SPD hosts charity cornhole tournament

The Sarasota Police Department partnered with HaoleNaut 941 Cornhole to hold a charity cornhole tournament Feb. 4 at University Town Center's The Green.

The relaxing ambiance fostered friendly competition as teammates tossed bean bags with a beer in hand. A total of 108 teams registered in two divisions to help The Sarasota Police Foundation raise a little over $6,000 for the Dederick family.

The tournament was in support of Officer Tim Dederick, whose wife, Crystal Dederick, died in a car accident on Dec. 30, 2022.

Sarasota’s first responders and community members came out and participated in the tournament with one thing in mind: supporting the Dederick family. 

The corn hole tournament held an emotional heaviness as the crowd stood still and listened to Dederick speak of his late wife.

“I came to Sarasota as a deputy of Escambia County and wanted to make a better life for our family,” said Dederick. “When we moved here one of the things that my wife has always said was how appreciative she was of our community.”

When asked what kind of woman, wife and mother she was, Dederick peered at the sky and said, “She was strong.”