SARASOTA, Fla. — The Sarasota Police Department (SPD) said a pet groomer at Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming pleaded no contest in a 2024 animal abuse case.
Police said 41-year-old Diana Stevens was arrested in March of 2024 on charges of aggravated animal abuse and animal cruelty.
SPD said Stevens pleaded no contest to five misdemeanor animal abuse charges on Aug. 27, 2025.
According to police, detectives were initially investigating Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, located at 1129 South Tamiami Trail, in 2024 for financial crimes when they uncovered a pattern of animal abuse by Stevens, the owner of the business.
Detectives reported that store employees said Stevens abused the animals when she groomed them, and customers also reported their pets behaved abnormally after being picked up from the business.
Police said detectives collected video evidence of the abuse, and said it appears to support the abuse allegations.
The report said Stevens received five years' probation, during which she cannot own, be in control of a dog, or groom animals for the length of probation.
Stevens must also complete 250 hours of community service, receive mental health counseling and complete an anger management course, per the report.
“We give people that opportunity to really learn those lessons from the holocaust, to hear from survivors, to be able to see physical evidence.”
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Casey Albritton visited the soon-to-be reopened Florida Holocaust Museum
