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Manatee Clerks’ Office honors 2 former employees
Two former Manatee County court employees will be honored at the Manatee County Courthouse with Jazmin's Nook and the Erin Craft Center to help inspire other domestic violence victims to share their truths and seek help. FOX 13’s Mariah Harrison reports.
BRADENTON, Fla. - Domestic violence and intimate partner violence touch millions of lives every year. For the Manatee County Courthouse, the issue is deeply personal.
Two former employees —Jazmin Catano and Erin Craft Jones — lost their lives to domestic violence, and now their names will remain permanently honored within the courthouse where they once worked.
The backstory:
Erin Craft Jones began working at the courthouse in 2006, dedicating more than a decade of service in the traffic and court services division. After moving to Alabama in 2022, she was killed by a former partner.
Jazmin Catano joined the courthouse in 2013, spending six months in the criminal division before her life was tragically cut short that same year when she was killed by an ex-boyfriend. Both women were mothers.
Spaces of hope inside the courthouse
This week, courthouse staff, advocates, friends, and family gathered for a ceremony to unveil two new spaces: Jazmin’s Nook and the Erin Craft Center.
These areas are designed to provide victims of domestic violence with a calm environment to seek help, resources, and hope for a safer future.
Family remembers their legacy
Dig deeper:
During the ceremony, loved ones reflected on how both women lived their lives helping others, "Erin found a purpose here. She found a calling to have a job that is meaningful and purposeful and help people, and to have her name here, it seems right," said Erin’s mother, Tiffany Tompkins.
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"She just loved to help people. Her biggest thing was she wanted to make sure that others were OK. Knowing her, I know this would be perfect for her," added Jazmin’s son, Sebastian Carvalho.
Resources for those seeking help
What's next:
Advocates stress that no one has to leave a dangerous relationship alone. Support is available locally and nationally:
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1-800-799-7233 or text "BEGIN" to 88788.
- The Spring of Tampa Bay: Call or text (813) 247-SAFE (7233).
- CASA Pinellas: 24-hour hotline at (727) 895-4912.
- SPARCC (Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center) in Sarasota: 24-hour hotline at 941-365-1976
If you are the victim of domestic violence, help is available. Call 1-800-799-7233.
The Source: FOX 13's Mariah Harrison gathered the information for this story.