Cops Corner

Oct. 20
Barge in
9:59 a.m. — 600 block of Yardarm Lane. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman reported that a work barge has been tied up to a new seawall surrounding the vacant lot next to her house. Police discovered the construction company that built the seawall owned the barge.

Oct. 22
Lunch crowd
1:34 p.m. — 500 block of St. Judes Drive. Fire. A construction worker accidentally severed a natural-gas line in the parking lot of a restaurant, which forced the restaurant owner to evacuate his restaurant and surrounding businesses as a precautionary measure.

Bored takeover
2:02 p.m. — 400 block of GMD. Vandalism. A handy man reported that someone broke into a couple’s home while they were out of town and used a level to repeatedly damage newly installed wood laminate flooring, causing $100 in damage and labor costs. The handy man told police the owners suspect that the old condominium board president, who had recently been voted off the board, was the culprit.

Oct. 23
Night lights
9:37 p.m. — St. Armands Circle. Traffic Violation. Police used a combination of lights, siren and air horn to get the attention of a 72-year-old driver who would not dim her bright lights. When none of those measures got her attention, the police officer finally got the woman to stop on St. Armands Circle by shining his spotlight in her window while she was stopped at a stop sign. The woman told police she had not seen the officer until he shined the light on her and told him she was on her way home from Temple Beth Israel. When she explained that she needed to use bright lights often in the dark, he issued her a citation and explained that her driving issues warranted a driver test.

If you can’t say anything nice …
10:35 p.m. — 4000 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. When two males and a woman jogged by a man, the man yelled out, “Nice light on your butt,” referring to the safety light hanging off the back of her shorts. The man was warned about making illicit comments.

Oct. 24
I spy
12:01 p.m. — 3600 block of Bayou Circle. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman told police that she believes someone has wired her house to spy on her because the screws in her electrical plates had been moved and she can hear an echo in the house when she claps. Police told her to call back if she noticed anything else suspicious.

Fishing around
12:39 a.m. — 3800 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. A woman reported a suspicious looking man wearing large rubber boots and carrying a bucket walking through her complex.

Led astray
2:56 a.m. — 400 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. Police found a drunken man walking along the street. He told police he had been at a wedding party earlier in the evening and was attempting to find his way back to his Lido Key hotel by using his navigational system on his cell phone. But because he was walking in the opposite direction, police called the man a cab.

Oct. 25
Party foul
1:31 a.m. — 4000 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. Two men and a woman were observed sitting outside a convenience store with an 18-pack of Budweiser. The three explained that they had walked over from a nearby hotel. Police told them they could take the beer back to the hotel, where their grandfather’s 75th birthday party had taken place.

Noise complaint
8:02 p.m. — 600 block of Buttonwood Drive. Reckless Driving. Police found a car that reportedly kept spinning its tires on Gulf of Mexico Drive and issued the driver a ticket after he admitted to “squealing the tires a little bit.”

Oct. 26
Not for rent
10:30 p.m. — 600 block of Broadway. Larceny. A woman reported that someone stole approximately $500 worth of white wicker porch furniture and a $100 pelican wood carving from the front porch of a rental property she owns.

Down the tubes
1:02 p.m. — 200 block of Sands Point Road. Lost Property. A woman reported that her one-and-a-half carat diamond engagement ring that she left in a see-through mesh toiletry bag in her hotel bathroom was missing. The housekeeper was the only other person who had access to the room.

Oct. 27
Close call
2:09 p.m. — 3600 block of Fair Oaks Lane. Injury. Police and firefighters helped a couple out of their home that was suffering from carbon dioxide poisoning. Police discovered the couple left the car in their garage running by mistake overnight, which allowed the air conditioner to circulate the car’s emissions throughout the house.

Wigged out
4:01 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway. Larceny. The manager of a drugstore reported that a man who is particular about his hair came into his store three times and stole 46 bottles of various hair-care products. The manager reported that he had a shopping list in his hands and must have been wearing pantyhose to keep the heavy bottles secure in his pants. It was also reported the same individual had also stolen similar items at a drug store in Sarasota.

Fire and rain
7:33 p.m. — 2800 block of Harbourside Drive. Fire. A woman reported a fire coming from an electrical box that was attached to a boat dock. The fire was extinguished before police got to the scene, and it was determined that water from a rainstorm got into the electrical box.