Cops Corner: Sarasota 11.05.15

Nov. 1

SMOKE BREAK
1 a.m. — 1000 block of North East Avenue
Theft: A man took a taxi to Englewood and back to Sarasota. Upon the return to Sarasota, the total fare was $145. The credit card the passenger used was declined repeatedly. The driver allowed the passenger to use his phone in an attempt to contact someone to pay the fare. Eventually, the passenger got in contact with his uncle. After speaking to his uncle, the passenger asked the driver if he could step outside and smoke a cigarette. The driver agreed, and once the passenger left the vehicle, he fled the area without paying his fare. The driver provided officers with the passenger’s first name and the declined credit card, which the passenger left behind.

CAUSE FOR ALARM
4:22 a.m. — 1000 block of Cocoanut Avenue
Property Damage: A group of individuals were at a bar after closing time and told the owner they were waiting for a taxi. After more than two hours had passed, the owner told the group to leave. One member of the group pulled a fire alarm on the way down the stairs and proceeded to flee the premises. The owner of the hotel said he did not feel there was any monetary loss caused by the alarm, but that he wanted to issue a trespass warning to the suspect.

Nov. 2

FRAUGHT DELIVERY
5 p.m. — 1600 block of Catalonia Lane
Suspicion: Two men approached a house, claiming to be from a vacuum company. The men were persistent in attempting to make contact with the couple residing in the house. The couple said they had not ordered a vacuum and were not expecting a delivery. When the two men attempted to open the door, one resident told them to leave, at which point they responded by yelling a vulgar phrase at the couple.

BONE VOYAGE
7:16 p.m. — 2000 block of Ben Franklin Drive
Suspicion: A guest at a hotel located what appeared to be a human bone near a dumpster in a public park. An officer examined the bone, which was in the dirt and appeared to have been there for quite some time. The bone appeared to have been cut with a fine blade. Eventually, officers reached the conclusion that the bone belonged to an animal, possibly a pig or a cow. An officer took the bone into police custody for further testing to confirm that conclusion.