Cops Corner: Sarasota

Nov. 8
Not going down without a fight
11:40 a.m. — 1300 block of Main Street. Disorderly Conduct. Police observed a woman slurring her words and stumbling around a park. When the woman, who smelled of alcohol, failed to produce an identification card, she was informed she would be placed under arrest for violating the city’s open-container ordinance. It took more than one officer to handcuff her. She was also charged with resisting arrest.

Nov. 15
Inappropriate behavior
9:35 a.m. — 2800 block of Eighth Street. Suspicious Person. A concerned mother of a 17-year-old girl told police that a man honked at her daughter while she was walking to a sandwich shop. Later that day, the same man approached the girl at a fifth-grade awards ceremony they both were attending. The man, who was at the school for his son’s awards ceremony, told police he honked at her because he thought she was beautiful, but that he didn’t know how old she was.

Nov. 16
Thirst for theft
6:20 p.m. — 1000 block of North Tamiami Trail. Shoplifting. Police located a man who continuously walks into a gas station convenience store and steals one to two cases of Bud Light beer at a time. In the past week, the clerk told police the beer bandit stole beer on 15 different occasions. Because of the numerous thefts, his crimes were upgraded to felony status, and he was taken to jail.

Severing ties
10:40 p.m. — 1700 block of Central Avenue. Dispute. A woman told police she wanted her boyfriend of four years to move out. The boyfriend agreed to spend the night at his sister’s house and collect his belongings in the morning.

Get the message
11 p.m. — Intersection of 16th Street and Central Avenue. Criminal Mischief. A woman told police that her ex-boyfriend called her 50 times and that he kept calling the hotel where she works, too. When she refused to talk to him in the parking lot after work, he kicked her car’s rear passenger door while she drove away, leaving behind a footprint and a dent.

Nov. 17
Cab driver won’t be taken for a ride
2:28 a.m. — 1400 block of Main Street. Theft. A taxi-cab driver called police to report that his passenger, whom he had driven all over town, refused to pay his $79 fare. Police located the suspect at a downtown bar and discovered he was drunk and had thrown up on his shoes. The man finally agreed to give the cab driver $65, but the cabbie wanted the full fare. When the man refused, police arrested him for knowingly depriving the cabbie the extra $14 and for causing a disturbance in a public place.

Car shopping
Noon — 400 block of South Gulfstream Avenue. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman told police that someone was strolling through her condominium parking lot, checking door handles for unlocked cars. Police couldn’t locate the suspect.

Nov. 18
Permitting issue
3:39 p.m. — Intersection of Bahia Vista and Shade Avenue. Lost Property. A man reported that after he was involved in a car crash in September, he’s been unable to locate his handicapped-parking permit.

Dine ’n’ dash
7 p.m. — 1800 block of Main Street. Theft. A woman reported that someone stole the purse from the back of her chair while she had dinner and drinks with friends at a downtown restaurant. She said the restaurant was crowded, and she didn’t notice it being stolen. The gold-and-black tapestry purse contained $150 in cash, four credit cards and her identification cards.

Nov. 19
Three’s a crowd
12:50 p.m. — 900 block of North Beneva Road. Shoplifting. A clothing-store employee told police that three women entered the store, and one of them folded up a skirt and placed it in her bag, while the other two took approximately 10 pieces of costume jewelry. A copy of the store’s video surveillance was being forwarded to the police to help find the culprits.

Heard loud and clear
10:18 p.m. — 1700 block of Ringling Boulevard. Noise Violation. A woman told police she was “sick and tired” of the loud bass from an event on Main Street that was shaking her condo. Police promised her the event would be over soon. She told police she just needed to complain to someone about it.

Nov. 21
Social networker
8 a.m. — 400 block of Central Avenue. Theft. A car shop employee was accused by co-workers of stealing four sets of truck tires and selling them on Facebook. The employee denied stealing the tires and said he made the posts to help the shop sell the tires. Employees interviewed, however, claim he boasted of stealing the tires and selling them.