Cops Corner: East County

July 3
Escape artist
 8:28 p.m. — 3300 block of 53rd Avenue E. Abandoned Autos. A deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling without lights. It was dusk and cloudy. The deputy ran the car’s tag, which showed the registered owner had a warrant out of Manatee County. After learning that information, the deputy turned on his emergency lights and followed the driver. The driver, a black male with short hair who was wearing a blue-and-white plaid long-sleeve shirt, pulled over and parked his car in the parking lot of a restaurant. He told the cop the car was his mother’s. The deputy knew that to be a lie. He called for backup to respond to the scene. The deputy then told the driver to hand over his driver’s license. The driver patted his pants pockets. Feeling uncomfortable, the deputy stepped back. The driver then exited the car and ran westbound. The deputy called to the other responding units — K9s and a chopper — updating the driver’s movements. The deputies lost track of the driver.

Finder’s keepers
 8:35 p.m. — 2900 block of 53rd Avenue E. Petit Theft. A woman left her purse in her shopping cart as she left a department store. The woman drove away without realizing she had left the purse. She came back to the store less than an hour later to retrieve the purse, but the purse was missing. The woman checked her online bank account, which showed someone made a $94 purchase using her debit card.

July 4
Trading places
 9:50 p.m. — 3000 block of 48th Avenue Drive E. Suspicious Incidents. A deputy responded to a burglary in progress at a home. The caller, a next store neighbor, reported lights were on in the home. She was suspicious as to why. Deputies found the rear lanai door unlocked. They found no one inside the home. A deputy found the home’s owner on the property appraiser’s website. He called the owner. The owner said she sold the home to an investment company, which could be doing renovations to the home.

Independence day
 10:13 p.m. — 8330 block of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. Information Only. A deputy responded to a report of a drunken 17-year-old juvenile. EMS also responded and took the boy to the hospital. The child’s mother said she would ensure her child’s safety after he was released from the hospital.

July 5
GOING ON A TEAR
 10:58 p.m. — Royal Cascades Way/ Tuttle Avenue. Information Only. In this area, there have been numerous complaints of pickup trucks driving in the median after it has rained. When that happens, it tears up the grass. A deputy saw a vehicle stop just off the road. The deputy drove by the vehicle, which then sped off at a fast speed. The vehicle then drove into a stop sign. The deputy stopped the driver. He smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath. He also observed the driver’s vehicle to be covered in mud, as if it had been driven off the road. The deputy cited the driver for running a stop sign.

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