Cops Corner: Longboat Key

Jan. 15
She comes up clean
9:43 a.m. — 300 block of GMD. Alarm. A cleaning lady was unaware that she set off a burglar alarm and gave the alarm company the wrong number when a representative called. A property manager told police she was authorized to be in the residence.

Foreign object
12:40 p.m. — 3200 block of GMD. Phone Call. A caller with a foreign accent instructed a man to turn on his computer because it was under cyber attack, but the man said he would have to call back when his wife was home because he does not know how to turn on the computer. The man’s wife later received a call from someone who said he was from the Longboat Key Police Department. She told the caller she did not believe he was with the department and hung up, then dialed the real police.

Suspended license
2:04 p.m. — 4200 block of GMD. Traffic. Police stopped the driver of a vehicle traveling northbound after license cameras showed the registered owner had a suspended license. The driver told police she did not know her license was suspended. Police issued her a citation and released her vehicle to a licensed driver.

Jan. 16
A pour excuse
11:08 a.m. — 2200 block of GMD. Code Enforcement. A caller complained that crews at a new condo project began working at 6 a.m. The noise woke her up, but she waited three hours to report it. The site supervisor showed police that the crew had a permit for early concrete pours, but the pours the crew started were five days ahead of schedule. Police told the supervisor to ask town staff to correct the pouring schedule.

For the sake of argument
11:05 p.m. — 6400 block of GMD. Disturbance. A woman saw a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed, then driving in reverse before turning into the driveway of a home on a nearby street. The woman told police she got into an argument with the vehicle’s occupants after she told them the home’s owners were out of town and no one should be there. The passenger said his family owns the home, and the driver is his guest. They left the home to pick up a food order, and because the driver does not know the area, he passed by the driveway and placed the car in reverse when he realized his mistake. Both men said they had not been in an argument and were not sure what the woman observed.

Jan. 17
Pass along the message
12:35 p.m. — 600 block of Yardarm Lane. Burglar Alarm. Police were unable to contact the keyholder for a home after its burglar alarm was activated; police found no signs of forced entry or vandalism. The officer told a neighbor that the alarm was going off and that police ensured the home was secure. The neighbor said she would relay the message to the homeowners when they returned.

Girl talk
11:38 p.m. — 5800 block of GMD. Noise. A man complained that he could not sleep because the women in the unit next door were talking loudly. The women, who were also drinking, agreed to quiet down and close the doors and windows.

Jan. 18
Case closed
8:20 a.m. — Intersection of Linley Street and Bayside Drive. Lost/Missing Property. A man was taking pictures of the scenery from a boat ramp and accidentally left a $5,000 lens behind. Police were unable to locate the lens. Police received a call just more than an hour later from a woman who found the lens.

Party bus
7:26 p.m. — 2700 block of GMD. Beverage Violation. A bus driver asked police to help her remove a passenger who opened a can of beer. The passenger agreed to exit the bus, remove his bicycle from the front bicycle and throw away the beer can. Police told him he could board the next scheduled bus if he did not have any open alcoholic beverages.

Jan. 19
Weed warning
12:52 a.m. — 100 block of N. Shore Road. Suspicious Person. An 18-year-old man admitted that a trace amount of marijuana in his car’s ashtray and floorboard belonged to him after police saw his car parked at a condominium near a beach access that’s closed for construction. Police searched the vehicle and confirmed that the car had no more than a trace amount. The man and his passenger were released with a warning.

Collection attempt
10:09 a.m. — 6500 block of GMD. Larceny. A man placed his recycling bin at the curb and returned to find the bin and its contents missing. The trash collection company told the man he could receive a replacement if he filed a police report.

Jan. 20
Reality check
12:44 p.m. — 5400 block of GMD. Identity Theft. A Mary Kay representative received an online order for two skincare kits valued at $435.85, then received a check via priority mail for $1,676.34. She became suspicious the customer was trying to defraud her after she received a text message that asked her to deposit the check and send the overpaid amount back through a Walmart, CVS or 7-Eleven. The check listed the account holder as an Atlanta-based company. A company representative told police that the business has been the victim of counterfeit checks.