Former Sarasota police officer Cory Waiters appeared in court Tuesday on battery and law enforcement database misuse charges.

Waiters, 38, was fired and arrested Aug. 19 after an internal investigation found he allegedly used the Flock license plate reader system and the Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID) for purposes unrelated to police work.

He also faces a separate battery charge tied to an alleged April incident involving a high school student, ABC7 Sarasota reported. Neither Waiters nor his attorney has publicly responded to the battery allegation, according to available records.

Details of Tuesday's hearing were limited. The specific motions filed and any rulings were not available as of publication.

Reporter's Records Request Flagged Suspicious Searches

The investigation began after USA Today reporter Jack Lemmus emailed the department Aug. 6 with findings from publicly available Flock Safety audit logs, WFLA reported. Lemmus had found about 335 queries tied to Waiters and a single vehicle between May 20 and July 17, 2025.

The vehicle was a 2025 Land Rover SUV. Waiters labeled every search as a "suspicious vehicle," according to an arrest warrant described by Your Observer. Investigators determined he was not working a criminal case involving that vehicle.

The department placed Waiters on paid leave Aug. 7 and launched an agencywide audit the same day. That audit, completed Aug. 14, found no other employees had misused the systems, according to Patch.

Waiters Faces Three Charges, $5,500 Bond Set

The Sarasota Police Department announced three charges the day of his arrest: felony offenses against users of computer systems and electronic devices, felony official misconduct and misdemeanor violation of public records law. Waiters had been with the department since 2023.

At his first court appearance Aug. 20, a judge set a combined $5,500 bond with low supervised pretrial release. Waiters' attorney argued against supervision, saying his client had no criminal history and was not a flight risk, according to SNN.

Chief Rex Troche said in the department's press release that the agency takes misconduct allegations seriously and will address them appropriately and without hesitation.

The battery charge stems from an alleged incident one week before Waiters' April arrest. It involves a high school student, but no further details were available.

All charges are allegations, and a probable cause affidavit is not a finding of guilt.