Cops Corner: East County

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

Nov. 19 
 Questionable source
11:26 a.m. — 10500 block of Aurora Street. Information Only. The sheriff’s office received a report of possible human trafficking and child pornography. The allegations are related to an ongoing capital sexual battery investigation in Sarasota County. The sheriff’s office looked into the allegations and confirmed there are no indications that anything new happened in Manatee County. A confessed drug user made the allegations.

Scratch and sniff
9:14 p.m. — Heritage Green Way/State Road 64. Information Only. A deputy used his K-9 to do an exterior vehicle sniff. At first, the dog did not change its behavior upon sniffing. On his second pass around the vehicle, the dog squared up with the driver’s side door, wagged his tail, perked his ears, jumped on his hind legs and stuck his head in the open window. His breathing became heavier as he scratched the inside of the vehicle. The deputy instructed the dog to exit the vehicle. At its third pass around the vehicle, the dog stopped at the passenger side door and had the same reaction. The dog’s behavior told the deputy there were drugs in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed no drugs. The vehicle’s owner denied using drugs and said he hasn’t been around marijuana in six years.

Nov. 24
Smash and dash
10:10 p.m. — 3600 block of 45th Street E. Burglary. A deputy responded to a suspicious circumstance. An unknown person(s) smashed through a door of a trailer. The person(s) left the area driving northbound in a colored SUV. The case is unsolved.

Nov. 25
 Window of opportunity
12:52 a.m. — 7100 block of Ashland Glenn. Suspicious Incidents. While canvassing the area, a deputy noticed a pry mark on a home’s window frame. The deputy contacted the homeowner, who told him the pry mark had been there for some time. The homeowner later changed her story and said the pry mark could be fresh and she is not sure how it happened. The homeowner said she had been home all day and nothing had gone missing from her house. The homeowner said she would contact her glass-cleaning company to determine if it is responsible for damaging the window frame.

Parting gifts
1:58 p.m. — 6500 block of Anchor Loop. Theft. The victim received a ride home from a suspect at around 2 a.m. Another suspect drove in a separate vehicle behind them. They all drove to the victim’s home and spent an hour there. Later, the victim noticed $360 and an antique diamond ring were missing from the kitchen counter.

Nov. 28 
 Sod story
6:02 a.m. — 14700 block of Second Avenue Circle NE. Information only. A person reported someone drove through his front yard and damaged sod. It is unknown if the person will replace the sod or let it regrow on its own.