Cops Corner: Longboat Key

May 24
Rental inquiry
11:55 p.m. — 5000 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. Police spotted a vehicle parked at an angle on the east shoulder of the road with a man standing next to the driver’s seat and a woman seated inside. The pair told police that they were looking at a property for rent and trying to determine the address so that they could contact the Realtor.

May 25
Something’s screwy
3:56 p.m. — 1900 block of GMD. Civil Disturbance. A woman who had an ongoing dispute with a condominium employee about payment for work she hired him to complete said that the employee approached her group as they were leaving the pool and became angry after her son told him that it wasn’t a good time to talk. The woman also said that the flowers planted outside her door had been cut without her permission and that her son found approximately 20 sheet-metal screws with the tips pointing up near his vehicle. The property’s security guard told police that the screws on the ground were accidentally spilled two weeks earlier.

Service dog snafu
6:58 p.m. — 5300 block of GMD. Civil Disturbance. A man reported that a storeowner refused to allow his daughter’s registered service dog to enter the business. Police were unable to locate the storeowner.

May 26
Dog’s day of summer
2:24 p.m. — 100 block of N. Shore Road. Dog on the Beach. A man who was unaware of town ordinances received a written warning for having his dog on the beach.

Kayak caper
3:05 p.m. — Off the Key. Larceny. A man reported that an unknown person cut a cable and stole his tandem kayak sometime between April 26 and May 10. Police agreed to look for the missing vessel but said that it would be difficult to find because of the time lapse.

Corona cooler
4:25 p.m. — 100 block of GMD. Code Enforcement. Police saw a cooler filled with Corona beer at a park picnic table and noticed two men fishing nearby. The men confirmed the beer belonged to them. The men received a written warning and voluntarily left the area.

May 27
Sound of silence
9:32 a.m. — 500 block of Lyons Lane. Disturbance. Police didn’t hear any noise after receiving an anonymous complaint about construction noise at a home. The resident of the home told police that a crew had cut a wood beam in his driveway but would not cause additional noise.

Paddling pup
12:06 p.m. — One block of Winslow Place. Dog Nuisance. A man complained that his neighbor’s dog barks continuously during the neighbor’s twice-a-day swims. The neighbor said that his dog swims and occasionally barks during that period. Police provided both men with copies of the town’s noise ordinance.

Asleep at the wheel
3:11 p.m. — 7100 block of GMD. Trespassing. Police found two people, neither who had a valid driver’s license, sleeping inside of an older red van. The occupants told police that a woman named Ashley drove the van to the area and went to the beach but they were unable to locate Ashley. Police warned the occupants not to return to the van and drive it away but arrested the man about an hour later after he did just that.

Hot dog
4:05 p.m. — 3400 block of GMD. Dog Rescue. Police found a car parked at a beach access with the windows cracked and a dog inside. The owner returned to the car and told police that she took the dog to the beach, unaware that dogs are prohibited, and had placed the dog in the car while she gathered the rest of her belongings. 

May 28
Bushwhacked
9:05 a.m. — 3700 block of GMD. Property Damage. Near the front of her mobile-home community, a woman found the disabled veteran tag that her friend gave her and noticed damage to a nearby bush. Police were unable to find any vehicles with front-end damage in the area.

Nesting mode
9:28 a.m. — 5800 block of GMD. Public Service. A property manager told police that she placed several chairs on the beach earlier that morning and does not leave equipment out overnight. Police had received a call about a possible turtle-related violation.

Setting sail until his friend makes bail
11:50 a.m. — Off the Key. Disturbance. A man on an inflatable raft was reportedly yelling at and beating on a red sailboat occupied by a 17-year-old female. The man said that he was watching the sailboat for his friend who is in jail and that he and the woman got into an argument. Police escorted both parties to the town’s boat dock and contacted the teen’s mother.

May 29
Early riser
3:13 a.m. — 6900 block of Bayside Drive. Suspicious Vehicle. A woman who was sleeping in her vehicle told police that she was waiting to watch the sunrise and had gotten in an earlier argument with the friends with whom she was staying. Police told the woman to park in the parking lot of the boat ramp if she wanted to wait for the sunrise.