Cops Corner

April 12
Heavy metal
8:15 a.m. — 2700 block of Hidden Lake Boulevard. Petit Theft. A homeowner said sometime overnight, someone crept onto his lanai and stole his weight bench, weight bar and 100 pounds of weights.

Sick and tired
9:45 a.m. — 1500 South Lodge Drive. Criminal Mischief. A woman walked out of her house to see that all four of her tires had been slashed. She said she has a good idea who is responsible. The woman had hired a mother and son to do some painting on her home. She was not satisfied with the work, so she didn’t pay them the full amount. Since then, both the mom and son have been threatening to come to her house to collect the rest of the money.

Up for grabs
12:50 p.m. — 1100 block of Ritz Carlton Drive. Theft. A hotel guest reported that her phone and sunglasses were stolen. She believes a woman who was visiting her took both items. The woman is the girlfriend of her husband’s friend. During the visit the woman got into an argument with her boyfriend and stormed off. The guest thinks as the woman left, she took her phone and sunglasses.

They’ve got baggage
1:03 p.m. — Waldemere Street and South Tamiami Trail. Suspicious Incident. An open suitcase was found in the northbound lanes of U.S. 41. Someone is going to be waiting a long time at the airport luggage carousel.

Slow down, Mr. Hawking
3:39 p.m. — Ringling Boulevard and U.S. 301. Suspicious Person. A caller told a police dispatcher that a man in an electric wheelchair was speeding down Ringling Boulevard.

Road rage
5:40 p.m. — Siesta Drive and Camino Real. Traffic Crash. A city bus was stopped for traffic in the turning lane, when a car behind it rear-ended it. As the bus driver got out of the bus, the young man driving the car backed up and accelerated again into the bus’ rear bumper. The driver then backed up and tried to go around the bus. Instead, he hit the curb and bounced back into the street, nearly hitting the bus a third time. He managed to speed away after that. But the bus driver was able to get his license-plate number, which was registered to a Bird Key home. Police searched for the car there, but were unable to find it.

April 13
In the dark
1:03 a.m. — Ocean Boulevard and Treasure Boat Way. Driving Under the Influence. A sheriff’s deputy saw a car speeding out of Siesta Village, and he began to pursue the car. The driver did not pull over. He kept speeding but turned off his headlights and ran stop signs to try to get away, but he eventually gave up. The deputy soon realized why the man didn’t want to surrender. After failing both breath and sobriety tests, the driver was arrested.

Beach bash
1:39 a.m. — 2800 block of Bay Shore Road. Noise Disturbance. Complainant asked police to do something about people partying on the beach. Frankie and Annette fled before officers arrived.