Cops Corner: Sarasota

April 14
Claim unfounded
3:50 p.m. — 50 block of North Lemon Avenue. Suspicious Circumstance. A man told police he doesn’t know why someone reported that he was having a dispute in his apartment.

HoSPITAl happenings
9:53 p.m. — 1700 block of South Tamiami Trail. Trespassing. A hospital security guard told police a man had caused a disturbance in an emergency room. He was issued a trespass warning.

April 15
Police need concrete evidence
4 p.m. — 1500 block of North Osprey Avenue. Criminal Mischief. Someone used chunks of concrete to knock out the back of an air-conditioning van’s window and attempted to break other windows. Police believe a homeless person they were having problems with in the area caused the damage.

April 16
Merchandise questioned
10:38 a.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Suspicious Circumstance. A store employee told police a customer came into the store and claimed a bicycle for sale belonged to him. The bicycle wasn’t listed by police as being stolen and the store employee was urged to call police if the man came back.

Major damage reported
10 p.m. — 1700 block of Eighth Street. Criminal Mischief. A woman told police that she and her boyfriend moved out of their apartment before they got evicted. Her landlord, however, called her and claimed they had vandalized the walls before they turned in their keys. The woman suspected that their other roommate caused the damage, but couldn’t prove it. The damage included a knife stuck in a wall, three holes in one bedroom wall and a screen door that was torn off its hinges. Police had no evidence to investigate any further.

April 17
Polo problem
12:02 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Shoplifting. A department store security guard reported that a man was caught stealing a large amount of Polo shirts before fleeing the store. Fourteen shirts, valued at $989.91, were stolen.

Tax return troubles
1 p.m. — 4200 block of Central Sarasota Parkway. Suspicious Circumstance. A man reported that someone had already filed a federal tax return under his Social Security number.

Tax return patrol requested
3:50 p.m. — 1600 block of Ringling Boulevard. Patrol Request. A U.S. Post Office employee requested extra patrol until midnight due to the large number of procrastinators expected during the final hours of tax season.

Panhandling problems
4:12 p.m. — 1300 block of Main Street. Trespassing. A homeless man was arrested for panhandling near the intersection of Gulfstream Avenue and Cocoanut Avenue.

Woman deemed fine
5:08 p.m. — 1300 block of Boulevard of the Arts. Welfare Check. Police were asked to check on the welfare of a woman who someone reported was drunk. Police talked to her for 10 minutes and reported she was fine and not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol.

Fighting in the street
6:07 p.m. — Intersection of First Street and North Lemon Avenue. Fight. Police responded to reports of a fight and found two women fighting in the street. Police couldn’t determine how the fight started. The women accepted antiseptic wipes for minor injuries and agreed to walk away in separate directions.

Department store theft
7 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Shoplifting. A man was arrested for trying to walk out of a department store with the new clothes he put on in the waiting room.

Attempted beer theft
8:51 p.m. — 1500 block of Main Street. Trespassing. A restaurant employee reported that a homeless man attempted to steal a case of beer from a restaurant employee. The employee told police she previously gave the man leftover food. He was issued a trespass warning and escorted from the property.

Merchandise stolen
9:30 p.m. — 3300 block of North Tamiami Trail. Shoplifting. A Dollar Store manager told police that a woman left her store with multiple items and only gave her back a couple of the items she shoved into her purse before she fled.

Carpet cleaning complaint
11:59 p.m. — 50 block of Boulevard of the Presidents. Noise Violation. A carpet-cleaning employee, cleaning the carpet of a Mexican restaurant late at night, agreed to finish cleaning the carpet in the morning because nearby residents were complaining.

April 13
Loitering litterer
8:20 a.m. — 1400 block of Main Street. Suspicious Person. A city employee told police that after sidewalks had been cleaned, a homeless man kept throwing cigarette butts on it. The man swore at her when she asked him to stop. Police tried to locate the man to no avail because he violated the city’s littering code.