Cops Corner: Longboat Key

July 15
Ball of fire
7:10 p.m. — 4400 block of GMD. Fire. Occupants of a condominium told police they smelled burning or melting wires coming from an upstairs bedroom. A firefighter found a rubber ball that had been thrown into an open light fixture and was melting. The unit was not damaged.

July 16
Trashed tire
9:23 a.m. — 300 block of GMD. Property Found. A condominium employee found a tire and rim on the road.

July 17
Fishy complaint
12:01 a.m. — Longboat Pass Bridge. Boat. Police received a call about a suspicious mullet boat but received no information about why the boat was suspicious. Police found the caller, who said that one of the boat’s occupants had been fishing from a catwalk area of the bridge, which has a trespass warning posted. Police told him to call if he sees the occupants trespassing again.

Unwanted interest
12:13 p.m. — 600 block of Norton Street. Harassing phone call. A woman said that she had just received a call from a female claiming that she was trying to lower her credit card interest rate who hung up after she asked her which card she was calling about. The woman said that she has gotten about four similar calls over the past year. Police suggested she try to have the caller blocked.

July 19
No need for an SOS
2:57 a.m. — 4600 block of GMD. Boat. A resort security guard reported an offshore boat that was possibly on fire or in distress. Police were unable to see signs of an emergency from a half-mile away but contacted the Coast Guard, which reported that the vessel was a barge that was not in trouble.

Can’t take the heat
1:54 p.m. — 6800 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. Police responded to a report of a man sleeping on the sidewalk and found the man sitting on the sidewalk within a shopping plaza. He said that he was resting from his bike ride because of the heat.

July 20
Late on payment and for work
6:29 a.m. — 4700 block of GMD. Traffic Violation. A driver who police stopped for passing a vehicle in a no-pass zone told police he was “pretty sure” his license was suspended for an unpaid ticket. The man said that he was running late for work and thought it was OK to pass the other vehicle because there was no incoming traffic from the opposite direction. The driver left his truck in a nearby parking lot and received a citation to appear in court.

July 21
After hours
11:35 p.m. — 100 block of North Shore Road. Trespassing. Police noticed a vehicle parked near a public beach access after hours, found the owners and told them that the beach closes at 11 p.m.

July 23
Down the drain?
7:10 a.m. — 100 block of North Shore Road. Lost/Missing Property. Police helped a man look through puddles and down drains for his wallet, which he believed he lost the day before near the beach access. The man told police he would cancel his credit cards after he was unable to find it.