Cops Corner: Sarasota

July 9
APARTMENT HUNTER
7 a.m. — 500 block of Rawls Avenue. Suspicion Person. A woman said that a man had knocked on her door twice since 7 a.m. that morning. The man asked to speak to the property manager. When officers located the man, he said that he wanted to contact the manager about renting an apartment. The man was given the phone number for the manager and left the area without incident.

July 10
DOG GONE
8:50 a.m. — 5000 block of Barrington Circle. Dispute/Fight. A man reported that, while he was asleep in the morning, his ex-boyfriend came to his apartment and took their dog. He said the other man also bent the tag on his vehicle. The man said his roommate gave the dog to the ex-boyfriend because he asked for it.

July 14
SHATTERED GLASS
2 p.m. — 2200 block of Bahia Vista Street. Suspicion General/Unknown. A man said that he got home from work and noticed one of his sliding glass doors was shattered. The man was at home during his lunch break and said everything was fine, and that he noticed a landscaping crew working on the property. He said he saw a stick edger had been used around the bush by his doors, and speculated that a rock could have ricocheted off and broke the door. The man didn’t understand why, if it was an accident, the landscaping company didn’t report it to the property owner.

RUNNETH OVER
2:06 p.m. — 800 block of North Lemon Avenue. Dispute/Fight. The manager of an apartment complex said that she and her staff were having difficulty with a tenant. The tenant had overflowed her bath and shower stall, causing water damage in the apartment below. The tenant did not cooperate when staff tried to enter her apartment to fix the problem, and was aggressive and verbally abusive toward staff. When officers contacted the tenant, she said she would defend herself but did not want to harm herself. She was convinced that the complainant was an ex-girlfriend. Officers said the woman seemed lucid, and enjoyed antagonizing the authority figures at the apartment complex.

BOOK BUYBACK
2:20 p.m. — 2700 block of West Tamiami Circle. Suspicion General/Unknown. An employee at a bookstore said he received a call from a store affiliate in St. Petersburg. The St. Petersburg employee warned that people were trying to use a gift card to buy items before exchanging those items for cash. Shortly after officers left the scene, the people in question arrived at the store and officers returned. A woman attempting to use the card said her father gave it to her as a birthday gift. Nobody had reported the card as stolen, and the card had a balance of $250. The woman admitted to trying to get cash, and said she needed the money. Officers suggested that the people try to use the gift card online rather than driving around the state.