Cops Corner

April 29
Card shark
2 p.m. — 3400 block of Queens Street. Assault and Burglary. A 16-year-old boy was coveting another boy’s YuGiOh trading cards. He didn’t want to steal them himself. So he threatened a third boy with a knife if that boy didn’t break into the card owner’s home and steal the cards. Boy No. 3 did so, but he told an adult, who then called the sheriff’s office. When deputies questioned the 16-year-old, he admitted to the crime and turned in his knife.

May 1
Ring his neck
9 a.m. — 2300 block of Florinda Street. Grand Theft. A woman reported that a friend of her boyfriend was visiting, while she was gone for the day. The boyfriend also left, leaving his friend inside the home by himself for several hours. When the woman returned, she noticed that two rings were missing from her jewelry box. They are valued at $12,500. She and her boyfriend confronted the friend, but he denied taking the rings.

May 3
Two-for-one deal
2:20 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Theft. A department-store security guard watched two young men stroll through the store. All of a sudden, one of them pulled from his pocket a bag that had a label from a different department store. He then shoved several Polo shirts valued at $500 into the bag.
After leaving the first store they headed to the other department store and stole $350 worth of shirts there. Police identified the thieves from surveillance videos.

May 4
Cosmetic fix
1:10 p.m. — 1700 block of South Tamiami Trail. Reckless Driving. The complainant called police to report a woman swerving in the road. When he caught up to her at a stoplight, he saw why she was having trouble staying in her lane. She was staring in the rearview mirror while applying her makeup.

May 5
Tea for two
3:17 a.m. — 10 block of South Lime Avenue. Shoplifting. A man walked into a convenience store, grabbed two cans of Twisted Tea from the cooler and made his way toward the exit. The clerk asked him if he was going to pay for the cans. The man mumbled something and walked out the door. Apparently, he mumbled “no.” Police were unable to find him.