Cops Corner: East County

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

Jan. 5
Cat walk
11:33 a.m. — 6700 block of Carlyle Lane. Theft. Two people visited a woman’s home to care for her cat while she was away. The woman reported someone stole items from her home during that time period.

Jan. 7
Fraudulent footwork
9:41 a.m. — 6200 block of State Road 64 E. Theft. A woman was observed in the shoe department of a store selecting a pair of shoes. The woman concealed the shoes in her purse. She then walked to the ladies department, where she selected a package of socks. She pulled the price tag from the socks and placed them in her purse. She exited the grocery side of the store without paying for the items.

Candid camera
3:35 p.m. — 36000 block of State Road 70 E. Theft. A man wearing an empty, unzipped backpack entered a convenience store. Two younger females accompanied the man. The man walked to the back of the store and selected a 24 pack of beer. He walked out of the view of cameras. Seconds later, the man reappeared, and this time his backpack was zipped and shaped to the size of the case of beer. The man and the females then exited the store without paying for any items. They fled the scene in a light-colored four-door vehicle. Later, an employee at the store reviewed surveillance video and saw the trio steal the items. The employee asked an unidentified person to view the video. That person recognized the suspects in the case but would not cooperate with police.

Jan. 11
Bogey man
3:26 p.m. — 8000 block of Stone Harbour Loop. Theft. A man reported someone stole his golf bag. He does not know who stole it.

Key drop
3:41 p.m. — 5400 block of Tara Boulevard. Property Found. A woman was making a deposit in the night deposit vault of a bank when she found a set of keys. The woman took the keys home and called the sheriff’s office.

Jan. 12
Dinner drama
10:59 p.m. — 5000 block of Vassar Lane. Property Damage. Two female friends went to eat at a restaurant. One of the friend’s former roommates joined them. One of the women became angry during the meal. When another one of the women returned to her vehicle, she found her tires were punctured. The tire punctures were perfectly round, possibly done with a screwdriver or ice pick, a deputy said. The tires are valued at $400.

Bullet trail 
1:17 p.m. — 700 block of Planters Manor Way. Property Found. A deputy responded to a call regarding bullet casings that a homeowner found near his home. The deputy collected 23 bullet casings from the grass near a rear screen door between the lawn and pool. The casings were sprayed in four distinct groups. The deputy packaged the casings and placed them into a secure locker.

Jan. 13
Please don’t be our guests
9:41 p.m. — 600 block of 67th Street Circle E. Trespass Warning. A hotel manager reported two suspicious people were asking customers to buy drugs. The suspicious people — a husband and wife — were staying in a room in the hotel. A deputy responded to their room and saw no signs they were doing or selling drugs. The deputy searched the couple and found nothing. Still, the hotel manager demanded the couple leave the property. They left the property without incident.