Cops Corner: East County

The following information was gathered from incident and arrest reports obtained from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Dec. 3
Welcome home
Noon — 13500 block of Montclair Place. Burglary. A burglar stole two televisions and a surround-sound system from a home. There were no signs of forced entry, and there were no additional disturbances at the residence. The residents had recently relocated to Connecticut, and a house sitter was watching the home while the owners were gone.

Wild ride
11:22 p.m. — 1700 block of State Road 70. DUI. A deputy observed a woman run a red light at State Road 70 and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. The woman was heading east at about 65 mph. The deputy attempted to catch up to her, at which time he observed her swerve over three lanes and also run another red light, at State Road 70 and Lorraine Road. The deputy then tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the woman sped up and continued to swerve. Pursuit speeds never exceeded 80 mph, but the woman drove off the road into the grass and continued eastbound for about three-tenths of a mile, before driving into a ditch in the 1700 block of State Road 70. The woman was transported to the hospital.

Dec. 4
Cheap shot
7:45 a.m. — 6200 block of Wauchula Road. Information Only. A man reported hearing a gunshot and noticed blood in his dog’s fur when it returned home afterward. It appeared the dog was shot with a small gun of unknown type. The dog was struck on its left side near its hip, and the bullet exited near the tail. When a deputy arrived, the dog was running around and appeared healthy. The deputy warned the man to secure his pet in the future.

Dec. 5
Lesson learned
10 a.m. — 8200 block of Country Park Way. Found Property Not Stolen. A deputy found two teenagers with backpacks walking near a neighborhood lake. The teenagers, hidden behind some bushes, admitted to skipping school that day. One of the teenagers smelled of marijuana and handed the officer two grams of marijuana and a small pipe. The teenager had no criminal record, and both teenagers were cooperative during the incident. No charges were filed, and the deputy returned the teenagers to school after contacting their parents.

Ungraceful exit
2:28 p.m. — 8300 block of Lockwood Ridge Road. Information Only. A man reported that he had to fire an employee. The fired employee told the employer he would kill the man who fired him. The man said the fired employee has a criminal history in Sarasota and Manatee counties, and that he would call for a trespass warning if the fired employee returns to the business.