Cops Corner: Longboat Key

March 1
Wildlife encounter
10:59 p.m. — 700 block of Dream Island Road. Animal Nuisance. After receiving complaints about a barking dog, police found that a woman was trying to bring her dog inside but was unable to do so because the dog had an opossum cornered. The woman was eventually able to bring the dog inside after retrieving a collar.

March 9
No malfunctions here
8:49 p.m. — 600 block of Bay Isles Parkway. Property Damage. A man driving an SUV was tailgating another car and tried to go through a community gate without swiping a card. The gate went down on the SUV, possibly scratching its roof and passenger side. The security guard wanted the incident documented in case the SUV driver said that the damage was caused by a gate malfunction.

March 10
Who let the dog out?
4:50 p.m. — 700 block of Tarawitt Drive. Animal Nuisance. A boxer named Oscar charged at a man as he retrieved his mail. Oscar’s owner said that she was attempting to take him back to her sister’s house when he ran off. The woman agreed to keep Oscar leashed in the future.

That’s a long walk
11:42 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway. Suspicious Person. A man who was walking at a brisk pace through a grocery-store parking lot said that he was in town visiting his mother and went out for a walk to look for a place to buy cigarettes. Police told the man that all Key businesses were closed and that he would need to go to Sarasota to buy cigarettes.

After-hours party
11:58 p.m. — 3500 block of Bayou Circle. Noise Disturbance. After receiving a complaint, police found a group of people partying on a boat docked behind a residence. The resident said that he was hosting a birthday party for a friend but agreed to call it a night.

March 11
Passenger pass-off
10:33 a.m. — 400 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. A gas-station attendant reported that a woman sitting at a nearby bus stop who spoke limited English was acting strangely. The woman told police that she works in housekeeping and that her boss was supposed to pick her up and take her to a marina. Marina staff told police that the woman used to work there and has mental disabilities. Police drove the woman off the Key and met with Sarasota police, who drove the woman home.

Speed-boating
12:45 p.m. — Off the Key. Boat Violation. Police cited a boater for violation of speed zone after witnessing the vessel traveling within the marked slow-speed minimal wake zone. The boater also received verbal warnings for not having registration or a throwable safety device on board.

Working dog
1:26 p.m. — 5300 block of GMD. Dog on the Beach. Police received a report of a dog on the beach and found three people sitting in chairs with a golden retriever wearing a service-animal vest. Police told the beachgoers that the dog is allowed on the beach as long as he is working in a service capacity.

Belligerent boaters
9:22 p.m. — Off the Key. Traffic Violation. A couple became agitated when police found safety violations on their boat. The man said that he was a retired member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and didn’t need the personal-flotation device that police said they needed, while the woman asked police if they “didn’t have anything better to do like stop drug runners.” Police issued a citation for not having the flotation device and warnings for not having lighting or a sound-producing device.

Unidentified flying object
9:40 p.m. — 4000 block of GMD. Vandalism. A man reported that his vehicle was struck by an unknown object thrown from another vehicle as he drove northbound on Gulf of Mexico Drive, causing windshield damage. Police were unable to find evidence of the striking object.

March 12
Toxic visitors
11:53 a.m. — 6600 block of GMD. Trespassing. A woman told police that trespassers are using her property illegally to access the beach and have told her that someone named Nancy told them they could cross the property, even though no one named Nancy is authorized to grant them access. The woman also found a partial fish carcass and four raw meatballs in her yard and believes that someone may have been attempting to poison her Doberman service dog.

March 13
Home matters
11:35 a.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Road. Assist Other Agency. A code enforcement officer asked police to serve a resident with a hearing notice in reference to trailers, personal watercrafts and a motorcycle parked in front of the home in violation of town code. A man who was living at the residence told police that the owner wasn’t home but accepted the notice.

Foreclosure flop
4:59 p.m. — 7000 block of St. Judes Drive. Public Service. A man reported that a bank changed the lock of his condominium unit while foreclosing on his neighbor’s unit and that he has been trying for weeks to get the bank to re-key his door locks. Police told him it was a civil matter.

March 14
Barking dogs
9:50 a.m. — 6900 block of Poinsettia Ave. Animal Nuisance. A woman told police that neighbors have had an ongoing problem with barking dogs at a nearby residence. Police received no answer when they knocked on the door but did hear the dogs barking.

Parking Wars: Longboat Key
1:23 p.m. — 2500 block of GMD. Civil Disturbance. A condominium manager called police after a resident became irate because a vehicle was parked in his parking spot and began yelling at her. The manager told police that the man began saying that no one at the complex liked him or ever wanted to help him and that he was going to have her fired and at one point cornered her in her office and pointed his finger in her face. The man told police that he and the manager don’t get along and that he became angry with her because she allowed someone else to park in his spot but denied cornering her or pointing his finger in her face.