Cops Corner: Longboat Key

Sept. 12
Early start
5:59 a.m. — 500 block of Chipping Lane. Code Enforcement. An anonymous caller heard a lawnmower and leaf blower after hours. Police told two men about the town’s ordinance prohibiting work after 5 p.m. They stopped and said they were unaware of the rule.

Sept. 13
Alone at sea
2:39 p.m. — 100 block of North Shore Road. Boat. Marine patrol responded to a report of two unattended children on the water. Police checked the area twice but did not find anyone.

Jump and run
3:46 p.m. — Off the Key. Boat. A marine patrol officer activated his emergency lights and sirens after seeing two teens jump from the Longboat Pass Bridge. The teens attempted to flee, however, when the officer announced over the boat’s PA system that more officers were on their way, they made their way back to the officer. They received citations for jumping off state bridges.

Sept. 14
High stakes
12:24 p.m. — 5800 block of GMD. Larceny. A man reported that the stakes he uses to keep trees upright until they grow roots were stolen from his recently planted palm trees. The caller said there had been incidents of thefts on the property before, and he is prepared to take further measures to deter theft.

Repo madness
8:57 p.m. — 500 block of Ketch Lane. Security Check. A repossession agent called police after several attempts to contact a woman, from whom he was trying to repossess her black Cadillac. Police entered the home after knocking loudly on the door and heard screaming from inside the back bedroom. Police spoke with the woman through the door, and she told the officers she had a gun and wanted them out of her house. The repossession agent said he would return with the proper paperwork. Police left a note and business card on the front door for the woman’s nurse to find the next day.

You looking for me?
11:02 a.m. — 4400 block of GMD. Welfare Check. A worried friend and a property manager contacted police because they were unable to get hold of a resident for several days. When the officer arrived, the two men were waiting outside the man’s unit. The man was inside the unit, unharmed and sleeping on his couch.

Planning for tomorrow
9:06 p.m. — 500 block of Chipping Lane. Security Check. A caller reported a suspicious-looking van parked in the driveway of a neighbor, who was on vacation. The two men inside the van were contractors working for the owner of the home. They said they were reviewing work plans for the next day, so the officer advised them of the town’s restrictions on working after 5 p.m.

Sept. 15
Wet bandits
11:05 a.m. — 5000 block of GMD. Larceny. A Public Works employee spotted a water tanker truck filling up at a town fire hydrant without permission. After the employee told the tanker crew they needed a permit to do so, the crew left, only to be found at a different hydrant 10 minutes later doing the same thing. The town employee’s supervisor told police he wishes to press charges. The officer contacted the crew member accused of the theft and told him he will receive a notice to appear in court.