Cops Corner

July 10
Fleabag
5:32 p.m. — 5300 block of Fruitville Road. Retail Theft. A woman tried to return three packages of dog-flea medication at a supermarket. She did not have a receipt, but said she bought the products at one of the chain’s other locations. The manager said she could not verify that the medication was purchased, so she wouldn’t return the money. After the woman left, the manager checked the stock of flea medication and noticed that three packages were missing. Video surveillance showed the woman stealing the medication. The manager immediately called the other store locations in the area and warned them that a woman may ask for a refund. Another manager replied that he already gave a woman a refund for flea medication, but he did get her license-plate number before she left.

July 12
Trash compactor
11:18 a.m. — 1900 block of Magnolia Street. Traffic Accident. A garbage truck was pulling away from the curb after unloading a garbage can and was trying to drive around a legally parked car on the street. Just then, another car tried to pass the garbage truck, causing the truck driver to swerve out of the way and into the parked car. Nobody was hurt.

Bowling for Bentleys
3:19 p.m. — 1000 block of Siesta Drive. Suspicious Incident. Five kids were seen rolling two-liter soda bottles into traffic and trying to hit cars.

Hey there, scooter
4:45 p.m. — Sixth Street. Suspicious Incident. Complainant saw a teenager and a 4-year-old boy riding a motorized, standup scooter. An officer was called to make sure the little boy was safe.

July 13
Not so safe and sound
7:15 a.m. — 500 block of Payne Parkway. Burglary. An employee at an alcohol-treatment center noticed that someone had stolen a safe that was kept in a conference room. She believed the theft occurred some time overnight. The woman said she lives on-site but takes medication and was asleep and didn’t hear a sound. The culprit also pried open a metal box in the kitchen that was used for coffee donations. The burglar may be disappointed with his take. It’s believed there was less than $200 in the safe and just a little bit of change in the donation box.

Thanks for the ride
11:30 a.m. — 1400 block of South Tamiami Trail. Motor Vehicle Theft. A man, who owns a van but has no driver’s license, asked an acquaintance he only knows by his first name to drive him around on a job hunt. As the man was walking out of a business, the acquaintance took off in the van. To add insult, as he drove away, he gave the man the finger.

My precious
Noon — 6400 block of Friendship Drive. Grand Theft. The night after a party with a group of friends, a woman discovered her wedding ring was missing. The ring had been inside a jewelry box in her bedroom. She couldn’t identify a suspect.

Question-and-answer session
7:55 p.m. — Beneva Road and Proctor Road. Obstructing Justice. A deputy was called to a shopping mall to remove an extremely drunk man, who was sipping from a bottle of wine. The man was so drunk, he had wet himself. The man told the deputy he was staying at a hotel. He knew the name of the hotel but couldn’t remember which location. Through deduction, the deputy figured out the man was staying on the North Trail. The deputy was giving the man a ride to the hotel, when the man asked the deputy if he was taking him to jail. The deputy replied that he was taking him to his hotel. When the car passed a different hotel location, the man changed his mind about at which hotel he was staying, then began yelling and punching the backseat divider. The deputy stopped the car, and when he opened the back door to restrain his passenger, the man shoved the deputy and kicked him in the leg. He was then handcuffed and put back into the car. The answer to his earlier question changed — he was going
to jail.