Cops Corner

May 3
Did anyone look under the mattress?
9 p.m. — 7400 block of South Tamiami Trail. Burglary. When he arrived at work, a mattress-store employee noticed $520 missing from a desk drawer. He asked another employee about it, and the second employee said he forgot to lock the back door when he left for the day. He told the first employee he would pay back the missing money. Detectives don’t know if a stranger walked in through the back door and stole the money or if employee No. 2 took it. There was no surveillance camera, and no fingerprints could be lifted from the door.

May 4
Next time, steal American
9 p.m. — 7300 block of South Tamiami Trail. Grand Theft. A thief struck a car dealership, stealing one rim and one tire from four different Honda vehicles that were parked next to each other.

Drinks are on me
4:40 p.m. — 6500 block of Gateway Avenue. Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card. A bar customer gave his credit card to the bartender to hold for his bar tab. A few days later, the man realized he did not have his credit card, and he couldn’t remember if his card was returned before he left the bar. He called the credit-card company and discovered that someone else had used the card to pay a $72 bar tab. Bottoms up.

SUI — Shopping under the influence
9:24 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Shoplifting. A department-store security guard watched a man walk into a dressing room carrying a pink shirt and jeans. He walked out carrying the jeans, but wearing the pink shirt. The man paid for the jeans, but did not pay for the shirt. The man told police he simply forgot to pay for the shirt. An officer noticed the man was intoxicated. The man had enough money in his pocket to pay for the shirt, and the officer believed that he intended to, but was so drunk that he did forget.

Go away. Nobody’s home.
10:32 p.m.— 600 block of Tropical Circle. Suspicious Person. A homeowner reported someone was ringing their doorbell and using a flashlight to look inside their front-door windows.

May 5
You got served
10:39 a.m. — 3200 block of Fruitville Road. Harassing Phone Calls. The owner of a process-serving company reported a woman called and threatened her. The owner said the woman was angry because the company had served her with a complaint. She wanted to report the incident “just in case something happens.”

Always be prepared
12:32 p.m. — 5100 block of Far Oak Circle. Vehicle Burglary. A woman reported someone entered her car and stole two $300 gold-and-pearl necklaces and an iPod. She told a deputy that she left her doors unlocked.

I’m no rat
4 p.m. — 8200 block of South Tamiami Trail. Petit Theft. Two women each tried to steal more than $200 worth of clothes from a department store. A security guard caught them just outside the exit. One woman admitted to the theft and returned the clothes. But the other one caused a scene and tried to walk away. When the guard tried to detain her, she broke free and ran away, dropping the stolen clothes and her cell phone. The cooperative woman was afraid to rat on her friend. And deputies unsuccessfully tried to use the cell phone to determine the woman’s identity. A surveillance tape will be reviewed to try to solve the case.

Anchors aweigh, purses away
6:22 p.m. — 9300 block of Midnight Pass Road. Vehicle Burglary. A woman and her husband were boating and decided to park their boat at a boat ramp and take a walk on shore. When they returned, they noticed the woman’s purse was missing. The couple said they didn’t see anyone in the area.

May 6
Time for a personal prohibition
12.59 a.m. — 5100 block of Ocean Boulevard. A bouncer was escorting a drunk woman out of a bar. She became irate and refused to leave. As the bouncer led her to the front door, she began to fight him and slapped him in the face. The bouncer did not want to press charges.