Cops Corner: East County

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

Jan. 9
 Accidents happen
2:18 p.m. — 6100 block of Winchester Place. Accidental Shooting. A man unfamiliar with firearms suffered an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound to the hand. The weapon belongs to his girlfriend’s father. He was transported to the hospital. His injury is not life threatening.

Jan. 12 
 Juvenile pleasure
11:16 a.m. — 8400 block of Lockwood Ridge Road. Theft. A juvenile entered a department store and selected two Apple iPhone chargers. She then headed to another aisle and concealed the items in her purse. She went to the front of the store and bought a soda. She made no attempt to pay for the concealed goods in her purse. Store staff stopped the woman and called the sheriff’s office. Deputies determined the woman works and lives nearby. The merchandise, totaling $38, was recovered. The woman had no prior arrest record. Her grandmother picked her up from the store to go home. She was not arrested.

Jan. 14 
 Security break
7:35 a.m. — 6700 block of 33rd Street E. Burglary. Unknown person(s) broke through a gated property and stole tools from a locked trailer. The person(s) fled the property through a break in the fence.

Repeat offender
4:58 p.m. — 1900 block of University Parkway. County Ordinance Violation. A man violated a Manatee County ordinance regarding panhandling. A deputy responded to the incident and told the man to stop panhandling. The man said he understood and left the area. While on the same patrol roughly a half-hour later, the deputy observed the man in the same spot, holding a sign and asking for money. The deputy arrested the man.

Jan. 16 
 Wear it out
1:48 p.m. — 2900 53rd Avenue E. Theft. Inside a department store, a man selected a pair of shoes and put them on his feet. He then put on a pair of sweatpants over the ones he was wearing. He concealed two sets of headphones in the pants. He tied a sweatshirt, which he grabbed from a shelf, around his waist and exited the store. Store monitors caught the man stealing the items, valued at $173.05. The man was found in possession of two needles, a crack pipe and empty drug baggie.

Applied theft
4:10 p.m. — 8300 block of Lockwood Ridge Road. Theft. A white male selected two kitchen appliances from a shelf in a department store. He placed the items, valued at $308, in a cart. He then exited the store without paying. Upon confrontation with store staff, the man fled on foot. All merchandise was recovered and in good condition.

Smashing trend
8:00 p.m. — 3200 block of 59th Drive E. Burglary. While her vehicle was parked at a store, an unknown person(s) smashed one of its windows. Once inside, the unknown person(s) stole the items and fled in an unknown direction. Another vehicle in the same parking lot was also broken into.

Unsportsmanlike conduct
12: 03 a.m. — 10100 block of Malachite Drive. Burglary. A mother was at soccer practice with her children. After returning to her car, she discovered the driver’s side window smashed. As she looked into the smashed window, she discovered her purse missing from the front passenger seat. There are no suspects. No one saw the incident happen. Several credit and debit cards, the victim’s driver’s license and social security card and cash were stolen.