Crime Report: Naples and Marco Island

A roundup of recent arrests, investigations and policing news from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Marco Island Police Department.

Naples / Collier County

Naples man accused of threatening to kill deputy during DUI stop. Deputies responded to reports of a reckless driver near Airport Road and Pine Ridge Road and found 69-year-old Joseph Straface parked at a nearby Publix. According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Straface had rolled through stop signs, accelerated into oncoming traffic and drifted over lane markings before being stopped. He refused field sobriety exercises, asked to be taken directly to jail, and then threatened to kill the deputy and the deputy’s family during the drive to the Naples Jail Center. He faces charges of DUI, refusal to submit to testing, and threatening to kill a law enforcement officer.

Naples man charged with dozens of felonies in child exploitation case. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office arrested Andy Nathan White after detectives executed a search warrant at his Naples home. The investigation began with multiple cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reporting the possession and transmission of child sexual abuse material. Detectives said they recovered video files depicting child sexual abuse and bestiality content that had been uploaded through a mobile cloud platform linked to White. He was charged with 50 counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of possession of images depicting bestiality; because of the volume and severity of the material, the charges were enhanced to second-degree felonies under Florida law.

Immokalee double-homicide suspect arrested within hours. Deputies were called to a home in Immokalee after two women were found dead. The Sheriff’s Office identified 25-year-old Lorenzo Coleman, who was known to both victims, as the suspect after he fled the scene in a white Dodge Challenger. CCSO’s aviation unit and Real-Time Operations Center tracked the vehicle, and Coleman was taken into custody within hours of the discovery. He faces two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm, one count of child abuse and one count of grand theft auto.

Marco Island

City Council backs away from replacing Marco Island police with the Sheriff’s Office. In a reversal that closes out months of debate, the Marco Island City Council voted unanimously on July 20 to keep the city’s own police department rather than shift law enforcement to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. The idea first surfaced during budget talks over potential property-tax changes: on June 1, the council voted 4-3 to have staff study the cost, logistics and operational impact of a switch. Word of a formal request for information sent to the Sheriff’s Office sparked public concern that the city intended to eliminate its police department outright, and all seven council members ultimately voted to keep MIPD in place.

Police seek public’s help identifying suspects in home burglary. Marco Island police are asking for tips after two people broke into a home in the area of the 400 block of Capri Court and the 1600 block of Winterberry Drive. Investigators have not publicly identified the suspects and are asking anyone with information to come forward. Residents can reach MIPD’s non-emergency line at (239) 389-5050.

Investigation leads to juvenile arrests in armed burglary case. In late May, a Marco Island Police Department investigation led to the arrest of juvenile suspects connected to an armed burglary on the island. Limited details have been released publicly given the suspects’ ages; the department has not indicated the case remains open.

Residents in Collier County, including Marco Island, can report suspicious activity to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-252-9300 (non-emergency) or the Marco Island Police Department at 239-389-5050. Always call 911 for an emergency in progress.