Cops Corner: Sarasota

Oct. 17
Breakup backup
4:17 a.m. — 1700 block of Carver Court. Dispute. A man told police he wanted to move out, but he was afraid of what his girlfriend would do once he told her. Police stood by as his breakup backup patrol as he collected his belongings.

Non-confrontational situation
6:11 p.m. — 2400 block of Eighth Street. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman told police that her ex-boyfriend, with whom she had broken up two weeks earlier, was walking around her apartment complex. She was worried he was going to harass her, but he didn’t make contact with her and walked away.

Oct. 18
Dishonest Abe
12:28 p.m. — 5300 block of Fruitville Road. Felony. A woman reported that a customer had attempted to use a $50 bill that contained images of both President Abraham Lincoln and President Ulysses S. Grant. The clerk confiscated the bill, and the customer paid with a bill that had only one president’s image on it.

Open invitation
3:10 p.m. — 3200 block of Pine Valley Drive. Burglary. A woman reported that someone had entered her house through her unlocked garage and stolen $2,000 worth of jewelry from her bedroom. Fingerprints were lifted from a sliding-glass window.

Tight fit
4:25 p.m. — 3200 block of Gulf Gate Drive. Grand Theft. A woman reported that a customer had shoved a $400 laptop computer down his pants and fled the store.

Artistic signature
5:30 p.m. — 2700 block of Herwald Street. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman noticed white graffiti on her apartment building when she was leaving for work. She told police she had left a partially used can of white spray paint on her porch after making some signs for a rally. Police lifted some prints off a window near garbage cans, where the spray paint can was located.

Admitting everything
6:18 p.m. — 3700 block of Lockwood Ridge Road. Theft. A man told police that an acquaintance had walked up to him and stolen money out of his pockets before fleeing. The man declined to prosecute; he told police he owed the man money for a drug transaction.

Oct. 19
Going postal
9 a.m. — 2000 block of South Tamiami Trail. Criminal Mischief. A law firm’s mailbox was reported to have been dented for the second time within the past month.

Oct. 20
Religious nappers
6:11 a.m. — 100 block of South Pineapple Avenue. Trespassing. A church official told police that a couple warned not to sleep on church property had been found sleeping on a church walkway. Police issued both people a trespass warning and sent them on their way.

Caught in the act
5:52 p.m. — Intersection of Lemon Avenue and First Street. Disorderly Conduct. Police witnessed someone urinating on the sidewalk near the bus station.

Dinner disaster
9:42 p.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Trespassing. A security guard told police that a man was driving recklessly in a parking garage. When the man was asked to leave, he walked into a restaurant instead and ordered dinner. Police arrived and issued him a trespass warning. When he asked police if he could finish his dinner, they had to explain to him that the property owners didn’t want his business ever again. Police didn’t give in to his request for a doggie bag.

Oct. 21
Animal accusations
12:01 a.m. — 800 block of Indian Beach Drive. Suspicious Noise. A woman told police she thought the noises she had heard outside were produced by people stealing materials from a nearby construction site. It appears that wild animals were the culprits. They damaged some of the housing material by trying to eat it.

The Green Lantern strikes again
1:15 a.m. — Intersection of Bayfront Drive and Ringling Causeway. Suspicious Circumstance. A man reported that while he was driving westbound from Bayfront Drive onto Ringling Boulevard, someone in the area of Gulfstream Avenue shined a green laser into his truck. He said that when the beam of light hit his rearview mirror, it blinded him momentarily and he almost struck a sign in the median. Police conducted a search but couldn’t find the Green Lantern.

Illegal dumping
6:13 p.m. — 3100 block of Fruitville Road. Illegal Activity. Someone reported people were dumping medical waste, including used pen needles, in a dumpster on an ongoing basis. Police made plans to investigate.

Intruder checks out
9:48 p.m. — 2900 block of North Orange Avenue. Dispute. A woman called police to report someone was in the house she had just rented. Police discovered the man inside was the owner of the home, who was cleaning out some of the previous tenant’s belongings. Both parties agreed it was a misunderstanding.

Oct. 22
Seeing spots
9:04 a.m. — 1300 block of Main Street. Suspicious Circumstance. Police witnessed people using trash cans to block parking spots near a downtown festival and urged them to stop.

Oct. 24
Barrage of BBs
2 p.m. — 3000 block of Main Street. Criminal Mischief. A man told police that someone had shot BBs through his driver’s side rear window while he was driving down the street.