Cops Corner: Sarasota

Jan. 31
NOT-SO-JOYOUS RIDE
2 a.m. — 400 block of Canal Road. Vehicle Crash. A woman told deputies she heard a crash in front of her home. The following morning she discovered there was an abandoned, wrecked vehicle in her shrubs. The owner of the vehicle said her daughter was driving it the previous night, but that an unknown person stole the car prior to the crash. There was no sign of forced entry, and the daughter’s personal belongings were still in the car.

Feb. 1
GONE IN 30 MINUTES
12:30 a.m. — 6500 block of Midnight Pass Road. Grand Theft. A man left his cell phone and wallet at the bar in a restaurant for 30 minutes. The items were missing when he returned.

Feb. 2
KARATE KICK
8 a.m. — 1900 block Main Street. Criminal Mischief. Officers responded to a past crime. A man wearing dark pants kicked the glass door located in a third-floor lobby. The aspiring ninja was caught on videotape.

BIKER GANG
9 p.m. — 700 block of Beach Road. Grand Theft. A man told officers someone broke his bicycle lock and stole his rented bike. The owner of the rented bicycle said there have been a rash of bike burglaries lately.

Feb. 3
ROWDY RUNNER
2:28 a.m. — 1400 block Main Street. Disorderly Intoxication. Police officers observed a 34-year-old man standing in the parking lot behind Smokin’ Joes Pub on Main Street and screaming at the bar’s bouncers. The bouncers told police officers that the man was removed from the bar due to his “high intoxication level and starting fights” with other bar patrons. Officers tried to talk to the man, but he continued to scream at them and the bouncers. The man began to walk away and continued to scream. Officers ordered him to stop, but he ran north on Pineapple Avenue. A police officer used a Taser to subdue the man and then arrested him for disorderly intoxication. The man had “battered three victims” inside and outside the bar. Police transported the man to the Sarasota County jail.

MUSICAL CHAIRS
6 p.m. — 2600 block Waldemere Street. Theft. Some time overnight, a bench was stolen from Arlington Park. Early Monday, a city parks employee noticed that the metal bench was missing from the walking trail in the park near Hillview Street, according to a police report. The bench was worth approximately $800. An officer responded to the park to investigate, but there were no witnesses. It appeared that the suspect or suspects “carried the bench” from its park perch.

Feb. 4
TRESPASS WARNING
8:30 a.m. — 1700 block Main Street. Trespassing. A business owner met police to talk about a transient who was loitering. An officer issued a trespass warning to the transient and warned him not to stay on the property.

EVERYBODY HURTS
10:15 p.m. — 5800 block of Midnight Pass Road. Driving Under the Influence. An officer stopped a man driving his motorcycle slowly and weaving in his lane. The man refused any tests and said, “I’m sorry for my lack of judgment. I’m in pain.”

SIRI’S FAULT
11:10 p.m. — intersection of Midnight Pass Road and Ocean Boulevard. Vehicle Crash. A woman became distracted by her GPS system and crashed her vehicle into another car. She admitted to deputies that she was at fault.

Feb. 5
WILD AND FREE
3:05 p.m. — Dolphin Street. Unclassified. A subject was seen walking down the street with his “pants/underpants down.” The subject screamed and then ran down the street.

CHAINED OUT
4:15 p.m. — 200 block N. Lime Ave. Burglary of a Structure. Sometime overnight, unknown suspects tried to break into a church sanctuary. The suspect or suspects pulled open the doors and tried to get into the building. According to police, they were unable to gain entry only because there was a chain on the inside of the doors.

Feb. 6
LOUD WORKOUT
6:11 p.m. — 500 Audubon Place. Unclassified. Loud music was reported between a fitness club and the railroad tracks.

WALL CLIMBING
9:04 p.m. — 1500 block Main Street. Suspicion Person. A resident called police about three suspicious men possibly climbing out of a window. A police officer found the men, who admitted they climbed the building and that it was foolish, but they said they did not go into the building. A key holder for the building checked to make sure nothing was out of place. The three men “apologized for their indiscretion” and said they would not do anything like that again. They left the area without incident.

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