Best of Cops Corner: 2017

Jan. 2

NOTE TO SELF
12:52 a.m. — 500 block of Goodrich Avenue
Noise complaint: An anonymous caller said a woman was loudly talking to herself outside, waking people up in the process. An officer made contact with the woman, who was still talking to herself. The woman said she was upset about the status of her relationship, and went on to talk about unrelated topics with the officer. The officer asked the woman to keep her voice down because people were sleeping in the area. The woman agreed.

Jan. 7

TROUBLED WATER
1:23 p.m. — 2700 block of Bruce Lane
Dispute: Two roommates got into an argument after one of them used the washing machine, which has a severe leaking problem. The owner of the home said the washing machine flooded part of the home. He said he told his roommate not to use the washing machine in the past, and he was upset she did not clean up all of the water. The owner is renting a room to the roommate, and he wanted her out of the home following the incident. Officers told the owner there is an eviction process he has to follow before he can remove a tenant.

Jan. 16

EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE KITCHEN SINK 
7:30 a.m. — 1900 block of Cocoanut Avenue
Burglary: A man reported someone broke into his house, entering through the kitchen window. The suspect ripped the screen off the window and climbed in over the sink, breaking a faucet in the process. Once inside, the suspect ransacked the entire residence, removing drawers and dumping the contents on the floor. The man said the only item stolen was a wooden box that contained miscellaneous change, including silver dollars. The man estimated the value of the contents between $75 and $100.

Jan. 30

PACKING HEAT
8:44 a.m. — 3400 block of Fruitville Road
Lost and found property: The manager of a hotel reported that a customer left a gun, magazine, holster and 12 rounds of ammunition in his room after checking out. An officer made contact with the customer, who said he was aware of the situation. The police put the property into storage for safekeeping.

Feb. 6

LOST & FROND
10:30 a.m. — 3300 block of North Tamiami Trail
Misc. officer: A maintenance worker said someone illegally dumped more than 15 pounds of palm fronds behind a private property. Another employee had security footage of the incident, which shows a white pick-up truck towing a trailer of palm fronds. The truck parks, and two men run to the trailer and begin to unload the fronds. The workers were wearing T-shirts with a landscaping company printed on them, so an officer left a voicemail for the company and is awaiting a response. 

March 5

ROUGH HOUSEKEEPING
3:10 p.m. — 4800 block of North Tamiami Trail
Dispute: A woman staying at a hotel said she asked a staff member to change the bedspread and supply toilet paper for her room. When she made the request, she said the staff member yelled at her and told her to leave. The staff member said the woman came into her office and started yelling after housekeeping had already replaced the bedspread and toilet paper in the room. The staff member offered to refund the woman for the night if she would leave the hotel. The woman said she would stay the night and agreed to not contact staff again until she checked out

March 10

RANDOM CHANCE
2:22 a.m. — 1800 block of Sixth Street
Traffic complaint/investigation: An officer attempted to stop a driver for running a stop sign, but the vehicle did not stop. As he followed the driver, the officer saw the driver strike a curb. A tire completely detached from the car, and the vehicle was now driving only on the rim. Later, the vehicle was found abandoned. An officer found a large amount of marijuana, as well as several personal items belonging to a man, including cell phones, credit cards and probation paperwork. Officers later stopped a vehicle circling the area where the abandoned car was found. The man who owned the items was inside. He said he was not in the area earlier, though he did acknowledge a phone found in the car was his personal phone.

March 24

MISTAKES WERE MADE
2:46 a.m. — 0 block of South Tuttle Avenue
Trespass: An employee at a convenience store reported a theft in progress. She said she saw a man put a can of malt liquor into his pocket and walk past the register without paying. She tried to stop the man as he walked out the door. A customer tried to help the employee, and the two were able to get the can away from the man. Another customer saw the scene, and thought the customer helping the employee was the individual committing the crime. The second customer punched the first customer in the face. He said he was also intervening to help the employee, and he thought he was making a citizen’s arrest on the first customer. The actual suspect fled the area, but an officer found him nearby. The officer told the suspect he was not welcome on the property anymore. The customer who got punched declined treatment and did not wish to prosecute the customer who punched him. 

April 9

IT'S IN THE BAG
1:40 p.m. — 1800 block of Morrill Street
Suspicion: A receptionist at a law firm reported finding a small bag of animal feces in the company’s mailbox. The receptionist did not have any additional information regarding the incident. The police could not take any further action unless more evidence was obtained.

April 28

SPRAY AND SMASH
6 p.m. — 2100 block of Ringling Boulevard
Property damage: An employee reported an act of vandalism that occurred within his company’s parking garage. He said unknown suspects had set off nine of the garage’s fire extinguishers in the stairwells. Also, they threw two concrete parking bumpers off the fifth floor, smashing them against the ground. The employee said skateboarders are occasionally in the garage after-hours, and suspected they could have been responsible for the damage.

May 22

ESTATE OF CRISIS
3:05 p.m. — 300 block of South Osprey Avenue
Dispute: A woman hired a man to sell items at her home in an estate sale. The woman said there was a discrepancy over how the sale was conducted and the items that were sold. The man said the only instruction the woman gave him was a note, which he still had. He said he had followed all of the policies he had been given. An officer told the woman this was a civil matter, and that any issues should be handled in civil court.

May 27

FUNNY MONEY
7 p.m. — 3500 block of North Tamiami Trail
Suspicion: A woman said she received a counterfeit $10 bill from a convenience store. She said a day earlier, she got change for a $100 bill from the store. When she went back to buy something, an employee told her a $10 bill she had received was counterfeit. An employee at the convenience store said he remembered the woman and the counterfeit money, but he had not given her change for a $100 bill. The employee said she told him she had gotten the counterfeit bill from a gas station or laundromat. The woman did not have a receipt for the first transaction and could not remember what she purchased when she exchanged the $100 bill.

June 5

HOTEL FOR DOGS?
12:11 a.m. — 4800 block of North Tamiami Trail
Dispute: An employee at a hotel said a guest was refusing to leave when asked. The employee said the guest had several dogs in his room, which is against the hotel’s policy. The guest told an officer there are no signs posted about pets in the hotel. The officer told the guest the pet policy was listed in the paperwork he signed when he received his room key. The employee agreed to refund the guest’s money, and the guest left the premises with his pets.

June 10

CHANGING PLACES
9:30 a.m. — 4200 block of Bay Shore Road
Trespass: A homeowner reported there was a woman in her backyard, and she wanted an officer to issue a trespass warning to the woman. An officer made contact with the woman, who said she was looking for her sister’s home and forgot her sister moved and did not live there anymore. The officer issued the trespass warning to the woman. The woman left without incident.

June 24

FELINE FOLLOWER
2:22 a.m. — 700 block of South Washington Boulevard
Misc. officer: A security officer at a car dealership called the police because a cat had been following him around all night. The man said the cat looked well fed, but thought it should not be outside in inclement weather. The man was not able to contain the cat himself, and it kept running away from him and hiding under vehicles. The officer was unable to help contain the cat, but said animal services would respond and pick up the cat if they could. 

July 2

BEACH BASH
2:45 p.m. — 300 block of Benjamin Franklin Drive
Dispute: An officer responded to a fight while working at an event on the beach. A man reported that another man accused him of stealing a speaker and tackled him. The man who made the report said the speaker was his. The other man admitted to tackling the man because he thought the man was walking away with his friend’s speaker, and said the incident was the result of a misunderstanding. Both men made peace and did not want to make formal statements. The officer asked the other man to leave the beach, which he did with no issues.

July 23

DRIVER ANGRY
2 a.m. — 300 block of North Brink Avenue
Lost/found property: A man reported that his phone was missing. He told the police he believed he left it in the backseat of someone else’s car after getting driven home via a rideshare service the previous night. He traced the phone to a home in Manatee County and made contact with the driver at his residence, but the driver kicked the man off his property before he had a chance to mention his phone. An officer asked the man why the driver kicked him off the property. The man said he was highly intoxicated that night, and that he was probably rude to the driver. The police department gave the man a case number for the incident

July 30

SPEAK NOW
3:13 p.m. — 0 block of Marina Plaza
Dispute: A manager at a restaurant called the police because a woman was standing in front of the business, screaming and cursing. The woman claimed the valet service damaged her car. The manager said the restaurant was hosting a wedding party, and she did not want the woman disturbing the event. Two valet employees said they noted the damage on the woman’s car before parking it. The woman said her car was undamaged when she arrived, and that she got upset because another restaurant patron got in her face and told her to leave. An officer noted the damage to the woman’s car, but did not see anything in the valet parking area that might have caused the damage.

Aug. 5

OUT OF ORDER
3:21 a.m. — 800 block of South Tamiami Trail
Dispute: A man complained about the service he got at a fast food restaurant. He told an officer that he walked up to the drive-thru window and they refused to serve him because he wasn’t in a car. The man went back through the drive-thru in his car. They took his order, but the man said they got his order wrong. When the man went through the drive-thru for a third time, he said they refused to serve him again. An employee at the restaurant said she refused to serve the man because he walked back up to the drive-thru and banged on the window loudly. An officer told the man the dispute was a civil manner, and if he wanted a refund, he should contact the restaurant’s corporate office.

Aug. 21

BROKEN LIMB
5 p.m. — 1200 block of Myrtle Street
Dispute: A man said his neighbor came to his home three times in the past two days. The neighbor told the man that a tree branch from his yard broke off and fell into her yard. The man said he would take care of it, but the woman checked in multiple times before he got a chance to remove the branch. Officers told the neighbor to give the man reasonable time before checking back in on the status of the tree.

Aug. 31

DIRTY MONEY
6:59 a.m. — 1700 block of North Washington Boulevard
Dispute: An employee at a store reported that a man came into a store attempting to purchase candy. The man allegedly tried to buy the candy with paper money that was covered in fecal matter. When the employee told the man she would not accept his money, he became irate, threw the candy on the floor and walked out. The employee told an officer she wanted the man to be barred from he property if he tried to return.

Sept. 18

MALL BRAWL
2 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail
Theft: A police officer was at a mall walking toward the security office when he saw a worker from a nutrition store chasing after another man. The worker yelled at the police officer to help because the man had stolen something from the store. The officer ran after the man into the parking lot, yelling at him and identifying himself as a police officer. The man attempted to get into his car, and the officer attempted to take him into custody. The man punched the officer in the face and kept trying to get into his car. The officer and the worker both attempted to subdue the man, continuing to fight as the man resisted. Eventually, they were able to handcuff the man, and found an item from the store valued at $50. The worker recovered the item, and an officer transported the man to jail.

Sept. 22

FRY IN THE OINTMENT
1:30 a.m. — 3500 block of Fruitville Road
Dispute: A manager at a fast-food restaurant called the police to report a dispute with a customer. When an officer arrived, the customer was stopped in the drive-thru. Other cars were behind her and could not exit. The manager said the customer wanted a large order of fries for free, in addition to the food she already purchased. The manager told the customer she had to pay for fries if she wanted them. The manager said the customer refused to leave the drive-thru lane afterward and had been parked there for 20 minutes.

The customer said she tried to explain to the manager that she could not eat pork, and the manager was rude to her. The customer did not want her food cooked on the same grill as pork, because it would make her sick. She also wanted fries in addition to the food she paid for. The customer eventually agreed to leave the property.

Sept. 30

WALLET INSPECTORS
5:30 p.m. — 700 block of John Ringling Boulevard
Lost/found property: A man told an officer that, sometime in the past four hours, he lost his wallet in his apartment. The man said he did not remember where he lost it, but he was sure it was in his apartment. The man said he has looked everywhere and has not been able to find it. The man said there is a nurse who comes to the apartment at night, but he does not suspect her of taking the wallet. Two staff members at the residential complex came in to help the man look for his wallet. The man said he would tell police if he found the wallet.

Oct. 16

CHECKING OUT
7:59 p.m. — 800 block of South Tamiami Trail
Dispute: An employee at a hotel said a guest who booked a room at the hotel was being rude and argumentative when she checked in. The employee wanted the guest to leave. The guest said she would leave when the employee gave her a refund for the room she booked. The guest booked a room through a third-party website, and the employee was unable to issue a refund at the time. Officers told the guest to contact the website for a refund. She agreed and left the area without further incident.

Oct. 20

WOOK-IE MISTAKE
9 a.m. — 1500 block of State Street
Property damage: An employee at a parking garage reported vandalism he discovered when he arrived at work in the morning. He noticed some stickers had been put on one of the fire extinguishers. Someone had written “Wooks” on the stickers. The employee also noticed “Wooks” had been scratched into the doors of both elevators on the property. The estimated cost of the damage was $1,000. The employee said he would check the garage’s security footage to see if cameras had captured any of the vandalism

Oct. 24

GYM SPAT
10 a.m. — 1000 block of South Euclid Avenue
Property damage: A man discovered damage to his car, which was parked in a gym parking lot. The man believed the damage was intentional. The day before, he and another gym member were in a dispute regarding the use of workout equipment. After the man left the gym, the other gym member walked behind him and said, “You messed with the wrong (person).” The man suspects the other gym member was responsible for the damage.

Nov. 9

BURN NOTICE
12:06 p.m. — 500 block of South Orange Avenue
Property damage: A manager at a shop reported damage to the store’s sprinkler system. When the system came on, the water started to cause some flooding in the building. Staff discovered a two-foot section of PVC pipe on the south side of the business had been removed. The remaining ends were blackened and melted. The manager said she was not sure if the damage was from a community member upset at the business, or if it was related to some graffiti recently painted on both buildings the business owns. An officer examined the area where the pipe was burnt and determined it could not have been an accident. It appeared a focused flame, such as a torch, had been used to cause the damage. Nobody in the area had any additional information regarding the incident.

Nov. 17

BOOT SCOOTIN’
9:24 a.m. — 1400 block of First Street
Misc. officer: A parking employee reported that the owner of a car with a wheel-immobilizing boot on it appeared to have attempted to move the vehicle. The owner left the car in a parking garage and was told the car would get towed if it was not removed before this date. That morning, there was a mark on the ground from the boot dragging across the pavement. The employee said she had ordered the car towed, and she just wanted the incident documented.

Nov. 22

CAR PROBLEMS
5:48 p.m. — 3400 block of South Osprey Avenue
Dispute: The manager of a car rental business reported damage to a vehicle a customer had rented for a month. The manager said the car was trashed when the customer returned it, with multiple stains on the interior upholstery and spray paint on the exterior. The manager also said the customer drove the car 3,000 miles beyond what the rental agreement allowed. The manager said he wanted the incident documented for when he takes the customer to court. The manager said the customer left the area when he called the police. When an officer contacted the customer via telephone, the customer said she left because the manager was calling her derogatory and obscene names. The woman said the spray paint was there when she rented the car. 

Dec. 4

STRAIGHT DOPE
9 a.m. — 2600 block of Waldemere Street
Property damage: The manager of a park reported vandalism that occurred inside the park’s racquetball park. The manager showed an officer the graffiti, which included a drawing of a worm with breasts and the word “DOPE.” The officer documented the incident, but there was no additional information regarding the identity of the person who tagged the property.