Cops Corner: Sarasota

Dec. 24
Strange encounter
2:36 a.m. — 1200 block of North Gulfstream Avenue. Suspicious Person. A security guard told police an irate man came into a condominium lobby and screamed at him about breaking some agreement he knew nothing about.

Holiday heist
9:09 p.m. — 10 block of Lemon Avenue. Purse Snatch. A woman told police that someone stole her purse from the back of her chair while she got up to dance. More than one patron at the restaurant noticed a younger intoxicated couple leave the restaurant with a purse matching her description. That same couple fled the bar without paying the $68 tab.

Dec. 25
Kind gestures create crowd
8:30 a.m. — 50 block of Central Avenue. Suspicious Circumstance. A man told police he was concerned about a large group of transients congregating in Selby Five Points Park. Police noted the group had congregated only to receive gifts and food from the local churches in the area in celebration of the Christmas holiday.

Dec. 26
No loitering allowed
12:45 a.m. — 1200 block of North Palm Avenue. Trespassing. Five men were issued trespass warnings for loitering in the Palm Avenue parking garage.

Surprise shatter
7:05 p.m. — 4000 block of South Tamiami Trail. Criminal Mischief. A store manager told police he was preparing for a sale before his store opened when he noticed a loud bang and found the front store window shattered. Police were unable to determine who or what shattered the glass.

Doughnut thieves
3:54 a.m. — 1700 block of North Washington Boulevard. Theft. A store clerk told police when she asked two women to put back some glazed doughnuts they had no intention on buying, they screamed obscenities at her and then took off with the doughnuts.

Dec. 27
Graffiti trend
7:20 a.m. — 1700 block of Main Street. Graffiti. A business owner reported graffiti on a Main Street light pole that was consistent with other graffiti tags around town.

Kiss proves costly
12:39 p.m. — 3900 block of South Tamiami Trail. Animal Bite. A woman told police that while her dog was tied to a bicycle rack in front of a drug store, the dog lunged at a man and bit him in the face. Police made contact with the man at the hospital and discovered he was drunk. The man admitted to trying to kiss the dog, which responded by injuring his right eye and his nose. Animal Control only cited the dog’s owner for not having the dog properly registered.

No longer welcome
7:57 p.m. — 2500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Trespassing. A motel owner asked police to remove a longtime guest for causing a disturbance. The man left immediately after police officers arrived.

Dec. 29
Family feud
2:30 a.m. — 1300 block of Glen Oaks Drive East. Family Disturbance. A man told police he was upset that his son and daughter came down for the holidays and began rummaging through his personal paperwork whenever they had a chance. Police advised the man to change the locks on his doors.

Wasted break-in
8 a.m. — 1900 block of Mound Street. Burglary. A construction worker told police an unknown person forced their way into a work trailer that’s on the site for a new city lift station being built. The thief only made off with some coffee and crackers.

Tailgate trouble
6:22 p.m. — 1000 block of Boulevard of the Arts. Dispute. A hotel employee told police a group of guests staying at the hotel were grilling hot dogs in the parking lot and were asked to stop. The guests were cleaning up their tailgate when police arrived.

Valet service questioned
7:47 p.m. — 1000 block of Boulevard of the Arts. Dispute. A man told police a valet driver jumped in his car and moved it 10 feet while his family was inside the car. The man was upset because the valet service allowed him to leave his car out front for a few minutes, but he didn’t give them permission to move the car while his family was sitting in it. The man told police he was making plans to sue the hotel for terrifying his family.

Dec. 30
Bicycle theft reported
5:30 a.m. — 2000 block of Cornell Street. Theft. A cab driver told police that when he returned to the cab station, someone had cut the lock used to secure his bike to a fence and stolen it.

Helplessly hammered
8:36 p.m. — Intersection of Lockwood Ridge Road and Ashton Road. Impaired Person. Police found a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk, throwing up on himself. The man told police he was “hammered drunk” and he was driven to a homeless facility.

Conversation starter
10 p.m. — 3700 block of South Tuttle Avenue. Theft. A woman told police she believes a man stole her purse at a discount clothing store after he engaged her in a suspicious conversation about women’s clothing. She thinks she set her purse down for a moment to answer his questions and he took off with it.

Dec. 31
Running scared
8:37 a.m. — 2800 block of Bee Ridge Road. Burglary. A storeowner told police a thief broke a hole in a glass storefront window, causing the alarm sensor to go off and scaring the thief away.