Cops Corner: East County

Aug. 25
 CLOSE CALL
4:18 p.m. — 1600 block of Morgan Johnston Road. Suspicious Circumstance. Two children were walking home after being dropped off by their bus when a man in a green pickup truck pulled over and started to chase them. One of the kids pulled out a cellular phone and called 911. The move prompted the man to run back to his truck and drive away.

Aug. 29
 IN THE DOGHOUSE
10:45 p.m. — 6700 block of State Road 70 East. Traffic Violation. A sheriff deputy observed a driver weaving in a lane of traffic and repeatedly speeding up and slowing down. The driver was impaired and arrested without incident. The car was turned over to a friend because there was a puppy in the car.

Aug. 30
 OFF SWITCH
1:39 a.m. — Intersection of Tallevast Road and U.S 301 North. Driving under the Influence. A man was found passed out in the front seat of his car with his foot on the brake, the engine running and the car still in the drive position. He was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. His driver’s license was revealed to be suspended for previous convictions.

Sept. 2
 CUTTING EMOTIONAL TIES
9:15 a.m. — 13800 block of Siena Loop. Criminal Mischief. A man told police someone cut the motion sensor wires to a security light in his yard. The man believes his wife may be the culprit.

FLEA BAG
11:24 a.m. — 5200 block of University Parkway. Theft. A man entered the office area of a veterinarian clinic and was approached by an office assistant. The man mumbled something about looking for flea medicine before departing. Later, office staff realized the man stole cash from a filing cabinet.

POWER GRAB 
2:22 p.m. — Northbound Interstate 75. Criminal Mischief. A Florida Department of Transportation official reported someone cut the galvanized steel pipe that houses three copper cables that provide power to FDOT signs and cameras along the interstate in Bradenton. The estimated damage and repair work needed to fix the pipe is $100,000.

Sept. 6
 YOUNG LOVE
5:32 p.m. — 6100 block of Willow Beck Lane. Domestic Disturbance. A boyfriend and girlfriend who had been together for six months got into their first “real fight” after they had been drinking alcohol. Unfortunately, their first “real fight” led to a visit by the police, being issued domestic violence packets and the boyfriend agreeing to sleep somewhere else for the night.