Cops Corner: East County

May 8
Budding thief
2:04 p.m. — 2900 block of 53rd Avenue E. Petit Theft. A man stole two pairs of earbud headphones from a store. Store security confronted the man and brought him inside.

May 13
Handling it
10:53 p.m. — 6600 block of Copper Ridge Trail. Criminal Mischief. A woman returned home from a walk and discovered unknown suspect(s) had sprayed black paint on the door handles of her vehicle. It will not cost more than $150 to remove the paint.

May 14
Impatient customer
9:42 a.m. — 7100 Chatum Light Run. Civil Dispute. A man reported a possible scam. Earlier this month, he paid $95,000 to a machinery company in Miami for a bulldozer. The company promised delivery in 10 days, but 11 days after ordering, the man had not received the equipment. The man could not track the order and is concerned the company kept his money. A deputy called the company’s listed contact, who spoke with a heavy accent and got another employee on the phone. The second employee said the bulldozer is in transit, but the product is awaiting clearance to enter the United States from Canada. The deputy told the man to contact him if the delay continues.

Lost and found
5 p.m. — 6700 State Road 70 E. Information Only. A woman left her house to take a driving test at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. She said the drive should have taken 15 minutes, but she missed a turn and got lost. She continued driving until she stopped at a bank. The bank contacted the Sheriff’s Office for assistance. The woman’s sister-in-law spoke with the deputy and said she would pick up the woman from the bank.

May 15
Smells fishy
12:24 a.m. — 3300 block of 53rd Avenue E. Warrant. A deputy found a man with an active warrant out of Manatee County and took him into custody. The deputy said the man emitted a suspicious odor, so he completed a lab request to determine if illegal chemicals or ingredients were causing the odor.

Big-bang theory
3:25 p.m. — 3600 block of 61st Drive E. Suspicious Incidents. A man heard a loud bang and saw a person drive south in a vehicle. After the bang, a small fire started in wooded debris dumped at the location.
The fire department responded and put out the fire. The man who heard the bang took a photo of the person who drove away in the vehicle.

Ain’t too proud to beg
7:43 p.m. — 3000 block of University Parkway. Trespass Warning. A man stood in a parking lot outside a restaurant and asked customers exiting the restaurant for money. A Manatee County police officer happened to be on scene. The officer contacted the restaurant’s manager, and the two of them escorted the begging man from the scene.