MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The just-completed year of 2023 witnessed a significant increase in youth crime in Manatee County.

In the past week, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office faced two events involving teens and guns. On Friday, a 17-year-old was shot by a deputy after allegedly attempting to break into cars and firing at deputies. In another incident over the weekend, the Sheriff’s Office reported a teen pointing a gun at a security officer after breaking into a home.

According to the Manatee County State Attorney’s Office, there has been a 42% increase in grand theft auto and a 62% increase in car break-ins involving juveniles. One organization has observed the uptick in youth crime and is actively working to assist kids in the neighborhood.

Keenan Wooten is doing his part to decrease those numbers. He makes it his mission to guide kids on the right path through his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi.

“Oh, I love our Kappa League program. They look forward to me,” he said. For the past 18 years, he has been the Guide Right Director, overseeing the fraternity's youth development program, aiding boys in grades 6-12.

“One thing we provide is mentorship, self-identity training, competition, social and health education,” he said.

Recently, he has noticed an increase in youth crime, linking it to single-parent homes, fatherless households, lack of supervision, and influences from media, movies, music, and social media, which might drive someone to rob or steal a car.

To ease this issue, Wooten works with kids in team-building events focusing on behavior and confidence building. It has proven to help kids, and they’ve been awarded for their efforts, hoping to continue making a difference.

“Mentorship through achievement. We pride ourselves on mentoring self-identity, health education, college, and career to help our kids become productive, gainfully employed citizens,” he said.

He is making a difference in his community, creating new outlets to help kids. “That’s what I tell my students: do not waste time; these are critical years that will set you up for when you get older,” he said.

In an effort to further help kids, the fraternity invites police officers from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to spend a day with the boys.