Cops Corner: Longboat Key

Nov. 6
Getting the shaft
11:31 a.m. — 3400 block of Winding Oaks Drive. Larceny. A man received a package that a delivery driver placed on his porch. He picked up the package two days later and found it had been torn open, and the golf club driver shaft inside had been removed.

Nov. 7
Nothing fishy here
9:18 p.m. — 600 block of Cedars Court. Noise. A caller reported a band playing loud music. A restaurant manager told police the band was performing as part of the Longboat Key Historical Society Fish Fry and had proper permits in place.

Alarm bells
11:25 p.m. — 3100 block of GMD. Security Check. Police discovered the door of an office unlocked and activated the alarm when they opened the door.

in need of a key
11:28 p.m. — 6800 block of GMD. Security Check. A vacant storefront was left unlocked. Police were unable to lock the door and left a voicemail for the property owner.

Nov. 8
Lock up
12:28 a.m. — 5300 block of GMD. Security Check. Police discovered an office was unlocked and secured the door by locking the dead bolt.

On the hook
4:31 a.m. — Longboat Pass Bridge. Fishing. Police warned a group of fishermen who were casting their lines between the no fishing signs on Longboat Pass Bridge.

Check mate
12:55 p.m. — 800 block of Spanish Drive North. Civil Disturbance. A man used to rent a room from a Longboat Key woman, and when he left the home, he either left his checkbook or the woman kept it. The woman has repeatedly asked him for $100 that he owes in back rent, which he does not dispute. The woman agreed to bring the checkbook to police.

Nov. 9
Quiet time
9:39 a.m. — 4400 block of Exeter Drive. Noise. A construction crew stopped drywall and flooring work in a unit and left the area after police warned workers about the town’s noise ordinance.

Staying afloat
11:52 a.m. — 600 block of Cedar Street. Boat. A man worried that a boat would hit his dock. The sailboat was legally anchored and did not appear to be dragging its anchor. Police contacted the boat’s owner and asked him to monitor the vessel’s location.

Sunday solicitation
11:56 a.m. — 4200 block of GMD. Suspicious Circumstance. Police saw a man with a small child holding a sign that read, “Need help, five hungry children,” at a church after Sunday services. A woman and several teenagers were also following elderly residents to their cars as they left the church. The group jumped into a minivan and tried to leave when police approached them. The man pulled over the vehicle, blessed the officer and said he has been out of work, went on vacation and came to the church from Virginia.

Open house
7:42 p.m. — 600 block of Cedars Court. Suspicious Circumstance. A resident became concerned about a neighboring couple with a baby who was in the process of being evicted. The caller saw the front door of the home open and could see the man looking out of his window. The man was watching TV and said his wife might have accidentally left the door open.

Nov. 11
Park somewhere else
1:52 a.m. — 100 block of GMD. Code Enforcement. Police warned a man and woman who were sitting on the grass of a park after hours.

Dog fight
6:43 p.m. — 7000 block of Palm Drive. Dog Bite. A mixed-breed dog attempted to greet a Labradoodle, then attacked the Labradoodle after the dogs sniffed each other in an area where dogs often play unleashed. The Labradoodle’s owner did not notice the dog was bleeding until she got him home. The dog did not require medical attention, and the mixed-breed dog’s owner provided forms verifying the dog was up-to-date on vaccinations.

Nov. 12
Following the rules
7:27 a.m. — 3700 block of GMD. Code Enforcement. Police received a call about a construction noise complaint. The worker said he did not violate the town’s ordinance because he did not use power tools and was only using a hand stapler to fix the fence.

Open-and-shut case
1:17 p.m. — 5200 block of GMD. Burglar Alarm. A pest-control company employee noticed a slider door open and activated an alarm when he tried to close it. Police entered the unit, causing the alarm to go off again, and verified that the unit had not been disturbed.

Compromised card
9:12 p.m. — 7100 block of GMD. Fraud. A bank representative called a woman to ask if she had made a $400 purchase from a South Florida Walmart. The woman remembered an odd conversation she had had earlier at a liquor store and wondered if someone had gotten her credit card number and
used it.