Gold bars? Not really

April 16

GOLD BARS LEAD TO UNREAL CRIME

5700 block of Ranch Lake Boulevard, Bradenton

Scheme to defraud: A man reported to the Sheriff's Office he had purchased four gold bars online he learned were fake. He said the bars had been tested by a pawn shop's employees and were deemed real. The man said he had answered a Craigslist personal ad that was offered two gold bars for $1,425. The victim met the seller at a gas station in Venice to make the transaction. The victim said the seller told him he had another two bars for sale for $1,650. This time, the victim met the seller at a restaurant in Bradenton to make the exchange. The man eventually discovered the bars were fake.

April 21

THIEF NO SHRINKING VIOLET

8100 block of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, Lakewood Ranch

Grand theft: A community representative contacted the Sheriff's Office to report someone had stolen approximately 200 marigolds from flowerbeds around the community.

April 24

SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR SUGAR

11000 block of State Road 64 East, Bradenton

Trespass warning: A woman was in the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant and after paying for her coffee and receiving it, she asked for extra cream. The  employee told her to pull her car forward and an employee would bring her the cream. The woman said she was not going to move her car and they should bring her some cream. The restaurant employee said the woman started shouting at employees through the drive-thru window. The manager asked her to move her car because she was blocking a line of cars behind her. The woman refused again to leave until they brought her some cream. A Sheriff's Office deputy arrived at the scene and the woman was still holding her place, saying the manager was rude. The store manager came out and verbally trespassed the woman from the property. The woman left.

April 24

FAKE SCAN WAS A SCAM

2900 block of 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton

Grand theft: A woman collected various items from a department store and then went to the self-checkout line. She ran 11 of her items through the scanner, but not another 30 items. She paid for the items she scanned, then left the store, where she was stopped by loss prevention. The suspect was arrested and taken to jail.

April 26

WOMAN UNCOVERS SCHEME

7200 block of Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota

Suspicious incidents: A woman called the Sheriff's Office to report suspicious incidents that have transpired on her business property. She said someone had moved a tarp that was covering a trailer in the back of her property. She also said a portion of her fence on her property was opened. She said she had secured that area herself. The woman also said a power company had been tampering with her power supply because they wanted to force her to move to another location. She added that someone had been taking frozen dinners out of her freezer on her business property and leaving them out to spoil. She said no property has been missing. She believes someone is doing all this to intimidate her. She made a patrol request.