Cops Corner 3.11.10

March 1
The great java heist
2:57 p.m. — 1200 block of South Tamiami Trail. Trespassing. Two women walked into a coffee shop and tried to steal bags of coffee and a canned drink. One woman told an employee she wanted to exchange two bags of regular coffee for two bags of decaf. While the employee was doing that, the woman grabbed a canned drink and placed it on the floor. When she got her bags of decaf, she reached down and put the drink in her bag. The other woman then began causing a scene at the counter. As she did so, the first woman walked past a store display and grabbed two more bags of coffee. An employee saw her and stopped her. The manager said he only wanted the stolen items returned and to issue the women a trespassing warning.

March 2
Guest busters
11:30 a.m. — 1800 block of Casey Key Road. Burglary. A homeowner said someone broke into her detached guest home and stole a flat-screen TV. Deputies were able to find a fingerprint on a sliding-glass door.

Paper trail
1:03 p.m. — 1200 block of First Street. Civil Problem. A caterer was fired from a restaurant, but instead of leaving peacefully, she took all the files for the restaurant’s upcoming events. A restaurant employee told police those were critical papers and that they belonged to the restaurant, but the fired worker refused to return them.

Keep close watch
2:10 p.m. — 8300 block of Potter Park Drive. Grand Theft. A man was changing his clothes in the gym locker room when he briefly turned his attention away from his duffel bag. In that amount of time, someone swiped his gold Rolex watch from a side pocket. There are no suspects.

Logged down
7:10 p.m. — 3400 block of Clark Drive. Suspicious Incident. A caller reported that someone put several large logs in the middle of the road. It’s believed the suspect did it to stop passing drivers to try to rob them.

Senior discount
7:32 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Shoplifting. A Longboat Key resident was caught on a department-store surveillance tape stuffing items of clothing and accessories into her bag. Store security found her with about $550 worth of merchandise.