Cops Corner: Longboat Key

Dec. 10
Double trouble
11 p.m. — Longboat Pass Bridge. Traffic Violation. Police stopped a vehicle after finding that its owner did not have a valid driver’s license. The driver was not the vehicle’s owner but also didn’t have a valid license. The driver was arrested and received a notice to appear in Manatee County Court.

Dec. 11
Broken belt
10:31 a.m. — 2700 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. A Public Works employee helped police shut down a pump after it overheated. Police later noticed that a belt on the engine was broken.

Dec. 12
Bright idea
11:35 p.m. — 1900 block of GMD. Bicycle Incident. Police made contact with a bicyclist to tell him that his black clothing, black hat and lack of a headlight or taillight made it difficult for others to see him.

Dec. 13
Lock ’em up
10:37 p.m. — 100 block of Broadway. Vehicle Larceny. An Arizona woman reported that her laptop was missing from her rental car. The woman told police that she might have forgotten to lock the vehicle that afternoon at the beach.

This isn’t a dry town
5:11 p.m. — 600 block of Buttonwood Drive. Disturbance. A couple reported that their neighbor hung small towels on their fence. Police spoke to the neighbor, who agreed not to hang the towels on the fence.

Dec. 14
Wake-up call
12:46 a.m. — 4800 block of GMD. Disturbance. A taxi driver called police after a man passed out in his vehicle. The man had prepaid for his ride home from a Sarasota bar. Police woke the man and helped him to his room.

Probable cause?
1:09 a.m. — 6800 block of Hughes Street. Public Service. A woman heard strange noises in her yard. She first described them as wind chimes but later said they might have been the work of raccoons in the area.

Stolen tag
9:14 a.m. — 1900 block of Harbourside Drive. Larceny from Vehicle. A man reported that his tag was stolen from his vehicle the night before when he was eating dinner at a Bradenton restaurant. The man needed a police report so that he could replace the tag.

Spiritual guidance
12:52 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Road. Suspicious Person. A man entered a place of worship and asked to speak to the clergyman, who was unavailable. The man told police that he “wanted to have a spiritual talk” after police found him at a bus stop. Police determined that the man did not meet criteria for a Baker Act.

Nothing fishy here
4:06 p.m. — 7300 block of GMD. Suspicious person. A man stopped fishing off of a dock immediately after police told him he was on private property.

Haven’t we heard this before?
5:09 p.m. — 5900 block of Emerald Harbor Drive. Soliciting. Police issued a notice to appear in Manatee County court to a man on a bicycle wearing a yellow shirt and tie who was selling magazine subscriptions. The man had been warned 10 days earlier about the town’s permit requirement.

Easy access
5:38 p.m. — 4400 block of GMD. Larceny from vehicle. A man reported that a cell phone was stolen after his wife left it in plain sight in their unlocked vehicle.

Rescue call
7:41 p.m. — 7000 block of Longboat Drive N. Abandoned 911 call. Police responded to an abandoned 911 call and saw a woman on the floor of the home. The woman was able to crawl to the front door and unlock the deadbolt. The woman was transported to a hospital.

Dec. 15
Stick to the sidewalk
8:33 a.m. — 3800 block of GMD. Suspicious person. A man who was walking improperly in the southbound lane, despite the sidewalk that was available to him, told police that he lays tile for a living and was looking for Turtle Bay condominiums. Police told the man that there are no Turtle Bay condominiums on the island and warned the man to use sidewalks when available.

Please do stop the music
9:11 a.m. — Off the Key. Disturbance. Two residents reported that loud noise had been coming from a Jewfish Key home all evening. The Coast Guard transported police to the residence, where they could hear music coming from outside speakers mounted on an observation tower but could not locate anyone. Police disconnected the power source for the music and left two business cards requesting that the music be turned down.

On the move
4:59 p.m. — 700 block of Fox St. Disturbance. A woman told police that her neighbor’s truck was obstructing her view when she exits her driveway. The neighbor agreed to move his truck.

No soliciting
5:22 p.m. — 700 block of Norton St. Soliciting. Police issued a written warning to a door-to-door salesman.

Written warning
5:39 p.m. — 500 block of Bayview Drive. Soliciting. Police issued a written warning to a man selling magazines door-to-door.

Dec. 16
Disappearing drinker
2:43 p.m. — Avenue of the Flowers. Suspicious person. A woman called police about an intoxicated man who was drinking and lying on the ground in front of a restaurant. A clerk at a nearby liquor store told police that the man had purchased a bottle of Tanqueray and a bottle of tonic with a $100 bill approximately 45 minutes earlier. Police were unable to find the man but noticed evidence that someone had recently been in the crawl space beneath an abandoned restaurant nearby.

Canine care
11:46 p.m. — 6800 block of GMD. Animal rescue. Police noticed a small dog in a business but could not locate the owner. The dog appeared to have food and water. Police later checked up on the dog but found no sign of distress.

Dec. 17
Keep it down
12:42 a.m. — 700 block of Longboat Court. Police could hear loud voices more than 100 yards from a home where an anonymous caller reported that a noisy party was taking place. A man agreed to keep the noise down and go inside.

Dogged pursuit
8:48 a.m. — 600 block of Binnacle Point Drive. Disturbance. A man was walking on the sidewalk when he got caught in the leash of a Doberman pinscher being led by a bicyclist and nearly fell. The man and the bicyclist got into an argument about maintaining control of the dog. The man told police that pedestrians frequently have to take evasive action to avoid the dog. Police had seen the cyclist with his dog earlier and agreed to locate and counsel the man.

Dec. 18
Missing wallet
10:05 a.m. — 5400 block of GMD. Lost/missing property. A man reported that he lost his wallet, which contained his driver’s license, AARP, Medicare and Social Security cards, and $5. The man last used his wallet at a grocery store but management was unable to find it.

Reported fire
7:21 p.m. — 5300 block of GMD. Fire. Police and firefighters responded to a reported fire in a condominium unit. Firefighters determined that the faulty dishwasher caused smoke in the unit and that two units also had electrical issues.