Cops Corner: Sarasota

Aug. 17
Pry-ority mail
12:28 a.m. — 2500 block of Tenth Street. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman told police she noticed pry marks on her mailbox cover when she went to get her mail. The apartment manager agreed to change the key to the box as a precaution.

Demolition man
10:11 a.m. — 700 block of Bayfront Drive. Suspicious Circumstance. Police responded to a report of a man stealing items off a boat on the bayfront. Police found the man, and he showed police documentation that gave him the right to remove belongings from the boat before it’s demolished.

Aug. 18
Sleep is in the bag
12:11 a.m. — 1500 block of Main Street. Lodging Outdoors. Police found a man fast asleep, lying on the sidewalk with his head in a bag. He was arrested after refusing to lodge at a shelter.

Sand man
4:26 a.m. — 100 block of Golden Gate Point. Noise Violation. A man complained of loud music coming from the apartment above him. Police knocked several times, and a man finally came to the door and told police he was passed out on the couch. He turned the music down.

Bounce rate
10:48 a.m. — 100 block of South Pineapple Avenue. Suspicious Circumstance. An antiques storeowner told police she sold a set of silverware to a woman for $2,140. The check bounced, though, and she had no way to contact the customer. A week later, she saw the silverware in another antiques store. Police couldn’t locate the woman and didn’t have enough evidence to prove intent to defraud.

Unwelcome company
8:14 p.m. — 1300 block of Cocoanut Avenue. Threats. A landlord told police that one of his tenants had someone staying with her, which was a violation of the rental agreement. The man threatened the landlord on numerous occasions, and police issued him a trespass warning.

Aug. 19
Sleeping it off
2:15 a.m. — 200 block of South Palm Avenue. Arrest. A couple was arrested after sleeping in the doorway of a church. The couple had been warned not to do so in the past.

Party’s over
5:53 p.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Suspicious Person. Police responded to a report of a drunken man falling down inside a restaurant. A cab was called for him, and he was sent home.

Aug. 20
Keeping order
3:07 a.m. — 3500 block of Fruitville Road. Disorderly Conduct. A fast-food restaurant manager told police a group of kids was causing a disturbance inside. The officer told the group to leave and use the drive-thru if they wanted to order food.

Repeat offender
8:54 a.m. — 1400 block of First Street. Trespassing. A grocery-store manager asked police to trespass a man who had shoplifted in in the past.

Dine and dash
6:55 p.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Fraud. A restaurant manager told police a man rang up a $98.44 food and bar tab, gave a waiter a non-functioning debit card and fled the restaurant before the waiter returned. Employees found him down the road, and he agreed to come back to the restaurant and call someone to pay his bill. He was placed under arrest after admitting he knew of no one who would pay his bill.

Aug. 21
Bus escort
2:05 p.m. — 3400 block of North Tamiami Trail. Suspicious Circumstance. A man told police a woman was loitering on his property for more than an hour. The woman told police she was waiting for a bus, and police made sure she got on it.

Parking lot panhandlers
2:25 p.m. — 1300 block of South Tamiami Trail. Trespassing. A shopping center security guard complained of people panhandling in the parking lot. Police issued trespass warnings.

Taking action
5:30 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Theft. A car owner told police that someone he knew through mutual friends stole his wallet and keys and then took off in his car. The car owner tried to stop the thief by jumping onto the hood of the car, but the man kept driving, and the owner rolled off the car.