Cops Corner: Sarasota

SEPT. 13
SURF’S UP
12:42 p.m. — 2600 block of Nancy Street. Burglary — Structure. A man received a phone call from his friend, who saw one of the man’s surfboards for sale at a pawn shop. At that time, the man was unaware his surfboards had been stolen. The man checked his unlocked shed and discovered his two surfboards, valued at $2,200, were missing. The man said he was in jail during the time the items were stolen. He positively identified the surfboard in the pawn shop as his, but the store had already sold the other surfboard.

OUT OF TUNE
9:33 p.m. — 300 block of North Orange Avenue. Petit Theft All Other. A man said he set down his guitar and backpack outside of a gas station so he could purchase beer. He was inside the store for about five minutes, and when he came back outside his belongings were gone. The man was unable to locate his possessions.

SEPT. 14
BEDTIME STORY
1:32 a.m. — 2100 block of Seventh Street. Dispute/Fight. An officer responded to a complainant who said his roommate would not let him sleep. When the officer arrived at the scene, both men were intoxicated. The roommate said he had not bothered the man, and other tenants said they did not hear anything involving the two men. The officer asked the men to separate or for one of them to leave for the night. Both men said they would go to sleep and that there would be no further problems.

WIRE-LESS
2:30 a.m. — 1400 block of Main Street. Criminal Mischief. The owner of a restaurant reported that, during the night, another man purposely pulled out wires that connected power to the Internet and televisions inside his business. Video surveillance showed the man waiting outside the back door of the business, pulling wires out of the wall and quickly leaving the area. The owner said he would lose business because he would be unable to air the football games on Sunday and that his computers and cash registers would not work until the Internet was restored. The owner said the cost of the wires was approximately $2,500.

BAIT AND SWITCH
8:50 a.m. — 1000 block of North Tamiami Trail. Petit Theft All Other. A man, who was fishing at a park, left his tackle box in a wooded area near the water. When he went back to get a different tackle, he discovered the box was missing. Officers began to search for the box, which they eventually located in a wooded area. The man said he didn’t want to have the box processed for fingerprints and that he just wanted his items back. The man’s cell phone was missing from the box, but he did not want to pursue any police action.

DIAPER DASH
10:30 a.m. — 3700 block of North Tamiami Trail. Suspicion General/Unknown. An employee at a store reported that an unknown man ran from the premises carrying a number of baby products. The employee was unable to determine the quantity or value of the items taken, and possible license plate numbers did not match the description of the car the man drove away in.