Cops Corner

June 30

PIZZA COUNTER FIT FOR CROOK

8400 block of Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota

Passing a forged bill: A deputy responded to a pizza restaurant and spoke with the manager, who reported a lady attempting to pass a fake $20 bill. The suspect attempted to pay for her food with a bill that was stamped "Motion Picture Use Only" in bold letters. When the female was confronted about the bill by an employee, she attempted to take it back. The employee would not release it so the woman left. The food had not been prepared yet, so the woman did not take anything with her. The video system at the store was not working. The fake bill was placed into property and evidence.

June 1

STUCK IN THE MUD

6100 block of 13th Avenue East, Bradenton

Information only: A man contacted the Sheriff's Office because a golf cart was abandoned on his wooded property. The cart was stuck in the mud on a road on his property. The name of a business was on a sticker on both sides of the golf cart. The deputy thought it had been stolen and taken for a joyride. The deputy went to the listed business, where the owners son thought it had been stolen. When the deputy reached the business owner, the boy's mother, it was learned she drove the cart into the mud and became stuck while looking for loose horses. The deputy informed her it would have been better to leave a note to let the property owner know what had happened, avoiding a call to law enforcement. The land owner graciously towed the cart to the front of his property for pick up.

July 5

ONE SHOT GOT AWAY

24000 block of 75th Avenue, Myakka City

Information only: A deputy reported to a home where a woman said she was sitting outside her trailer when she heard something whiz past her and hit the ground approximately 10 feet away. She told the deputy the direction where the projectile came from. The deputy found the area where the shot came from and made contact with the resident there. The deputy observed a three- to four-foot pile of trees and trunks placed in the northwest corner of the property. The deputy told the man that even though the pile of trees would catch some shots, it was not catching all of them. The man said he would use his bulldozer to dig up and build a proper berm to shoot at safely. The man was advised to call a range deputy to look at the berm and make sure it was safe.

July 6

SHOULD HAVE CALLED UBER

8400 block of Carolina Street, Sarasota

Motor vehicle theft: The Sheriff's Office was called when a man said his neighbor came over to his home and asked for a ride. The man refused and walked into another room. When he returned, his keys were gone. He ran outside to see his neighbor driving away in his car. A case number was issued.