Cops Corner: Sarasota

Aug. 24
The new koozie?
7:56 p.m. — 600 block of North Washington Boulevard. Shoplifting. A cashier reported that a man put a 24-ounce can of beer in his shirt pocket and fled the convenience store.

Aug. 25
Just the essentials
3 p.m. — 1000 block of North Tamiami Trail. Shoplifting. A man walked out of a convenience store without paying for a can of bug spray and two 18-packs of beer.

Aug. 26
Hung out to dry
9 p.m. — 1500 block of North Orange Avenue. Burglary. A woman reported the theft of her $230 washer-and-dryer set from her shed. She said someone must have entered her yard through a portion of fence that had been cut away.

Guns and music; no roses
9:45 p.m. — Intersection of Cocoanut Avenue and North Gulfstream Avenue. Vehicle Theft. A man told police someone stole his black BMW, which he had parked along the east side of Gulfstream Avenue between Cocoanut Avenue and Main Street. The vehicle contained a gun, six rounds of ammunition and an iPod.

Take a hike
11 p.m. — 1200 block of North Palm Avenue. Trespassing. Two skateboarders were issued trespass warnings for using the city’s new public garage as their personal playground.

Aug. 27
Stone’s throw from the fight
4:04 a.m. — 2000 block of Fourth Street. Criminal Mischief. A man reported that he had heard a fight in the road minutes before rocks were thrown at his bedroom window. The rocks shattered two windowpanes.

Aug. 28
Do not call list
10:52 p.m. — 2400 block of Eighth Street. Family Disturbance. A couple that had been together for many years called police to report they hadn’t been getting along lately and needed police to stand by while belongings were packed up in the house. Police noted that years of memories were summed up with five parting words: “Don’t ever contact me again.”

Aug. 29
Personal issues
4:14 p.m. — 1200 block of North Gulfstream Ave. Fraud. A condominium board member told police that the condominium’s former building manager was using a condominium-issued MasterCard to pay for thousands of dollars’ worth of personal belongings.

Aug. 30
Playing it cool
1 a.m. — 1400 block of Main Street. Suspicious Circumstance. A restaurant employee who was fired because management believed he was stealing alcohol told police that a stolen air conditioning unit was being installed in the eatery. Police believe he was drunk when he called in the complaint.

Not much of a poker face
6:24 a.m. — 600 block of Central Avenue. Fight. A man told police he was playing in an all-night poker game and was hit in the face by two other players after he started to “talk trash.” The two men admitted to hitting the poker player but claimed he threw the first punch. Everyone involved was advised to find new poker players to play with in the future.