Cops Corner

Sept. 10
Last-ditch effort
7:53 p.m. — 3600 block of Emily Lane. Impaired Person. A deputy who responded to a call about a box truck that backed into a ditch found the driver standing in the middle of the road, throwing his belongings to the ground “for no apparent reason.” The deputy said the man was “mumbling something, but I couldn’t tell what he was saying. Something about that he knows the drill.”

After talking with the truck driver for a few minutes, it was obvious that he had been drinking. He was staggering, had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. Because nobody actually witnessed the man driving the truck, he could not be cited for drunk driving. He was sent to an alcohol-treatment facility instead.

Sept. 12
Now you see them, now you don’t
8:41 p.m. — 3500 block of Fruitville Road. Shoplifting. A man walked into a gas station and asked for a carton of Marlboro cigarettes. The clerk turned around, grabbed the box and placed them on the counter.

The man then asked for some cigars. The clerk again turned around to grab the cigars, and when he turned back to face the counter, he saw the man had grabbed the carton of cigarettes and run out the door. He jumped into a car and drove away.

Late-night snack
10:19 p.m. — 600 North Washington Boulevard. Petit Theft. A gas station clerk said a man walked into her store, grabbed a hot dog and an Arizona iced tea and began eating and drinking in the store. When the clerk confronted him about paying for the food, he told her he would provide a food stamp. She told him she didn’t accept food stamps, and he swore at her and ran out of the store. The clerk tried to catch him, but he scuffled with her and got away. Police caught the man while he was walking off the property. He did have a food stamp on him, but no money. The officer photographed the half-eaten hot dog as evidence.

Skinny dipping
1:26 a.m. — 1000 block of Boulevard of the Arts. Someone called police to report six people swimming in the community pool. Not a big problem in itself, but all six people were nude.

Sept. 13
Put it on my tab
12:38 a.m. — 5200 block of Ocean Boulevard. Two women skipped out on a restaurant bill of $61 for food and drinks. No one would have been able to find them, if one of the women hadn’t given the musician playing music at the restaurant her business card. A deputy called her, and she said she thought her friend paid the bill. The deputy said it appeared to be an honest mistake.

Gate keeper
12:25 p.m. — 1100 block of Ritz Carlton Drive. Petit Theft. A woman who left her car with a valet service said two remote controls were missing when she retrieved her car. One remote was for the gate to her community. The other was for her garage. She said she was sure the remotes were in the car the day before she used the valet service.