Cops Corner: Sarasota

April 11
PREDATORY PRICING
1:30 p.m. — 6500 block of Midnight Pass Road. Suspicious Person. The owner of a bicycle shop asked a homeless man why he was standing in front of his store with a rusty bike. The man said he was trying to sell his friend’s bike for $1. Deputies could not determine if it was actually the homeless person’s bike, and they trespassed him from the property.

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS
12:32 p.m. — 6000 block of Midnight Pass Road. Residential Burglary. A couple reported to deputies someone had broken into their rental villa while they were shopping and had rifled through their belongings. The couple noticed more than $450 cash was missing from their wallets. One wallet contained a single dollar bill after the theft.

April 12
NOW YOU SEE IT …
3:45 p.m. — 100 block of Central Avenue. Trespassing. A police officer patrolling a park saw a homeless man drinking a can of beer. When the officer approached the man, he had already concealed the can in question. The officers could not find the can, but entered the man’s name into a trespassing registry.

April 13
BALANCING ACT
12:14 a.m. — 5200 block of Ocean Boulevard. Driving Under the Influence. A deputy observed a woman strike a concrete pole with her vehicle while she backed out of a parking space, and he suspected she was intoxicated. After trying to balance on one foot, the woman refused to undergo the remaining field sobriety tests, and the officer transported her to jail.

HAZY CONFRONTATION
12:20 a.m. — 5200 block of Ocean Boulevard. Battery. A middle-aged man punched a retiree for pushing him and grabbing his shirt. The middle-aged man said the retiree was intoxicated and had bumped into his girlfriend, and then became irate when he was asked to stop the behavior. The retiree said the other man punched him for no reason. Deputies concluded both men were extremely intoxicated.

RATTLING CAGES
3:45 p.m. — 4000 block of N. Shell Road. Disorderly Conduct. A homeless man, known to law enforcement officers as “Birdman,” was waving a knife and yelling from a beach access at passing Jet Skiers. An off-duty officer detained the man until deputies arrived.

View Sarasota Co. Cops Report 04.25.13 in a larger map