Cops Corner: Sarasota 12.15.16

Dec. 9

CAN’T YOU HEAR ME KNOCKING?
1:16 a.m. — 1500 block of North Lockwood Ridge Drive
Dispute: A man was sleeping inside of his house when he heard a loud knocking on his door. The man opened the door, and the woman knocking told him she was locked out of her apartment and her roommate was not opening the door. An officer made contact with the woman, who said she did not have her key to the apartment. The officer suggested the roommate may have already fallen asleep, and was not answering for that reason. The woman said she was going to stay at a neighbor’s house for the night.

GATE-GATE
7:45 a.m. — 300 block of Benjamin Franklin Drive
Suspicion: A man reported that his neighbor locked the front gate that both properties use. The man said the gate is broken, so it had been left open, but sometime during the night the neighbor closed the gate. The man was unable to leave his home because the gate was closed. The man said he has been having an ongoing issue with the neighbor.

An officer tried knocking on the neighbor’s door and calling his cellphone, but got no response. As the officer and the man were standing in front of the gate, it opened. The officer asked the man if the gate company could have opened the gate, but the man said only the neighbor could have opened it remotely. The officer was not able to get additional information from the neighbor.

STARING CONTEST
12:45 p.m. — 2700 block of Tenth Street
Civil dispute: A property owner reported an ongoing dispute with a tenant who is going through the eviction process. The landlord said the tenant is sitting in the front yard area of the property and staring at her, and that the tenant’s son recently began doing the same thing. Officers answered the landlord’s questions regarding the eviction process before making contact with the tenant and his son. Both subjects denied any wrongdoing and said they were just sitting outside of their home.

BAD PAINT JOB
7:24 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail
Property Damage: A woman was driving through the parking lot of a shopping mall when she ran over a can of spray paint, which exploded and left paint on the hood and passenger side of her car. A construction crew was working in the area, and they accepted blame for leaving the can on the ground. The woman reported the incident to mall security.