Cops Corner: Sarasota

Feb. 9
A sudden chafing problem?
11:07 a.m. — 300 block of South Pineapple Avenue. Suspicious Person. A man walking around downtown reportedly was “acting strange and pulling down his shorts.” Police who found the homeless man didn’t observe any strange behavior, although he’s been cited in the past for acting a bit odd.

Feb. 10
From one offense to another
1:03 a.m. — 1400 block of Main Street. Trespassing. A bar bouncer called police when a man, who previously had been trespassed from the bar, came back. Police couldn’t find the man at the bar when they arrived, but they located him down the street, drinking a beer. They arrested the man for possessing an open bottle of beer.

Too early for a wake-up call
8:59 a.m. — 1400 block of Main Street. Disturbing the Peace. A man called to report a restaurant employee using a blower at 6 a.m.
 

Impersonating the Big Bad Wolf
7:32 p.m. — 2400 block of Ringling Boulevard. Suspicious Person. A woman told police a man had knocked on her door and said, “Let me in, let me in!,” before proceeding to ask her to vote for him through the door. She chose not to answer the door.

My lips are sealed
11:55 p.m. — 1700 block of South Tamiami Trail. Assist Other Agency. A pregnant woman was uncooperative during an interview, refusing to divulge information about a suspected battery incident at her residence. While she did tell police she had been choked and pulled by her hair, she refused to identify the man who had put her in the hospital.

Feb. 11
A stronger authority
10:25 p.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Family Dispute. A security guard told police he had asked three men to leave private property three times without success. When police arrived, the men agreed to leave.

Feb. 12
It’s still too loud!
12:46 a.m. — 1400 block of Main Street. Noise Violation. Nearby residents complained about loud music coming from a nearby restaurant, but officers determined the music was within legal decibel levels.

Feb. 14
Car casualty
6 p.m. — 2000 block of Main Street. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman told police that when she returned to her car, she found a tree limb on top of it. The limb apparently had dented the front passenger-side quarter panel, above the tire, and its fall had damaged the roof and the passenger-side door, as well.

Thanks for the lift
6:23 p.m. — 1500 block of Main Street. Disorderly Intoxication. A man who was too drunk to ride his bicycle home accepted a ride home in a squad car.

Feb. 15
Making it worse
1:58 a.m. — Intersection of Main Street and Gulfstream Avenue. Arrest. A man was arrested after police pulled him over and spotted marijuana on the floor of the car. Officers also discovered he was driving with a suspended driver’s license.

Fast on her feet
9:18 a.m. — 500 block of North Washington Boulevard. Suspicious Person. The manager of a convenience store complained that a homeless woman was panhandling outside her store. The woman fled before police arrived.

Bus-stop blues
9:42 a.m. — Intersection of First Street and Lemon Avenue. Theft. A woman reported that someone had stolen her brown wallet while she was at a bus station. The wallet contained $35 in cash, plus food stamps and credit cards.

It all adds up
1:45 p.m. — 500 block of North Washington Boulevard. Suspicious Person. A convenience store manager told police that two men and a woman keep buying pre-paid credit cards, putting $10 on each card at a time. He found the behavior suspicious, he said.

After-hours research
11:13 p.m. — 1300 block of First Street. Loitering. A man was reported to be using his computer near the steps of the Selby Public Library after it had closed. Officers told him to go home.

Scary-movie syndrome
11:40 p.m. — 1900 block of Main Street. Suspicious Circumstance. An electronics store employee told police she had become frightened upon opening a drawer in her office and finding a large silver knife. However, by the time police arrived, the knife had been removed from the drawer, possibly by another employee. Coincidentally, the store’s phone lines had been cut earlier in the day.

Penny for your surprise
6 p.m. — 100 block of South Palm Avenue. Suspicious Person. A restaurant owner told police he was near his walk-in freezer, in the back of the restaurant, when he heard a strange noise followed by a “whooshing sound” on one side of his head. He looked back and found two kids on scooters, looking at him from a nearby garage. They told him they had thrown a penny at him. The youngsters sped off when he told them to stay put while he called the police.