Top Cops of the Week

LONGBOAT KEY

Sept. 14
Gas leak
2:34 p.m. — 5500 block of GMD. Fire/Gas Leak. Police and firefighters shut down Gulf of Mexico Drive for a short period while firefighters repaired a gas leak. A fencing company employee told police that he hit the gas line while replacing a fence on the property.

Click here to read Longboat Observer's Cops Corner.
 

EAST COUNTY

Sept. 16
What did you do to me?
1:30 p.m. — 8500 block of 53rd Avenue East. Alleged battery. The complainant had six teeth extracted. When he awoke from anesthesia, he started walking to the waiting room and bracing himself with the wall. The complainant stated the dentist grabbed him under his armpit area and tried to put him in the chair. He then stated he told the dentist not to touch him after the dentist suggested he sit. The dentist called to check on him around 10:30 p.m., and the complainant complained about the hands on him. The dentist said he could do that in his office. The complainant insists he denied help and he had no right. The responding deputy observed no intent or injury on the surface. The complainant stated there were two nurses present, and he wants to press charges.

Click here to read East County Observer's Cops Corner.


SARASOTA

Sept. 9
Nail down the clients
7:31 p.m. — 600 block of North Washington Boulevard. Suspicious Circumstance. A nail salon employee called police to report that he did the nails of four teenage girls and is worried he isn’t going to get paid for his work. The Visa card swiped for the $205 bill didn’t immediately go through, and the girls left phone numbers and license plate numbers in case the purchase didn’t go through. The only problem is none of the information left behind was valid.

Click here to read Sarasota Observer's Cops Corner.


SIESTA KEY

Sept. 8
Old water switcheroo
2:20 a.m. — 5000 block of Ocean Boulevard. Driving Under the Influence. A deputy driving north on Ocean Boulevard from the Beach Club observed a vehicle turn left onto a road ahead of him. The vehicle accelerated rapidly, so the deputy used his radar gun to determine it was traveling at 35 mph in the 20 mph zone. The driver then started swerving across lanes. When the deputy activated his emergency lights, the vehicle slowed and pulled over onto the right side of Ocean Boulevard, west of Higel Avenue. When the deputy approached the car, he noticed the driver smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot, and his pupils appeared dilated. The driver was argumentative, and his pants were undone, but he denied having had any alcohol. After the deputy arrested him, the driver confessed he had had two beers. The deputy allowed the driver to relieve himself on the roadside before conducting a sobriety test; therefore, before requesting a urine sample at the jail, the deputy gave the driver a cup of water. The driver complained the water was unfit for human consumption. Finally, the driver drank it and was able to provide the sample, but it was very clear. Because the driver took the water cup into the bathroom with him, the deputy was unable to ascertain whether the driver had used the water for the sample. The container reportedly was unusually cold to the touch.

Click here to read Pelican Press' Cops Corner.