Cops Corner 02.25.10

Feb. 15
Teed off
9:47 a.m. — 4200 block of Central Sarasota Parkway. Grand Theft. Someone used a maintenance worker’s golf cart to steal more than $1,500 worth of tools out of a work shed at a condominium complex. The cart was found 100 yards away from the shed, near the tree
line.

Feb. 15
Slow-speed chase
3:52 p.m. — 4700 Lark Ridge Court. Civil Disturbance. The complainant sold a man a riding lawnmower. The man stopped making payments on the lawnmower. The complainant asked the sheriff’s office for help, and deputies discovered that the man hadn’t lived at his listed address since October. If he fled on the lawnmower, he may have only gotten as far as Tampa in those four months.

Mirror, mirror
7:15 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Petit Theft. A man who went into a mall to shop returned to his car about an hour later and discovered someone had swiped something off his car. The person had stolen the glass from the exterior passenger-side mirror. There was no damage to the car and no broken glass on the ground. Police were able to collect some
fingerprints.

Feb. 16
Self-serve
11:23 a.m. — 500 block of South Orange Avenue. Petit Theft. A man walked into a business that provides goods and services to the poor, and he asked for a pair of shoes and some money. An employee told him he could not provide money, but he would get him some shoes. As the employee went into the back room, the man grabbed a donation jar and ran out the door. The jar was filled with about $5 in coins.

Honk if you’re … angry
2:52 p.m. — 300 block of Orange Avenue. Criminal Mischief. A caller reported that when he beeped his horn at another driver, that driver threw something through the caller’s car window, shattering the glass. Police weren’t able to locate the driver.

Thieves have interesting taste
3:52 p.m. — 8400 block of South Tamiami Trail. Grand Theft. Two 20-something men were spotted inside a discount store placing DVDs in their clothing. They walked up to the cash register and bought one small item. They walked out the door without paying for the DVDs. Among the DVDs, they stole: Gary Unmarried, Season One; Planet Earth box set; and Army Wives, Season Three.

It’s not on the house
6:48 p.m. — 1000 block of Boulevard of the Arts. Defrauding an Innkeeper. A 72-year-old woman spent two nights at a hotel and racked up charges for several in-room movies and room-service meals. When she tried to check out, several attempts to pay the $665 bill were unsuccessful. She tried credit cards and a personal check, but all were declined. The woman was arrested. Interestingly, her listed home address is just about a block away from the hotel.

Odd couple
10:26 p.m. — 4000 block of Casey Key Road. Criminal Mischief. A homeless man, who is somehow connected to a young North Casey Key man, is accused of damaging the Casey Key man’s truck. The Casey Key man apparently was supposed to give the homeless man an iPod. When he didn’t, the homeless man damaged a minor piece of the truck. The victim did not want to press charges, because he feared the homeless man might retaliate.