Cops Corner

April 14
Project pause
6:37 p.m. — 500 block of Reclinata Drive. Code Enforcement. A construction crew was told a noise ordinance prohibits them from finishing a pool-paving project in the evening.

April 15
Identity crisis
7:13 a.m. — 4400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive (GMD). Traffic Violation. Police pulled over a woman for tailgating a white van. When she could only produce a Honduran identification card, she was told she could not drive without a license and was issued a citation.

Fire starter
5:06 p.m. — 700 block of Longboat Court. Code Enforcement. Police responded to a report of fire in the neighborhood. Police found a man burning some lawn debris in a small firepit. The man was informed of a town ordinance prohibiting fires on the island.

Water retention
6:21 p.m. — 10 block of Linley Street. Unsecured Boat. Police found a worn-out yellow boat taking on water that was tied to the town dock in the Village.

April 16
Wait for it …
7:56 a.m. — 4400 block of GMD. Noise Disturbance. A landscaping crew was advised they couldn’t cut lawns before 8 a.m.

Purses taken from car
7:24 p.m. — 3400 block of GMD. Vehicle Larceny. Two women reported that someone stole their purses from the passenger floorboard of their car while they were sunbathing on the beach.

Missed deadline
6:57 p.m. — 500 block of Ranger Lane. Code Enforcement. Landscape company employees told police they were unaware they couldn’t cut grass after 6 p.m.

April 17
Finders keepers
8 a.m. — 500 block of Spinnaker Lane. Found Property. A man told police he found a bicycle sitting in his driveway about a week ago and he turned it over to police. The man told police he would like to have it back if no one claimed it at the police station.

Victim falls for scam
10:41 a.m. — 5400 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman told police she had received numerous scam letters from a company in Las Vegas claiming that she won prize money, but needed to send in a $20 check for the prize-claiming processing fees. She told police she had sent about $200 to the company before realizing it was a scam.

Lane violation
12:27 p.m. — 3100 block of GMD. Reckless Driving. A bicyclist told police that a trolley driver was occupying both the driving lane and the bicycle lane on Gulf of Mexico Drive, forcing him off the road. Police flagged down a trolley driver, who told police that several trolleys take the Longboat Key route daily. Police asked the driver to warn his fellow drivers to stay out of the bicycle lane.

Feel the burn
2:26 p.m. — 2100 block of GMD. Larceny. Two men were arrested for stealing heartburn medication at a drug store and trying to return it at a grocery store. The Longboat Key Publix store manager positively identified the suspects and the men were taken to the Sarasota Jail.

April 18
Pawning it off
12:28 p.m. — 700 block of Lands End Drive. Larceny. A woman reported that she believed two men who were spraying her lawn with fertilizer stole her red kayak and paddle valued at $1,100. Police located the men in Bradenton and saw shell tracks in the driveway where the kayak had once been. It was discovered they sold the kayak to a pawnshop for $200. Both men claimed the other one stole the kayak and they were both taken to jail.

April 19
Pay day
9:11 a.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Road. Battery. A man reported a homeowner pushed him twice after they got into an argument about how much money he was due for performing electrical work. The electrician left after getting paid. The homeowner denied pushing the man and told police he disputed the bill because only one man showed up to do the work but he wanted to be paid $35 an hour for two separate jobs.

Inside job
11:24 a.m. — 500 block of Ranger Lane. Larceny. A woman reported that she believes renters stole a $700 mink hat, an $800 fox boa, a $100 ski cap, a $100 hood-and-neck warmer and $200 worth of black scarves from a locked closet inside her home. The locks were removed from two closets in the home.

April 20
Witness catches thief in the act
6:09 p.m. – 3400 block of GMD. Vehicle Larceny. A witness told police he saw a man with a goatee smash two car windows and flee the scene. Police found the man in a red car and confirmed that he had a stolen $700 laptop computer with him.