Cops Corner: Longboat Key

July 3
Feeling fenced in
5:36 p.m. — 6900 block of Bayside Drive. Larceny. A woman said that she left her bicycle unlocked inside of a fence while she visited Jewfish Key. She returned to find it missing.

Gone before its time
6:51 p.m. — 3200 block of Bayou Sound. Lost/Missing Property. A community association president reported that the neighborhood sign broke during Tropical Storm Debby and was missing when a repairman arrived. The sign was green with “bayou” spelled out in white letters and was going to be replaced soon because of its age.

July 4
What’s the hang-up?
9:04 a.m. — 3700 block of GMD. Abandoned 911 Call. Police responded to an abandoned 911 call in a community clubhouse and found a handset on a phone piece with an open dial tone; police were unable to get the phone to hang up. Police unplugged the phone and left it in a noticeable place in the clubhouse along with a business card.


Ruffling some feathers
11:38 a.m. — 7100 block of Longboat Drive N. Animal Nuisance. A woman reported that a male peacock keeps attacking her car when it sees its reflection in the gloss finish on the side of her car. She asked whether the bird could be removed. Police agreed to forward the issue to Town Hall.

Welcoming committee
1:10 p.m. — 1000 block of Longboat Club Road. Disturbance. A condominium board member complained that people who are frequently on the beach don’t live in the condominium. After further investigation, he determined that the people in question are guests of a resident.

No beer around here
2:25 p.m. — 100 block of Broadway. Code Enforcement. Police warned a woman walking through a parking lot with a 12-pack of beer about a town ordinance prohibiting alcohol on the beach. The woman put the beer back in her car and apologized, saying that she usually goes to Siesta Beach, where alcohol is allowed.

Don’t designate these drivers
4:59 p.m. — 100 block of GMD. Disturbance. An anonymous caller reported that he had given an intoxicated man a boat ride from the water to a parking lot and that the man was near a white truck. The man was sitting inside the vehicle and told police that he was in the area with friends and wasn’t planning to drive. The man’s friends appeared later and they also appeared intoxicated. The group took a cab off the island and a got a warning from police.

July 5
Suspicious vehicle
4:56 p.m. — 500 block of Bayview Drive. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman was at the home of her sister, who died recently, and noticed a pickup truck with three men inside in the driveway. She and her daughter believed that the men were at the home to pick up items left behind by past tenants but couldn’t ask them because of a language barrier. The men left before police arrived.

July 6
Change of pace
11:52 p.m. — 5000 block of GMD. Reckless Driving. A caller reported that a vehicle was swerving and weaving out of its lane. Police followed the vehicle for several miles but observed no violations. The caller, who was behind police, agreed that the vehicle operator had begun driving in a safer manner.

July 7
Drowsy driver
12:44 a.m. — 500 block of GMD. Reckless Driving. A fisherman flagged down police and told them that a man was driving recklessly. The man said that he is unfamiliar with the area and went out to dinner with friends in Sarasota but accidentally wound up on Longboat Key. Police tried to give the man directions, but he said that he was so tired that he would rather call a cab.

Sinking ships
10:22 a.m. — 5400 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. A man told police that an unknown suspect loosened the propeller shafts on both of his company boats, allowing water to leak in, causing both boats to nearly sink. Police agreed to meet with the man to review surveillance tapes of the area in which the boats are docked.