Cops Corner: East County

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

April 28
 Trust issues
11:33 a.m. — 5300 block of 53rd Avenue E. Exploitation of Elderly. An elderly woman reported that her caretakers stole $48,000 from her over a period of time. The woman does not wish to pursue charges.

April 30
 Hot dog
1:08 p.m. — 8300 block of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. Information Only. A woman called the police because she saw a dog locked in a vehicle with all four windows open only about two inches. A deputy arrived. The dog did not look in distress. The sheriff’s office contacted animal services. After about 25 minutes, the dog owner returned to the vehicle. The dog owner carried his dog to shade and gave it water. The animal services employee said the dog was fine. The deputy determined no crime had been committed.

Trying to Blend in
7:19 p.m. — 8300 block of Lockwood Ridge Road. Theft. Loss-prevention staff of a department store reported that a man selected a blender from a shelf. After perusing the sporting-goods department, the man walked to the customer service desk, where he presented the blender as an item he previously bought, although he did not have a receipt. Customer service issued the man a $137.39 gift card. Loss-prevention staff detained the man after he left the service desk. A deputy arrested him.

May 1 
 Lost in transition
2:41 p.m. — 600 block of 67th Street Circle E. Property Lost. A woman reported she lost her wallet. She was moving items into her motel room from her vehicle. When she finished, she noticed her wallet missing. The woman never saw anyone take the wallet. She reported her missing Social Security card to the IRS.

May 4
 Smoke screen
2:59 a.m. — 3200 block of 54th Drive E. Property Found. A deputy on patrol saw three people sitting in a vehicle filled with smoke. As the deputy approached the vehicle, the front passenger exited and walked away. The deputy then spoke with the driver and rear passenger. The deputy could smell marijuana. After a brief discussion, the deputy returned to his vehicle. When he left, the rear passenger fled. The deputy searched the vehicle and found a bag of marijuana, a pipe, some rolling cigars and an e-cigarette kit. The fleeing passengers could not be found.

Battery charge
3:27 p.m. — 2800 block of University Parkway. Trespass Warning. A supermarket manager asked to trespass a man from the store because he previously had stolen batteries. The deputy informed the man if he returns within six months, he will be arrested.