Cops Corner: Longboat Key

Feb. 16
Search effort
10:41 p.m. — 3300 block of Bayou Sound. Suspicious Person. A man called police after his teenage son called him to report that a man who used to do landscaping work for them had come by their house and tried to get someone to come to the door before leaving the property on his bicycle. The man said that he did not want the landscaper coming near his home because of his history of drug use. Police checked to make sure the teen and his sister were OK and searched the area for the man but were unable to find him.

Open-door policy
11:15 p.m. — 400 block of GMD. Security Check. Dispatch located a business’ key holder after police found its door unlocked.

Feb. 17
Catch our drift?
1:21 a.m. — Off the Key. Unsecured Boat. A Bradenton Beach patrol unit contacted police about an adrift sailboat that had become lodged against the Longboat Pass Bridge. Police contacted a Coast Guard officer, who advised that a marine unit would investigate further.

House hunting?
9:36 a.m. — 1100 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. Police were unable to locate a suspicious person, described as a man on a bicycle checking out houses.

Property found
12:58 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway. Property Found. A grocery-store employee turned in an Amazon Kindle she found in the store.

Fliers don’t fly here
2:40 p.m. — 5900 block of Emerald Harbor Drive. Soliciting. Police received a report of a full-sized truck throwing fliers into driveways but were unable to locate the solicitors. Police picked up a flier and called the number listed to inform the company that soliciting is illegal on Longboat Key.

Source of the sound
10:04 p.m. — 4300 block of Falmouth Drive. Noise Disturbance. Police responded to a report of loud noise and found that the sound was coming from a company that was cleaning up a large water leak that damaged several condominium units.

Feb. 18
Dog discovered
2:08 p.m. — 400 block of Firehouse Court. Dog Found. A man found a dog wandering through his neighborhood and put the animal in his backyard. The man told police he would keep the dog for a while before contacting an animal shelter.

Car break-in
3:47 p.m. — 3400 block of GMD. Larceny From Vehicle. A woman said that she returned to her vehicle from the beach and found that her side window had been broken and her purse was taken. Police found that the window appeared to be punched or pried open with a small tool and dusted the vehicle for fingerprints.

Moving day
9:20 a.m. — 500 block of Halyard Lane. Code Enforcement. A man wanted to be sure that the owner of a motor home parked in a driveway near his property was aware of a town ordinance limiting parking for motor homes. The man wanted police to note that it was day one of the vehicle’s parking time. The motor home owner’s wife told police she knew about the ordinance and said that arrangements had already been made for the vehicle’s storage.

Feb. 19
Hose down
11:30 a.m. — 200 block of N. Shore Road. Suspicious Circumstance. An anonymous caller reported that three youths were using his hose to cleanup after going to the beach. The group apologized and agreed to stay off of private property.

‘Candid Camera’: abandoned gas station edition
2 p.m. — 6900 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. A man reported that two males were taking pictures of a possibly underage female wearing “provocative” clothing at an abandoned gas station. The female told police that she had asked her friends to take pictures of her for personal use. Police found that all subjects were of age and properly clothed.

Familiar face
2:39 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway. Larceny. A manager reported that a man entered a store and took a Foster’s beer without paying. The man left the store before police arrived. Police reviewed camera evidence, realized they had encountered the man earlier that morning and issued a capias request.

Feb. 20
Time to call it a night
12:05 a.m. — 600 block of Cedar St. Noise Disturbance. Police received two separate complaints of loud people in a swimming pool. A woman who said she was renting a vacation unit apologized for the noise and said that she and her guest would go inside.

Abandoned bicycle
5:05 p.m. — 3300 block of Harbourside Drive. Property Found. Police took a bicycle reported as abandoned into evidence but were unable to find any record of it being stolen.