Cops Corner: Sarasota

April 26
ID & EGO
2:11 a.m. — 1800 block of South Tamiami Trail. Display ID Card of Another. An employee at a gas station reported a man tried to purchase beer with another person’s identification. The man admitted to officers that he stole his friend’s ID card, and that the friend was unaware of that fact. The gas station employee said she went to high school with the man and the person whose ID he took, so she knew the card didn’t belong to him. The man began to complain that he was being given a summons, and said officers should be dealing with murders instead. After signing the summons, the man said he would never go to court because he had a bunch of lawyers and his father is friends with the county sheriff. After the man continued to complain about the summons, an officer placed him under arrest. En route to the jail, the man told the officer “You just made the biggest mistake of your life … you are going to regret doing this to me.”

April 25
GO BAG
4 a.m. — 4800 block of North Tamiami Trail. Burglary. A man staying at a motel reported that a duffel bag and laptop had been stolen from his room during the early morning. The man said he woke up at 4 a.m. and propped open the door, falling back asleep until 8 a.m. The bag contained approximately 10 pairs of jeans, along with other clothes and a loaded gun.

SEVERANCE PACKAGE
10 a.m. — 1700 block of Ringling Boulevard. Theft — $300 to 20,000. An employee at a cell phone store reported that a former employee stole a phone. The former employee left the box behind, so it appeared it was still in stock. A man bought the phone for $450 online; via email, the former employee denied stealing the phone when the purchaser inquired. An officer arrived at the former employee’s home, who immediately asked if the visit was regarding the phone. The former employee said he would contact the store about repayment.

EXPENSE ACCOUNT
11 a.m. — 200 block of South Tuttle Avenue. Fraud Use of Credit Card. The director of a business said the company switched banks last September, and believed all old accounts were closed. In March, the old bank contacted the company about a past-due payment on an active credit card. The company discovered an employee was using the card for personal items, and had intercepted the bills and paid the minimum charges since November. The company discovered fraudulent charges nearing $19,000 dating back to June 2012.

April 26
DISPUTED CHARGES
12:02 a.m. — 0 block of South Links Avenue. Dispute/Fight. An anonymous caller informed police that there were men charging for parking at a parking garage. An officer arrived on the scene and informed a worker of the complaints. The worker, an employee with a parking company, said he had a contract with the garage owner to enforce paid parking. Nearby businesses were aware of the fact that the garage was charging for parking on weekend nights.