Cops Corner: Sarasota

Oct. 10
The ‘customer’ isn’t always right
10:32 a.m. — 200 block of North Lime Avenue. Suspicious Person. A store manager told police that a woman left her store with unpaid merchandise in her bag. When the manager approached the suspect, she screamed, “You can’t search my bag!” The woman then fled into the parking lot, and the manager lost sight of her when she vanished into a wooded area.

Love thy neighbor
1 a.m. — 2100 block of Eighth Street. Criminal Mischief. A woman reported her tires were flattened while her car was parked in her driveway. She suspects a neighbor with whom she is in the middle of a dispute committed the act.

Oct. 11
Picked over
7:25 a.m. — 2500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Burglary. A man told police that when he woke up in his hotel room, he discovered his wallet open on the adjoining bed and the cash from it missing. Police lifted some fingerprints from the wallet and also discovered it was easy to pick the lock on the motel door.

Listen to your sub-conscious
5:38 p.m. — 3800 block of South Osprey Avenue. Trespassing. The manager of a grocery store said a man ordered a sub and a box of chicken and then walked out of the store without paying for it. The manager questioned the man, who said he thought his brother already paid for it. The man paid for the food and was trespassed from the store.

Hidden agenda
6:35 p.m. — 2900 North Washington Boulevard. Shoplifting. A convenience store owner told police that a man bought some items, walked to the back of the store and left with a six-pack of beer under his shirt. The owner yelled to the man to bring back the beer, but when the man reached into his waistband, the storeowner feared he was pulling out a gun and ran back inside. Police couldn’t find the man, who fled on a bike.

Church confessions
10:42 p.m. — 200 block of North Orange Avenue. Trespassing. Police observed a man and a woman sleeping on the lawn of a church. They both smelled of alcohol, and once they were semi-coherent, neither could provide a reason as to why they were there. Both were trespassed from the property.

Oct. 12
Running on empty
5:05 a.m. — 600 block of North Washington Boulevard. Panhandling. A gas station employee reported a man begging for money while customers pumped gas. He could not be found.

Oct. 13
Hot wheels
1 a.m. — 1300 block of Main Street. Motorcycle Theft. A man told police that when he left his restaurant to go home, he discovered that someone stole his red 1984 motorcycle.

Oct. 14
Spousal support
7:19 p.m. — 1500 block of South Tuttle Avenue. Harassment. A nursing home employee told police that the husband of an employee who was fired earlier in the day kept calling and cursing at employees because his wife was let go.

Key to the case
10:16 p.m. — 1700 block of South Tamiami Trail. Criminal Mischief. A man reported that someone keyed his car while it was parked in a garage adjacent to the hospital. A security guard provided video footage that showed a man pulling up next to the car in question, getting out and keying the car before driving away and entering the hospital later. The man who keyed the car was a hospital employee who quit later that day.

Oct. 17
Proof of purchase
2:30 p.m. — 4000 block of South Tamiami Trail. Dispute. Electronic store employees called police because a customer became irate after she was told they would not give her a refund or offer her an exchange for an item for which she didn’t have a receipt. She quieted down after police arrived and issued her a trespass warning.