Cops Corner: Longboat Key

Oct. 25
Wheel steal
10:08 a.m. — 3700 block of GMD. Lost/Missing Property. A woman returned to the Key and discovered that her bicycle, which was tied to her porch by a bungee chord, was missing.

Lights out for stone crabs
12:52 a.m. — Off the Key. Boat. Police saw the occupants of a boat using a Q-beam light to illuminate trees and buildings on Jewfish Key. The occupants said they were stone crabbing and denied using lights, but admitted using them after two officers said they witnessed it. Police advised them not to shine lights on homes because it makes it look like they are doing something other than stone crabbing.

Oct. 26
After hours
12:26 a.m. — 3400 block of GMD. Trespassing. Police warned a couple about beach hours after observing their vehicle parked at a public access after hours.

Brush stroke
4:53 a.m. — 700 block of Russell St. Suspicious Circumstance. Police investigated a suspicious noise that a caller said sounded like a vacuum cleaner and found that it was the sound of trees brushing the side of the home.

Dog tag
9:48 a.m. — 5400 block of GMD. Dog Found. A woman found a white poodle running through her complex. Police contacted the owner through the dog’s tags. The owner came to the police station to pick up the dog.

Capture the flag
10:24 a.m. — 2700 block of GMD. Larceny From Public Property. A Public Works employee reported that someone removed the flag from Bicentennial Park.

Rescue mission
2:30 p.m. — 200 block of Sands Point Road. Rescue. Two juveniles swimming and boogie boarding near a hotel were swept out toward the Gulf of Mexico. Their parents tried to bring them in but also got caught up in the rip current. Two resort employees brought the family to shore safely.

Oct. 27
Out of sight
11:14 a.m. — 4400 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. Police saw a man walking through a complex who matched a burglary suspect’s description but lost sight of him before they could make contact.

Park it right there, mister
2:33 p.m. — 1600 block of GMD. Trespassing. A man who had parked his convertible near the beach at the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort had a suspended driver’s license. Police gave him a courtesy ride home.

Cover up
3:45 p.m. — 100 block of Broadway. Sex Offence/Indecent Exposure. A man saw another man stand up in the sand dunes who wasn’t wearing any clothes but put on shorts, a T-shirt and baseball cap before leaving the area about two minutes before police arrived.

Oct. 28
On leave
12:23 p.m. — 4400 block of Exeter Drive. Suspicious Person. A woman reported seeing a suspicious man wearing baggie tan pants with a T-shirt wrapped around his face using a leaf blower around her unit. The woman went downstairs to confront him but he was gone by the time she arrived.

Oct. 29
Unknown territory
11:11 a.m. — 5400 block of GMD. Public Service. A woman and her husband found that their bags were in disarray and $2,325 worth of items were missing after returning from a trip to Jordan, Israel, and other locations. The couple said that the airline told them it would need a police report to process an insurance claim, but police were unsure which jurisdiction should be involved.

Oct. 30
Branching out
3:47 a.m. — 4300 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. Police investigated a noise reported as “two loud wood-like bangs” and determined that it was probably caused by the wind blowing palm tree branches onto the carport.

Scam alert
10:17 a.m. — 500 block of Sanctuary Drive. Fraud/Identity Theft. A woman received a letter stating that she won $1.25 million through Publishers Clearing House along with a $7,000 cashier’s check. A man who answered the phone number on the letter said that she would have to send $265,000 to claim the prize. Then, she called Publishers Clearing House and learned from a representative that the letter was a scam.

Oct. 31
Sending out an S.O.S.
9:11 a.m. — 600 block of Hibiscus Way. Boat. A man reported that over the past five days, a sailboat had taken water and turned over on its side. A boat-towing company employee said the boat was towed there recently by another company, which police weren’t able to reach immediately.