Cops Corner: Longboat Key 2.15.2017

Feb. 6

Real estate scammer
9:06 a.m. — 1400 block of GMD
Suspicious Circumstance: A condominium property manager called police to report that he had received a suspicious call from someone only identified as “Scott,” who was inquiring about an online rental listing for one of the units. The owner of the condo told the manager he hadn’t listed the property for rent, and the two men filed a report for informational purposes.

Feb. 7

Found in Translation
1:03 p.m. — 2000 block of Harbourside Drive
Abandoned 911 Call: Officers responded to a 911 hang-up and encountered a resident who could not speak English. Despite the strong language barrier, police were able to determine the 911 call was an accident, and the property owner was not in danger.

Telltale Shoes
4:47 p.m. — 500 block of Schooner Lane
Suspicious Person: A resident called police to report that a man wearing dirty white sneakers was knocking on doors in his neighborhood. Officers found the man in question and looked up his information for warrants, without any results returned. Police told the man, who said he was advertising his car detailing service, it was illegal to solicit on the island, and gave him a ride to a bus stop.

Kindling Question
6:52 p.m. — 300 block of North Shore Road
Assist Other Agency: Police responded to the report of a brush fire, which firefighters said may have been cause by fireworks. Officers did not find any evidence of fireworks on the beach, nor on any of the beachgoers leaving the area.

Feb. 8

Dogs Gone
6200 block of GMD
Dog on the Beach: A resident called police to report that five dogs were running lose on the beach. Upon arrival, officers were unable to locate any dogs at the location.

Feb. 9

Keys to Success
6:30 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway
Public Service: A woman called to report that she had broken her car key off in the vehicle’s ignition. A grocery store employee helped remove the piece of key from the ignition, and officers transported the woman’s husband to get a new car key.

Feb. 10

Tricking the Trickster
10:10 a.m. — 3200 block of GMD
Suspicious Circumstance: A woman called police to report that an unknown person had called her claiming to be her grandson. The caller said that he was in an accident and needed money. The woman then asked what his father’s name was, and the caller hung up. 

We Didn’t Start The Fire
1 p.m. — 100 block of North Shore Road
Suspicious Person: After responding to reports of a suspicious person, police found 15 people hanging out on Beer Can Island with a small fire smoldering. When an officer asked who started the fire, the group did not respond. After noticing beer cans on the ground, police asked who had been drinking. Again, the group did not respond. Officers cleaned up the area and dumped water on the remains of the fire.

Taking out the Trash
1:49 p.m. — 6900 block of Longboat Drive South
Suspicious Circumstance: A woman called police to report that over the past several weeks, several of her trash cans have gone missing. The previous night, she had yet another trash can disappear. The woman said she didn’t want to file a report, but wanted more police patrols on her street.