Cops Corner: Sarasota 2.8.18

Feb. 2

GENERATING A LEAD
8:44 a.m. — 1400 block of State Street
Burglary: A construction manager reported the theft of a generator from a project site. He said the fence surrounding the site was locked the previous night. When he arrived in the morning, it was still locked, but it appeared to be ajar. It was apparent someone had forced their way into the site, and later, a worker realized a generator was missing. The manager said he would check surveillance footage to see if he could get information about a potential suspect.

Feb. 3

MENDING FENCES
​10:15 a.m. — 600 block of Seeds Avenue
Property damage: A man reported that, sometime overnight, someone broke several boards on his property’s privacy fence. The man had no additional information regarding the incident or possible suspects. Without any further details, an officer determined no other police action could be taken.

NOT IN MY BACKYARD
11:50 a.m. — 2800 block of Oak Street
Dispute: A man said his neighbor started an argument with him while the man was working in his backyard. The man just wanted the argument documented, because he has had a number of issues with the neighbor over the years. The man did not want an officer to contact the neighbor. 

OVER-BOARD
4:10 p.m. — 3200 block of Ramblewood Drive South
Assault: A man reported an altercation he had with an homeowners association board member. The man said he went to the association office to get information on an upcoming policy vote, because he did not get any materials in the mail. While he was in the office, he said he got into an argument with the board member. He said the board member made negative comments about him, got into his face and asked him to step outside. He said the board member also made a derogatory comment about his anatomy. He felt the board member was trying to incite him into a physical fight, so he started leaving the facility. He overheard a maintenance employee calling the police, so he waited outside the office until an officer arrived.

The officer spoke to the board member, who said the man became irate when he was told the policy information had already been sent out by a third-party vendor who manages the informational materials. He said the man was screaming and refused to leave until he got answers. He denied calling the man names and trying to start a fight with him. One witness said both parties were mutually aggressive, but another said the board member did not provoke the man. The man insisted on pressing charges against the board member for assault, but he did not immediately return a necessary form to the officer.