Cops Corner: Sarasota

Sept. 14
SHOW’S OVER
9 a.m. — 1100 block of University Parkway. Burglary of a Structure. A manager called police to notify them that several trailers were broken into overnight. One of the trailers was broken into using a pry tool, and the screen door on another had been cut. Several televisions were stolen.

Sept. 16
FIERY PERSONALITIES
11:24 p.m. — 2500 block of S. Tamiami Trail. Make/Possession of Destructive Device. A person or group of people driving past a bar threw something at two men sitting by their motorcycles. The device flew above the heads of the men. It may have been a pipe bomb, but police and fire officials were unable to determine what the device was. The two men said the device appeared to be a fireball the size of a basketball when it was thrown.

Sept. 17
ONE IN 100
Midnight — 1700 block of Waldemere Street. Theft. A resident called police to report that three of his watches had been stolen from his home. The resident told police that he last saw the watches about a year ago. He has a job overseas, he said, that keeps him away from home frequently, and between guests and contractors doing work on the home, “probably 100 people have keys to the house.” The homeowner had no idea who might have stolen the watches. There were no signs of forced entry to the home, and nothing else appeared stolen or moved.

CHALK IT UP TO A MISUNDERSTANDING
9:00 a.m. – 2100 Main Street. Suspicious Incident. A resident called police because of a dispute he was having with a parking-enforcement officer. The resident was upset because he thought the parking officer damaged the bumper on his Mercedes when he chalked the rear tire of the vehicle. A police officer noticed three small marks on the bumper and tried rubbing them off without success. The police officer examined the chalk stick used by the parking officer and concluded that the chalk would not be able to cause the damage. The driver, however, swore that the parking-enforcement officer caused the damage and said he had a video to prove it — although he was unable to produce the video for the officer. Photos were taken of the chalk stick and the damage to the Mercedes.

Sept. 19
NO SLEEPING HERE
5:55 p.m. – 1400 block Main Street. Lodging-Out-of-Doors. A restaurant owner called police about a man sleeping on the patio and refusing to leave. Upon their arrival, officers found the man passed out on the patio and using a backpack as a pillow. The man was able to stand on his own, but was unable to make rational decisions. Officers transported him to a hospital under the Marchman Act. The restaurant owner told police he wants the man to receive a trespass warning for being on his property.

NOT A DOG PERSON
4:57 p.m. – 400 block Benjamin Franklin Drive. Unclassified. A resident called police about a dog on the beach near one of the lifeguard stands. It has been an ongoing problem, according to the resident who called. The caller refused to wait for police officers to arrive or answer further questions.

BIKE HEIST
8:10 p.m. – 700 block Osprey Avenue. Strong Arm Robbery. A transient was standing next to his bicycle at Gillespie Park when two men came up to him. One of the men grabbed his bike, and when the bike owner tried to retrieve it, one of the men punched him in the mouth. The bike owner was knocked to the ground, and the two subjects walked off with his purple-and-beige mountain bike. The two men were wearing black clothing, and one had a knife.

Sept. 20
TOO STUBBORN TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS
1:46 a.m. – 1900 block Main Street. Unclassified. Someone broke into parking garage and stole a GPS, GPS charger and cell-phone charger from a car.