Cops Corner: Sarasota 11.8.18

Nov. 5

ON THE HIGH END
1:14 a.m. — 3500 block of Fruitville Road
Burglary, structure: The police received a report regarding a burglary at a gas station convenience store. The owner showed an officer security footage of the incident. The footage showed three men getting out of a car and entering the business by throwing a paver through the glass front door. Two of the men went inside and went behind the register to grab cartons of cigarettes. The third man went toward the back room inside and kicked in the door. The owner said he did not think the men took anything from the back room. The men in the video left the area. The owner claimed the men stole 187 cartons of cigarettes from the store, a value of $13,028.64. Based on the security footage, the officer said it appeared the men took 20 or 30 cartons.

YOU GOT THE DUD
9:42 a.m. — 700 block of South Washington Boulevard
Suspicion: A man reported a suspicious device in a fast-food restaurant’s parking lot. Officers met with the man, who said when he got out of his car, he noticed a hand grenade sitting near a curb. An officer determined the grenade was inert. He collected the device so it could be destroyed.

SLAP ON THE WRIST
4:57 p.m. — 3600 block of South Osprey Avenue
​Theft: The owner of a skateboarding store reported that two teenagers attempted to steal a bracelet valued at $12. Officers spoke to the owner, who said he did not want to press charges, but he did want the teenagers to learn a lesson. Officers told the teenagers about the seriousness of the potential charge and the effect it could have on their future. The owner said the teenagers would be free to leave if they paid for the bracelet. One of them paid the $12.

FAMILY MATTERS
7:07 p.m. — 1600 block of Ninth Street
Property damage: A woman reported vandalism to her car. She said she arrived in town a few days ago to visit her mother. She asked her mother’s neighbor if he could move his car, which was parked on the street in front of her mother’s house, so she could park it there. She said no other spots were available. The neighbor asked why the woman couldn’t park the vehicle in the driveway, and the woman said she physically could not do that. She said the neighbor moved the car, but he did not seem happy about doing it. Two days later, the woman found a small cut in her tire. She suspected the neighbor was responsible for the damage.