2014: The best of Cops Corner

Jan. 2
Hitting the roof
7:38 p.m. — 2200 block of Harbour Court Drive. Suspicious Circumstance. A man heard noises coming from his home that sounded like someone was walking on his roof. Police noticed that heavy winds were blowing the awning and its framework against the roof. The man plans to have his awning replaced.

Jan. 31
The Last Word
9:16 a.m. — 4800 block of GMD. Harassing Phone Call. A condo manager reported that one of his employees constantly receives harassing phone calls from his ex-girlfriend, who lives in Canada. The employee said he has gotten approximately 448 calls from her on his cell phone and work phone in the past two months and worries she will try to sabotage his attempts to become a U.S. citizen, as she has done in the past. She called while the police were speaking to the man, and police told her that she could face an arrest warrant next time she visits the United States if she continues to call. She agreed to stop.

Feb. 3
Turf Wars
10:29 p.m. — 600 block of Cedar Street. Disturbance. A man said someone has been knocking over small wooden poles that line the corner of his property and throwing yard waste in the same area. He placed the poles in the yard to stop people from driving and parking on his lawn and said a neighbor and her friend have threatened him and forced him to clean up debris in the three months since then. The neighbor told police she has no idea who was knocking over the poles and placing debris in the yard and said everyone in the neighborhood has trouble with the man.

Feb. 17
Peacock game
11:38 a.m.— 500 block of Dream Island Road. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman with a French accent followed a couple to their condo three weeks earlier and said she wanted to follow them home because she crossed the white line on the road, and she was playing the “peacock game.” The woman asked them if they lived in the condo full time. The couple thought the incident was strange but decided to report it when they read a Longboat Observer article about scams that mentioned a woman who claimed to be playing the “peacock game.”

Feb. 23
Snake strike
5:44 p.m. — 600 block of Bayview Drive. Animal. A woman noticed a multicolored snake while watering her plants and worried it could be poisonous. Police approached the snake with a shovel, and the snake struck at it. Police killed the snake with the shovel and placed it in nearby bushes to decompose.

March 5
Sleepy cyclist
6:44 a.m. — 400 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. A man was sleeping near the table of a gas station. He told police he was riding his bike from Holmes Beach to Nokomis and stopped because he was tired but didn’t mean to fall asleep.

March 14
Memory Lapse
6:08 p.m. — 5400 Block of GMD. Public Service. A man reported that his convertible had possibly been stolen from his home. Bradenton Beach officers found the vehicle at the city’s marina less than an hour after police issued an alert. The man said he then remembered taking the car to the city’s marina the night before and driving his boat home.

March 20
Drinking and ducking
7:17 p.m. — 100 block of Broadway. Suspicious Person. A man tried to hide from an officer’s view by ducking between two parked cars. He was trying to conceal an open container of beer under one of the cars. Police confiscated his expired driver’s license and gave him a written warning for the open container.

April 21
Something’s fishy
4:08 p.m. — 500 block of Ranger Lane. Suspicious Circumstance. Someone tossed a dead fish against a woman’s door and tried to get into the home through the back door. The woman said she recently made controversial comments on her blog and believes the fish toss could be connected.

The ham burglar
10:51 a.m. — 3000 block of Grand Bay Blvd. Larceny. A 5-pound ham was stolen from a locked condo clubhouse refrigerator that was subsequently relocked. The victim had secured the refrigerator with a chain and lock because of prior thefts. The condo manager and the victim do not know who could have taken the ham.

May 2
Empty threat
12:19 p.m. — 4700 block of GMD. Welfare Check. A hotel manager called police after a woman took an iPad out of her roommate’s luggage before taking a shuttle to a Bradenton Beach gift shop. The roommate said the woman had threatened to harm herself earlier that morning when they were extremely intoxicated. Police found the woman and determined that she did not want to harm herself.

May 13
Baggage claim
8:12 a.m. — 6500 block of GMD. Found Property. A woman flagged down police after she left her purse on top of her car and lost it when she pulled onto the road. The dispatcher told police the purse had already been turned in as found property.

May 24
Native son
11:16 p.m. — 3600 block of Fair Oaks Place. Suspicious Circumstance. A man said there were cars at the home of his neighbor, who is in England. Police found the homeowner at the house, who was confused because he has not been in England. He lives in Tampa and comes to the home once a month.

June 17
Double take
5:18 a.m. — 5100 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. A man called for a cab, then called police because he noticed a suspicious man walking around the complex. He didn’t realize the man was the cab driver looking for his unit.

June 28
No pool permission
7:35 p.m. — 800 block of Jungle Queen Way. Suspicious Circumstance. A boy called his parents to report that two young women were swimming in their pool without permission. By the time police arrived, the women had left.

July 14
Call me, maybe
10:30 a.m. — 4600 block of GMD. Disturbance. A man admitted to taking down a beach canopy another man put up on the beach because he worried it would interfere with turtle nesting. He didn’t know how to take it down, so he dragged it further down the beach and didn’t know that he broke it in the process. Police told him it was not his place to remove the property and told him to call authorities in the future.

July 17
Forbidden books
3:19 p.m. — 700 block of Longboat Club Road. Domestic Disturbance. A condo manager called police after a man threw a stack of old books his wife had amassed over the years out the window. The woman told the officer she just wanted to be left alone, so police told the man to not bother her and clean up the yard.

July 19
Unexpected shower
11:47 a.m. — 500 block of Companion Way. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman at a beach access received an unexpected shower from a nearby sprinkler and called police. Property owners could not be reached, so the officer blocked the sprinkler with plywood to deter further problems.

Aug. 4
Wet bandits
12:17p.m. — 200 block of GMD. Miscellaneous. A witness said he saw subjects in the back of a car throwing water balloons at pedestrians and other vehicles on the roadway. The witness said he saw a cyclist get struck by a balloon and another balloon enter a vehicle through an open window. Police stopped the vehicle in question, and the subjects admitted to throwing the balloons from the moving vehicle. The officer seized the balloons, photographed them and destroyed them.

Aug. 31
Learning curve
11:29 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Road. Suspicious Person. Police responded to a report of a suspicious driver circling an area grocery store. The officer located the vehicle and found two teenagers, one with a learner’s permit and another who said he was helping his girlfriend learn to drive. The two practiced in the area for a few more minutes then left the scene.

Sept. 5
A rude awakening
10:18 p.m.— 200 block of Sands Point Road. Fire Alarm. A woman was asleep at a resort when the unit’s sprinkler system began to spray her. When she got up to evacuate, she slipped and injured her knee. Firefighter/paramedics on the scene looked at her knee and advised her to go to the emergency room; she refused. The officer observed nearly an inch of water on the floor in her room. Responders didn’t find fire and cleared the scene. The woman was given a new unit to stay in for the night.

Sept. 14
Repo madness
8:57 p.m. — 500 block of Ketch Lane. Security Check. A repossession agent called police after several attempts to contact a woman, from whom he was trying to repossess her black Cadillac. Police entered the home after knocking loudly on the door and heard screaming from inside the back bedroom. Police spoke with the woman through the door, and she told the officers she had a gun and wanted them out of her house. The repossession agent said he would return with the proper paperwork. Police left a note for the woman’s nurse to find the next day.

Sept. 25   
That answers that
4:57 p.m. — 3200 block of Bayou Sound. Suspicious Circumstance. A woman whose husband recently died called police to report a scam after receiving a strange letter from an insurance company with which she said she had never done business. The letter included specific questions the woman was uncomfortable answering and stated she would receive a payout. Police told the woman to call the listed number of the company. She realized it was an old forgotten policy.

Oct. 9
Hospitality heist?
5:48 a.m. — 200 block of Sands Point Road. Suspicious Circumstance. A resort security guard said a woman drove off after placing a toaster and a bag of bed linens into the back of a Jeep. The guard was uncertain whether the items were stolen from a guest room or belonged to a unit owner. Police did not find anyone who matched the description.

Oct. 20
Follow the Leader
5:59 p.m. — 3500 block of Fair Oaks Lane. Suspicious Circumstance. A man who works on the Key became worried that a man was following him as he drove. Out of concern, he turned around, and the second driver also turned around. The worker turned into his place of employment, but the motorist continued to drive straight, and the employee then followed the man as he drove to his home. The driver told police he was not following anyone and that he does not know the driver of the other vehicle.

Oct. 30
Not-So-Trivial Purse-uit
4:10 p.m. — 5700 block of GMD. Lost/Missing Property. A man noticed six purses missing from his unit. A cleaning company had boxed up purses, shoes and dresses from his unit for cleaning after his condo unit sustained water damage. The purses were valued at $2,250.

Nov. 11
Dog Fight
6:43 p.m. — 7000 block of Palm Drive. Dog Fight. A mixed-breed dog attempted to greet a Labradoodle, then attacked the Labradoodle after the dogs sniffed in an area where dogs often play unleashed. The Labradoodle’s owner did not notice the dog was bleeding until she got him home. The dog did not require medical attention, and the mixed-breed dog’s owner provided forms verifying the dog was up-to-date on vaccinations.

Nov. 25
Long-lost friend
9:06 a.m. — 6500 block of Bayou Hammock Road. Burglary. A resident saw a man wandering around his front yard and ignored him when he asked what he was doing. The man entered the unlocked lanai and forced open the bedroom sliding glass door. He later told police he was looking for his friend, Bubba. Police determined that he was possibly under the influence of substances, although he did not have any in his possession, and arrested him for burglary.

Dec. 7
What would Jesus do?
10:58 a.m. — 6400 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. A homeless man became angry after church members gave him a drink of water but refused to let him enter the kitchen. The man said church members would not let him drink out of the water fountain and he got a bad vibe from members. He said Jesus would want him to eat and asked to see what was in the refrigerator. He threatened to burn the church down, saying its members were not real Christians, when he was asked to leave. Police gave him a ride to Sarasota.

Big bang theory
3:02 p.m. — 4300 block of GMD. Civil Disturbance. A man said he was uneasy about returning to his condo alone after an argument with construction workers and asked police to accompany him and speak to the workers. The construction supervisor said the man was the one who began yelling at the crew about loud noise. He said the man put a radio out on his balcony and played loud music while walking up and down the walkway, banging pots and pans.