Cops Corner: Sarasota 12.17.15

Dec. 13

READING THE LEAVES
11 a.m. — 2700 block of Bay Shore Road
Ordinance Violation: A city employee found large bundles of palm leaves on the shore of a public park. She believes a nearby resident was responsible for dumping the leaves, because the palms were found next to their property. The resident said landscaping employees hadn’t been to the property for some time, and that they leave the palm leaves at the northern entrance of the property. Officers were unable to determine the source of the palm leaves.

Dec. 14

FRIENDSHIP IS RARE
12:12 a.m. — 3600 block of Breezemont Drive
Dispute: A woman reported that a woman, who used to be her friend, was causing a disturbance in her front yard. The woman told the ex-friend that she didn’t want to be friends anymore, which upset the ex-friend. The ex-friend showed up at the woman’s house and refused to leave until the woman called the police. The ex-friend pulled out three sidewalk lights and threw them into the street before leaving.

An officer spoke to the ex-friend on the phone, advising her that she was not welcome at the woman’s house anymore. The officer noted that the ex-friend sounded intoxicated, and didn’t believe that he was a police officer. He warned her that she could be arrested if she committed any crime, and that the woman could file a restraining order if further problems arose. The ex-friend continued to yell at the officer over the phone until he ended the phone call.

DON’T SPRAY IT
3 p.m. — 0 block of Bayfront Drive
Suspicion: A woman and her husband were walking to a business’ parking lot, where they saw another man sitting on a park bench urinating into a soda can. The husband said he saw the man take the soda can and throw it on the ground, causing some of the liquid to splash onto the ground. The husband said it almost splashed onto he and his wife. The couple kept walking, but were upset that they witnessed the incident. An officer met with the man, who said he never urinated in a soda can and that he was just sitting on the park bench. The officer didn’t observe any soda can on the ground or any puddles of liquid in the area where the man was sitting.

DINE AND DASH
6:25 p.m. — 3200 block of North Tamiami Trail
Theft: The manager of a restaurant reported that a customer left the business without paying his bill. The manager said the man ate dinner and fled the area, leaving a $17.11 bill behind. He said this is the second time the man has done this in the past two weeks, and that he was uncertain which direction the man left in. Officers were unable to locate the man after checking the area.

DOCK BLOCKED
9:45 p.m. — 100 block of Sunset Drive
Suspicion: The security guard at a hotel reported that two unwelcome men were lingering on the property and refusing to leave. The men said that they had driven their boat to the area, but were unsure of where they docked it. The two men were not on the hotel’s property at the time, so they could not be given a trespass warning. The men agreed to leave the area and return the next day to recover the boat.