendment right to privacy during the execution of a criminal warrant. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that deputy federal marshals and local sheriffs seeking publicity for their actions violated a suspect's constitutional rights when they invited members of the media to witness an arrest inside the person's home. "It's just kind of an outrageous tactic for promotional purposes, but it does cross the line in terms of constitutional and ethical conduct by police," said Bennett Gershman, a former New York state prosecutor who teaches at Pace University School of Law. The FBI has sometimes allowed the media to do ride-alongs, generally for recruitment purposes, said James Davidson, a former FBI agent who has since formed the nonprofit The FBI Integrity Project, which aims to safeguard the bureau from undue political influence. Both Davidson and Stacey Young, a former Justice Department lawyer who founded the group Justice Connection to advocate for current and former DOJ employees, expressed concerns that filming arrests could undermine confidence in the FBI. 'It erodes the FBI's integrity and the perception of impartiality, which are required for the bureau to maintain any credibility," Young said.
