Cops Corner 10.15.09

The following information was gathered from incident and arrest reports obtained from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

HERITAGE HARBOUR
 Oct. 1
6:30 p.m. — 800 block of Fairway Cove Lane. Criminal mischief. The complainant reported while he was in his girlfriend’s apartment, unknown person(s) slashed two tires on his pickup. The cost to replace the tires is about $500. The complainant stated his estranged wife may be a person of interest because of ongoing divorce proceedings.

LAKEWOOD RANCH
 Sept. 28
10:38 a.m. — 5500 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. (Lakewood Ranch High). Petit theft. Unknown subject(s) stole the victim’s wallet from her backpack while it was in the concession area of the gym. The subject(s) then fled in an unknown direction. There is no surveillance equipment in the gym, so the victim was advised to cancel her Discover card.

Oct. 1
7:30 a.m. — 5500 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. (Lakewood Ranch High). Criminal mischief. Unknown subject(s) keyed the driver’s side of the victim’s vehicle with a sharp unknown object while it was parked at the school. The estimated damage to the vehicle is $400.

Oct. 3
12:50 a.m. — 11002 S.R. 64 E. (Hess). Petit theft. The suspect entered the gas station and was caught on camera stealing what appeared to be two cans of beer by putting the beer in his two front pockets and walking out of the store. The value of the beer is about $3. The complainant stated he and his co-worker were standing outside smoking a cigarette when the suspect and a friend drove up in a black Dodge pickup. The complainant stated he and his co-worker remained outside as the suspect went inside to use the bathroom and then a short while later walked out of the store. The suspect got into the truck with his friend and drove off.

4:01 p.m. — 8300 Market St. (Publix). Petit theft. A white female reportedly pushed a shopping cart filled with groceries past all of the registers and out to a blue Dodge truck. The suspect started to quickly unload the cart. When the complainant approached the suspect, she took off, leaving the cart half full. The complainant gave a description of the suspect, who was caught on video inside the store, and was able to get the truck’s tag number as she drove off.

RIVER CLUB
 Oct. 2
11:03 a.m. — 10000 block of Clubhouse Drive. Attempted burglary. Two unknown males rang the victim’s front door bell several times. The victim looked out and didn’t know the males, so she didn’t open the door. The victim looked out her son’s bedroom window and saw a white pickup in her driveway. When the victim went to the kitchen, she saw the two males at her bedroom door in the pool area. The suspects had an orange tool they used to try and pry open the sliding glass door. The victim called 911 and yelled at the suspects, who then fled the area. The victim stated one of the suspects was white and the other was possibly Latino.

Oct. 4
12:15 p.m. — 9800 block of Royal Lytham Avenue. Vehicle burglary. After returning from a party earlier this morning, the victim checked her vehicle and discovered that her purse and two cameras had been stolen. There were no signs of forced entry.

OTHER
 Oct. 1
12:30 p.m. — 3515 Morgan Johnson Road (Bashaw Elementary). Battery. The victim and his juvenile student were involved in a verbal altercation, which turned physical when the juvenile began to repeatedly punch the victim in the stomach. The victim declined medical attention, and there were no visible signs of injury. The juvenile’s parents were notified and responded.

Reported Oct. 1
4:35 p.m. — 100 block of Upper Manatee River Road. Vehicle burglary. Unknown person(s) reportedly stole tools from his vehicle. The total value of the stolen tools is $1,301. The complainant stated he believes his fiancee’s friend may have committed the crime.

SAFETY FIRST
Have you ever walked to your car and felt like someone is watching you? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night by something you heard? Have you ever been the victim of a crime in one of these situations? And finally, do you have a vehicle that has a keyless remote? 

If you have a keyless remote for your vehicle, then you have your own personal alarm system. Have your keys in your hand when walking to or from your vehicle. Also, put your keys next to you when you are in bed. If someone approaches you in a parking lot or tries to break into your home, all you have to do is hit the alarm on your keyless remote to bring attention to yourself. In most cases, the suspect will run away because he or she doesn’t want to be seen. If not, it will at least bring attention to you and get eyes turned in your direction, which should result in someone coming to your aid. 

So, if you have it, go ahead and use it. It’s just one more tool you can use to protect yourself from becoming the victim of a crime.