Cops Corner

Aug. 19

Work it out
5:08 p.m. — 500 block of Putting Green Lane. Larceny. A Sarasota landscaper was asked why he took two wheelbarrows full of shell and 11 bags of mulch from a Country Club Shore yard. The landscaper told police he received permission to take the items from the landscaper in charge of maintaining the home. But when it was verified that no one gave the man permission to take anything from the yard, the suspect promised to reimburse the homeowners or get the materials back to the yard as soon as possible.

Aug. 21

Mental block
2:01 p.m — 500 block of Bay Isles Road. Harassing Phone Call. A woman reported that someone who has her company’s grief line phone number was harassing several employees. The woman, police were told, would swear at the counselors. She has called more than 150 times in one night and cost the company $1,800 in fees because she also calls after 5 p.m., when the service is routed to a contracted counseling service in St. Louis. A police report was required to block the woman’s number from calling ever again.

Aug. 22

Yelling for a reason
3:12 a.m. — 600 block of Companion Way. Noise Disturbance. A man reported a lady yelling and making lots of noise. It was discovered the woman was yelling for her dog, which had gone missing.

Elusive etiquette
3:27 p.m. — Off the Key. Disturbance. A man reported that while he was operating his boat just east of Longboat Key, two men on another boat sped in front of him and began throwing beer cans and other trash at him while screaming. Police could not find the obnoxious litterers.

Aug. 23

Who’s stalking whom?
9:13 a.m. — 500 blocks of Bay Isles Parkway. Disturbance. A man reported that his former girlfriend followed him to Longboat Key, grabbed his shirt and took the sunglasses off his face while he was on his bread delivery route. The man was worried because his girlfriend issued a restraining order that doesn’t allow him to come within 500 feet of her. Police said he didn’t violate the order, because his girlfriend approached him.

Thief nabs expensive boat
11:58 a.m. — 6700 block of GMD. Boat Theft. A man called to report that his neighbor noticed someone had stolen his $251,000 boat from the boat slip behind his home while he was out of town. The boat also came equipped with a $15,349 electronics package.

Smash and grab
6:31 p.m. — Intersection of GMD and Broadway. Vehicle Burglary. A woman reported that someone smashed the left-side windows of her Lexus and stole her friend’s $120 purse that had several credit cards, a camera, a pendant and two gold bracelets. The jewelry stolen was worth a combined $500. Police looked for two men in a beige Buick that “looked like they were up to no good.”

Aug. 24

What flat tire?
2:26 a.m. — Off the Key. Assist Other Agency. Police observed a man driving 60 mph in a 35 mph zone on Anna Maria Island and received permission from Bradenton Beach police to pull him over after he ran a red light. The Sarasota man was issued tickets for not having a driver’s license, speeding, running a red light and driving on a rim that could cause damage to the highway.

Aug. 25

Sick raccoon found
10:11 a.m. — 600 block of Hibiscus Way. Animal. A sick raccoon was located and euthanized after it was found to be shaking and jerking in the corner of a boathouse.

No 911 help needed after all
12:47 p.m. — 4100 block of GMD. Abandoned 911 Call. Police responded to a 911 hang-up and found a couple in their home that reported nothing was wrong. Although the wife reported having phone trouble, the couple later said they were in the middle of “a disagreement.”

Smells like a scam …
1:47 p.m. — 1200 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman told police that an “island-sounding black man” had called and told her she won an expensive car and all she had to do was pay him $85 cash for a car delivery fee. When the woman said she “doesn’t deal with cash,” the woman said he became angry with her and threatened to kill her. Police told the woman she did the right thing and advised her to get caller ID so they could trace the scam phone calls.

Aug. 26

Dented garage door
2:10 p.m. — 600 block of Emerald Harbor Drive. Accident. A man reported that a minor dent in his garage door must have been cause by someone bumping the door with a car by accident.