Cops Corner: East County

The following information was gathered from incident and arrest reports obtained from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Feb. 7
 bumper cars
12:53 a.m. — 5200 block of 73rd Lane E. Information Only. A deputy approached his patrol vehicle, which was parked at a fast food restaurant in a shopping plaza. He observed minor damage on the rear driver-side bumper. The deputy went back inside the restaurant and determined that its video surveillance did not cover the side of the business where the deputy’s car was parked. The deputy took the vehicle to a shop. The shop determined a trailer hit the bumper of the car.

Feb. 9
 key suspect
2:34 a.m. — 7500 block of 43rd Court E. Criminal Mischief. A man reported someone keyed his vehicle while it was parked in his driveway. Upon arriving on scene, a deputy observed scrapes in the paint of the vehicle that covered the entire hood and trunk. The hood ornament was broken off and sitting on top of the car. There are no suspects.

Feb. 10
 Gates down
9:53 a.m. — 3700 block of Lena Road. Criminal Mischief. Unknown person(s) drove a vehicle into a gate at the entrance to a driveway to a home and knocked the gate off its hinges. A deputy walked the exterior of the home and noted no burglary had occurred. The deputy called the owner of the home, who was not present at the time of the incident. The homeowner returned to the home and confirmed nothing was missing.

Feb. 11 
 Scratch that
8:15 a.m. — 5500 block of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. Criminal Mischief. An unknown person vandalized a vehicle parked at a high school. The person scratched both the driver and passenger sides with an unknown sharp object. There is no surveillance area in this parking lot. The car suffered $200 in damage.

Paper trail
11:10 a.m. — 6500 block of State Road 70. Possession of Cannabis. A student possessed marijuana at school. The administrative team received an anonymous tip about the incident. Staff removed a sheet of notebook paper from the student’s backpack and found marijuana. The student was arrested.

Salon stalker
1:56 p.m. — 5200 block of University Parkway. Information Only. A woman called about inappropriate behavior from her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. The ex-girlfriend showed up at the victim’s place of employment, a salon. The ex-girlfriend called the salon beforehand to confirm the victim would be there. The victim was advised of the call, so she stayed in her office. From her office, she saw the ex-girlfriend walk around the store for several minutes before leaving.