COPS CORNER: Longboat Key

June 11
Free-flowing fuel
8:04 a.m. — 500 block of Wedge Lane. Fuel Leak. A boat attached to a barge was observed to be leaking fuel into a canal. The source of the fuel was hydraulic fluid leaking from a barge. Workers on scene cleaned up the spill.

Door damage
4:44 p.m. — 3100 block of GMD. Property Damage. A man reported that someone dented the left front door of his rental car, causing $500 worth of damage. Police believe a black car hit the vehicle while entering or exiting a parking space.

Don’t mess with the nests
8:01 p.m. — 3100 block of GMD. Animal Rescue. A woman reported that two juveniles with observed learning disabilities disturbed a marked sea-turtle nest. The parents of the children were spoken to; they promised the children wouldn’t disturb any more nests.

June 12
Oh, sherry
11:41 p.m. — 100 block of GMD. Traffic Violation. Police observed a man parked on the sidewalk with the engine running. When police asked for his driver’s license, he fumbled with his phone. Police observed the man looked disoriented and he was sweating profusely. Longboat Key Fire Rescue observed the man had a series of seizures and dispatched paramedics. After being monitored and noting that he drank cooking sherry by mistake, he took a cab home.

Shark sighting
3:47 p.m. — 4800 block of GMD. Public Service. A 7-foot dead shark was located on the beach, and Mote Marine Laboratory was sent pictures. Public Works Department employees later removed the shark.

June 13
Fence fallout
11:57 a.m. — 600 block of Bay Isles Parkway. Property Damage. A security guard officer reported a truck hitting a gatepost and causing $600 worth of damage.

That’s one way to enter
1:38 p.m. — 5800 block of GMD. Property Damage. The owner of a rental unit reported damage to his front door. A man who rented the unit locked the keys inside, and, instead of using a nearby emergency phone to gain access to the unit, he decided kicking in the front door and causing $1,390 worth of damage was a better solution.

Elevator smoke
2:13 p.m. — 1000 block of GMD. Fire. A report of a fire turned out to be smoke caused from a hydraulic fluid leaking out of an elevator shaft.

Facing the wrong way
5:11 p.m. — Intersection of Longboat Drive South and Cedar Street. Parking Complaint. The town’s code-enforcement officer observed tree-trimming trucks parked in the opposite direction of oncoming traffic along a side of Longboat Drive South. Police handled the matter because it’s a violation of town codes.

June 14
Boat removal
11:16 a.m. — 4700 block of GMD. Abandoned Boat. Police assisted with traffic control on Gulf of Mexico Drive when an abandoned boat and trailer were removed near the Atlas Street beach access.

Look the other way
1:41 p.m. — 200 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. A woman reported two suspicious-looking men working in a parking lot. The men were working on a water line near GMD, and police verified their employment with a drilling-and-pump service company. The woman asked police to tell the men not to look at her employees. Police explained it was against Constitutional rights for police to tell someone not to look at another person.

Parking the wrong way
6 p.m. — Intersection of Longboat Drive and Cedar Street. Traffic Violation. Police observed a truck and a trailer driving westbound on Broadway with no visible tags on either. He was issued citations for both and a notice to appear in court for driving without the proper driver’s license classification. He also had no registration or proof of insurance.

Mysterious boat
11:07 p.m. — 10 block of Linley Street. Suspicious Circumstance. A marine patrol officer observed a man on a boat shining flashlights in the water and onto home near a resident’s boat dock. Police couldn’t locate the boat after discussing the complaint with the homeowner. They opted not to deploy a search after observing nothing out of place.

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