Cops Corner: Sarasota

March 31
Robbery reported
3:53 a.m. — 1500 block of First Street. Robbery. A homeless man reported that a man wearing gold sunglasses punched him and robbed him, stealing his wallet that contained $350. Police couldn’t get any more information out of the man, who was severely intoxicated and kept passing out at the hospital.

Camping out
8:07 a.m. — 1600 bock of Main Street. Suspicious Circumstance. A bank security guard found a backpack with all its contents spewed on the ground on the east side of a bank.

April 1
Don’t come back
5:36 a.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Trespassing. A security officer showed police where a man had been sleeping on the property and requested he be arrested if he comes back onto the property.

Boat on the rocks
10:54 a.m. — 10 block of Bayfront Drive. Boat. A man reported his boat broke loose during high winds and was grounded against the rocks on the south side of Bayfront Park. Another boater helped the man secure his boat.

April 2
Tip of the problem
2 p.m. — 10 block of Marina Plaza. Suspicious Circumstance. Restaurant employees reported they suspect an employee may be skimming money from the evening shift and using a tip jar to make the evening money deposit.

Hit-and-run reported
2 p.m. — 1300 block of Main Street. Hit and Run. A woman told police she found a note on her car that explained a Good Samaritan had witnessed an elderly man, driving a blue Lexus, back into her parked car and then drive away. Police provided a case number so the woman could file her insurance claim and plan to further investigate the incident.

That’s not cool
2:09 p.m. — 2400 block of Cocoanut Avenue. Theft. A man told police that when he went to check on his vacant rental home, he noticed a window-mounted air conditioner on the south side of the house had been stolen. Police believe someone broke the window to steal the unit.

Father searching for son
3:21 p.m. — 2000 block of Adams Lane. Possible Missing Person. A father told police that he hasn’t been able to contact his son since the son was released from a rehabilitation center the day before.

Just a loaner
3:22 p.m. — 1700 block of Morrill Street. Dispute. A man was upset that his apartment maintenance man took a table and chairs from in front of his apartment. The maintenance man told police the furniture belonged to him, and he had only left it there until he found a place for it. Another neighbor verified the furniture belonged to the maintenance man.

April 3
Sent to the hospital
6:03 a.m. — 2800 block of South Tamiami Trail. Suspicious Circumstance. Police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked behind a doctor’s office early in the morning. Police found the car running and the man asleep behind the wheel. The man, who was perspiring heavily, didn’t respond well to questions and was transported to the hospital.

No camping allowed
10:33 a.m. — 4600 block of North Tamiami Trail. Trespassing. A property owner showed police where a homeless couple had made a small camp and were living on his vacant property. The couple was issued a trespass warning and sent on their way.

Rotten reference
1:43 p.m. — 2300 block of Ringling Boulevard. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman told police her ex-roommate continues to badmouth her to employers. Police had been present years ago when the roommate moved out. The day after moving, the ex-roommate called the woman’s work to tell them she was a bad person who tried stealing the ex-roommate’s identity. When the woman got a new job in Tampa recently, the ex-roommate called her new employer and made the same accusations. Police promised to document the woman’s behavior but couldn’t locate her.

Storage stand stolen
2:43 p.m. — 50 block of South Beneva Road. Theft. A deli employee told police someone stole an aluminum storage stand behind the deli while it was sitting outside waiting to be cleaned. The employee believes a white pickup truck that pulled away as he came out of the deli stole the stand.

Power hungry
5:50 p.m. — 300 block of North Orange Avenue. Suspicious Person. Someone reported a suspicious person using an electrical outlet that didn’t belong to him to power his scooter.

April 4
Time to get over it
1 a.m. — 1800 block of Morrill Street. Trespassing. A woman reported that her ex-girlfriend refused to leave her apartment complex and was trespassing because police had warned the ex to stay away. When police found the woman sitting 20 feet from her ex-girlfriend’s front door, she told police she would rather go to jail than leave the area. Police granted her wish.