Cops Corner 02.04.10

Jan. 25
Janitor in a mess
12:01 p.m. — 500 block of South Washington Boulevard. Forgery. A bank manager called police, because she suspected a man was trying to cash a forged check. The check, written for $998, came from a downtown restaurant. The manager called the restaurant owner, who said he did not write the check and was not missing a blank check. The suspect told police he got the check for performing janitorial duties at a place he couldn’t remember, paid by a person he couldn’t identify.

He has a whittle problem
2 p.m. — 2700 block of Nancy Street. Petit Theft. A man who carves walking sticks from tree branches said a stick he was working on was stolen from his carport. The man set it down to walk to the store. When he returned, he saw it was missing and then noticed a neighbor walking with it. An officer tried to question the neighbor, but was “met with instant hostility.”

Nice to meat you
10 p.m. — 1500 block of Siesta Drive. Burglary. A man said a thief stole several items from his backyard and that during the robbery the burglar overturned a standup freezer filled with $2,000 worth of meat. The meat was spoiled, because the freezer became unplugged. Also stolen from the yard were a scooter, lawnmower, propane tanks and a fishing rod and tackle.

Jan. 26
Pickup problem
4:16 p.m. — 5200 block of Bliss Road. Criminal Mischief. A homeowner who lives near a school said cars line up outside her home every day for student pickup. A witness saw a woman in an SUV back up and knock down the homeowner’s mailbox. The woman got out of her SUV, looked at the damage, realized people were watching her, then ran back to the car and sped away.

Call waiting
8:45 p.m. — 1700 block of South Tamiami Trail. Theft. Six months ago, a woman’s cell phone disappeared from a desk at her work. Just recently, the woman noticed a co-worker carrying a similar cell phone. She had a friend check the serial number of the co-worker’s phone. It was the same as her stolen phone. The victim reported the incident to her company’s security and human resources department.

Heist movie
9:30 p.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Petit Theft. A woman was sitting in a movie theater enjoying a show, but when the lights came back on, she noticed her purse was missing. She said the theater was dark and didn’t see anyone take it.

Silent movie
1 a.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Disorderly Conduct. Inside the same theater, a man was making some noise during a movie. When other patrons asked him to be quiet, he exploded, shouting obscenities and yelling that he was a veteran. He started reaching for his waistband, so some moviegoers feared he was reaching for a weapon. They subdued him and held him for police. Officers said he smelled of alcohol and was slurring his speech.