Cops Corner: East County

The following information was gathered from incident and arrest reports obtained from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. 

May 12
cruel and unusual punishment?
12:31 p.m. — 2400 block of Lena Road. Information Only. The complainant reported she feels that a dog’s owner is possibly cruelly treating it. Near the Manatee County landfill she observed the owner throwing the dog into the back of a truck by its collar and hind legs after it ran from its property. The complainant stated she heard the owner say he would teach the dog a lesson when they got home. The owner’s name is unknown, but he is a white male who works for the county and lives on Manatee County property next to the landfill. The responding deputy went to the residence, but no one was home. He observed the puppy in a large kennel outside with plenty of food and water. The dog appeared to be in good health. The deputy found no signs of animal cruelty.

Between a rock ...
11:05 p.m. — 7000 block of Honeysuckle Trail. Unarmed Burglary to an Unoccupied Dwelling. The victim reported she was at dinner with her husband, and when they returned to their residence, she noticed someone had burglarized their residence. The victim discovered the unknown suspect(s) threw a rock through a rear glass door that leads into the master bedroom. Once inside, the suspect(s) went through the master bedroom, bathroom and closet and stole jewelry valued at more than $35,000. The scene was processed with positive results.

May 17
Didn’t get the message
12:15 p.m. — 8494 Lockwood Ridge Road. Larceny Petit Theft First Offense. The complainant works for McDonald’s, and when she entered the restroom she stated she believes she placed her cellphone on or in the cleaning cabinet. She exited the restroom, forgetting to take her phone. About five minutes later, she realized her phone was missing. She called her phone, and a female answered. The female stated it was her phone and ended the call. The complainant called back and a male answered the phone this time and stated his wife thought it was her phone and asked if she could meet somewhere so they could give the phone back. The complainant advised she couldn’t meet and asked them to bring the phone back to McDonald’s. At the time of the report, the phone hadn’t been returned. The estimated value of the phone is $70. The responding deputy called the cell phone and it went straight to voicemail.


May 18
Swiped decal
Noon — 2900 block of Pope Road. Larceny Petit Theft First Offense. Unknown person(s) stole the victim’s registration decal from the license plate on the rear of his vehicle.

May 13
Tag, you’re it
12:25 a.m. — 4400 block of 53rd Avenue East. Recovered Property. The responding deputy observed a vehicle traveling northbound on Lockwood Ridge Road. The driver was unable to maintain in the single lane and crossed over the center lane three times with his left blinker on while traveling in the left lane of a four-lane divided road. The vehicle then crossed over the left solid line two additional times. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver. It was discovered the license plate that was on the vehicle had been reported stolen in Sarasota County. It also was discovered the suspect had a suspended license with knowledge. The deputy issued a citation for failure to drive in a single lane and a citation for a summons to appear for driving with a suspended license. The vehicle’s tag was removed and placed into property and evidence. No one was arrested due to the fact that the defendant had just purchased the vehicle and the seller of the vehicle was unable to be contacted.