The Best of Cops Corner

May 12
Fast and furious
1:01 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway. Reckless Driving. A grocery-store employee told police that a man in his 70s pulled up next to him, waved a knife and told him he was driving too slowly.

May 24
Extended stay
9:51 a.m. — 700 block of Tarawitt Drive. Parking Violation. Police observed a 40-foot Bluebird Presidential motor home parked in a front yard. A business card was left on the windshield that advised the owner that an ordinance prohibits motor-home parking for an extended period of time.

June 17
Fruits of their labor
12:23 p.m. — 4600 block of GMD. Juvenile Acts. A man called to report he was the victim of a drive-by fruiting. While driving south on Gulf of Mexico Drive, he reported he heard something hit his passenger window and then saw a mango lying in the road while two juveniles ran away from the scene. Their parents promised it would not happen again.

June 21
Snake charmer
5:24 p.m. — 5600 block of GMD. Animal Rescue. Police noticed an unsteady bicyclist swerving into Gulf of Mexico Drive. Police discovered he was holding a snake in his hand while riding. Police stopped the bicyclist, took the 3-foot dead rat snake from him and promised to give it a proper burial.

July 15
Mysterious message
7:24 a.m. — 4800 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. A man told police that he believed someone entered his condominium while he was sleeping in his recliner with the television on and left a scrolling message on his laptop that read, “Ah, love the beach, you should turn off your TV. It wastes so much electricity.” An open screen door and smudges on a sliding-glass door were also noted.

July 31
Dancing fool
7:12 p.m. — Off the Key. Disturbance. Police told several people to stop jumping off the south end of Longboat Pass Bridge. They were also told to turn down their radio and that it was illegal to drink beer on the island. As police started to walk away, one young man wearing a thong and holding a beer came out from under the bridge and started to gyrate his hips, telling police to come and get him. Police called for the police boat, and the man was arrested after he started to incite the crowd. The man, who threatened to have his father get the officer who arrested him fired, later apologized for his actions, blaming the incident on too much Schnapps and vodka.

Aug. 11
Transportation authority
2:05 p.m. — 1000 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. Police saw a homeless man riding a rusty pink woman’s beach cruiser on the sidewalk. Police stopped the man and offered to assist him, but he refused help and said he was quite comfortable with his mode of transportation.

Sept. 4
Family feud
10:45 p.m. — 500 block of Sutton Place. Domestic Violence. Two sisters were arrested for domestic battery after they began throwing punches at each other and breaking objects in a condominium. One of the sisters accused the other one of texting too much on her cell phone.

Sept. 5
Lovers’ quarrel
5:28 p.m. — 3500 block of Bayou Sound. Domestic Violence. A man called police and asked them to escort his girlfriend out of his home. The man, who had a bloody nose, would not tell police how he had gotten injured. The girlfriend told police he might have gotten the bloody nose by snapping the heel off one of her most expensive pairs of shoes and
flailing.

Sept. 28
Scenic route
5:27 p.m. — 5300 block of GMD. Reckless Driving. An elderly woman apologized to police for driving too slowly and weaving on Gulf of Mexico Drive. She said she had not been on the Key in a while and was sightseeing.

Oct. 6
All that glitters …
3 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Road. Larceny. The manager of a hair salon told police that a former employee owed the salon $173.25 for taking 150 to 350 glitter tattoos from the business after she was
fired.

Oct. 8
Dirty dealings
10:38 a.m. — 600 block of Longboat Club Road. Disturbance. A maintenance man and the general manager of a remodeling company got into an argument over who was responsible for pouring dirty tile water down a parking lot drain at a condominium.