Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman is proud to announce the promotion of four sheriff's deputies in a Monday ceremony. Prior to his promotion, Sergeant Christian Murphy served as a patrol deputy at the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) since 2014. During that time, he became a field training deputy before transferring to the Homeless Outreach Team. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the University of South Florida. Deputy Erica Howell was promoted to sergeant following her years of service in the agency's Mounted Patrol Unit and Special Investigations Section and having served as a field training deputy. She attended Keiser University, receiving her Associate of Arts in Criminology and law enforcement certificate from the Sarasota County Technical Institute. Sergeant Diana Darby was promoted to lieutenant, having served the agency in various assignments since she was hired in 2005. Through her many years of service, she has served as a field training deputy, school resource deputy, negotiator with the agency’s Hostage Negotiations Team and as supervisor in both patrol and investigations before assuming the role of sergeant with Internal Affairs. Sergeant Mariah Piper was promoted to the rank of lieutenant after serving the past 17 years in various agency roles. Hired by SCSO in 2006 as a patrol deputy, she had previously spent four years at the St. Petersburg Police Department.