Bandanna bandit strikes in Bradenton

Oct. 21

BANDANNA BANDIT STRIKES

6400 State Road 64 East, Bradenton

Burglary to unoccupied structure: An unknown person or persons entered a locked storage unit and removed several pieces of a disc jockey's equipment. The person or persons placed a bandanna over a video surveillance camera to hinder the taping of the crime. Prints were being processed and photos were taken of the scene. The bandanna was placed into property and evidence. A case number was issued. 

Oct. 27

SMALL OVERSIGHT AT CHECKOUT

4500 block of 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton

Retail theft: A woman entered a department store and started to fill her shopping cart with items from all over the store. After the suspect was finished shopping, she proceeded to the self checkout area. Loss prevention employees were monitoring the woman who brought 46 items to the self checkout. She only scanned 24 of the items, failing to scan another 22 items worth $99.40. The suspect placed all the items into plastic bags as if they had been purchased and headed out the door. The woman was stopped by loss prevention employees and she returned the items she didn't scan. The woman said she had ben confused as to what she had scanned. She said she had reviewed her transactions on the terminal to ensure she had played for all her items. The woman said she would pay for the items but the Sheriff's Office was contacted and a deputy was sent to the scene. The deputy collected a sworn affidavit from loss prevention. The suspect was issued a notice to appear in lieu of arrest.

Oct. 27

BOX OFFERS HEALTHY THREAT

7300 block of State Road 70 East, Bradenton

Suspicious circumstances: An employee at a convenience store called the Sheriff's Office because a suspicious small cardboard box was left on an ice cream freezer. No shipping label was on the box, which contained a note saying "return, wrong tracking number." Two other Sheriff's Office personnel arrived to inspect the box, but there were no indicators of any explosives. The package contained sealed health food products. It was surmised the person who left the box "was too lazy" to return it to the United States Post Office. The employee at the convenience store said it would be delivered to the post office.

Oct. 29

RHINO ON THE LOOSE

7000 block of Owls Nest Terrace, Bradenton

Theft: A woman came into the Sheriff's Office to report her $299 Black Rhino men's bicycle was stolen from her property. The woman said she left her bicycle on the edge of her driveway at 7:30 p.m. and left it there for 90 minutes. When she went back outside, it was gone. She said the bicycle wasn't locked up in any way.

Oct, 31

ATTEMPTED SWINDLE HAS FAMILIAR ADDRESS

16000 block of Vardon Terrace, Bradenton

Suspicious circumstance: A man reported to the Sheriff's Office a person sent him an email saying he needed to send the person $900 in 48 hours. The attempted graft came from the man's own email address.