Cops Corner: Sarasota

Jan. 20
MYSTERY MAN
3:09 p.m. — 3900 block S. Tamiami Trail. Petit Theft. A man in his late-30s to mid-40s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, with receding brown hair and a mustache, was seen leaving a store with items for which he did not pay. The store manager told police he would let them know when the surveillance video was ready to be picked up for review.

Jan. 21
BRIBERY WILL GET YOU NOWHERE
12:50 a.m. — 3000 block Gillespie Avenue. Burglary of a Structure. Officers responded to a robbery-in-progress. The caller had found the suspect in her home. She called police after the burglar pleaded with her and offered her money to not tell the police he was there. When police arrived, the resident ran outside and told them there was someone inside. An officer entered the home, and the suspect said, “I give up.” He was taken into custody. The resident did not know the suspect.

IT’S THE PITS
7:06 a.m. — 600 block N. Brink Avenue. Animal Nuisance. Police responded to an ongoing problem with noise from dogs at a home. According to a neighbor, several pitbulls are always chained to the fence in the backyard. A puppy caged in the backyard cries and whines starting at about 6 a.m. and doesn’t stop until nighttime. When the officer arrived, he heard a puppy crying loudly. A man inside the home said the homeowner was out of town, but he would bring the puppy inside to prevent further problems. The officer warned that another call would result in a citation.

WHILE YOU WERE PEEING
6:07 p.m. — 200 block N. Lime Avenue. Miscellaneous. A transient was waiting to catch a bus from Sarasota to Grand Rapids, Mich. He put all of his personal belongings on the bus and went back inside to use the bathroom. The bus departed while the man was still in the bathroom. A police officer transported the man to the Salvation Army and provided him with several resources who could assist him with getting a bus voucher to travel the next day to Grand Rapids.

Jan. 22
DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?
12:43 a.m. — 1400 block Main Street. Suspicion General. A man called police about his car possibly being stolen from a parking lot. The man was thrown out of a bar twice and could not find the key to his car when he and a friend tried to leave. The girl to whom he gave his key arrived in the parking lot and drove him to his home in Venice.

JUST A WALK IN THE PARK
4:10 a.m. — 1800 block Seventh Street. Burglary of a Vehicle. A resident told police officers that he saw a teenager walk up to Buick parked near Gillespie Park and lift the door handle. The resident was standing outside smoking a cigarette when he saw the four teenagers approach the car. An officer contacted the group and noted that one of the teens was wearing gloves, although it was not very cold outside. The teenagers were evasive toward the police officer, and could not give simple information such as their telephone numbers or addresses. The officer transported one of the teens to jail. He was charged with trespassing in a park after hours and giving a false name.

WHAT A DOLL
8:10 a.m. — 2300 block N. Orange Avenue. Burglary of a Structure. When a resident returned home, she observed that a collection of porcelain dolls was in pieces outside the rear door of her home. Inside, the power cords to her television, DVD player, cable box, cellphone charger and fan were cut, and grease was poured all over her bed. The resident believes the suspect to be her ex-boyfriend, who had been trying to meet up with her at her home throughout the night. He called her several times, but the resident refused to meet him. When she was not home, the ex-boyfriend appeared to have gotten inside the residence and sent her a photo of the doll inside her home.

TOTALLY TRASHED
12:27 p.m. — 300 block S. Orange Avenue. Patrol Request. A resident called police because he believed that transients had been using the outside of a business as a “hideout.” The resident told police that trash, drug paraphernalia, excrement and bags have been left at the rear of the building and in the bushes. The resident requested extra police patrol when available.

 

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