LBO Cops Corner: Same bay, wrong Bayfront?

July 25

All is well

5:55 a.m., 700 block of Broadway Street

Alarm: Police found no sign of trouble at a restaurant following a report of an activated alarm. No one from the business was on the scene.

It’s a gusher

10:50 a.m., 700 block of Ranger Lane

Citizen assist: Authorities were notified of a water leak in a residential neighborhood. An officer arrived to find a copper pipe spraying water. The officer called the town’s Public Works Department and was asked to close a nearby valve, which he did. The homeowner was notified of the problem.

Same bay, wrong park?

1:35 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious incident: An officer was sent to Bayfront Park to investigate what witnesses reported was  disturbance involving homeless people. The officer arrived to find no one fitting that description in the park. He suggested to emergency dispatchers that perhaps the incident was taking place at the city of Sarasota’s Bayfront Park.

Over the line

3:57 p.m., Broadway Street

Parking: A caller to police reported a vehicle parked improperly. An officer sent to investigate found the vehicle parked beyond the marked lines on the side of the street. A citation was issued.

Six too many

7:45 p.m., Gulf of Mexico Drive and Bay Isles Parkway

Code enforcement: A caller to police alerted the town to temporary signed placed alongside the road in apparently violation of local codes. An officer gathered up six yellow signs from the location and brought them to the police department.  

Alarm, yes; fire, no

8:04 p.m., 1400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Alarm: Police and fire-rescue units were sent to a community on a report of an activated fire alarm. Once on the scene, fire department personnel declared the incident a false alarm and released the first responders.

Not again

9:56 p.m., 7000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious incident: A caller to police wanted to register her concerns about a man who had asked to borrow a paddle two nights in a row. Officers located the man fishing not far away and he acknowledged asking to borrow a paddle that night and the night previous because he had forgotten his own. Police checked the man through state and national criminal databases and found no wants or warrants. The man said he would be sure to return the paddle when his fishing was complete.

July 26

A closer look

10:26 a.m.,  700 block of Penfield Street

Suspicious incident: A property owner alerted police following an incident in which a man and a woman were seen peering inside a home. Following a police inspection in which nothing indicating a break-in was found, an officer spoke to the owner. The man seen peering inside was described as wearing a straw hat,  gray shirt and blue shorts. The woman was said to be wearing a pink shirt and denim shorts. They left walking west on Penfield Street. No one matching that description was found by police.

Back to the beach

1:46 p.m., 2900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Parking: A caller alerted police to vehicles parked along a side street adjacent to a closed-to-vehicles public beach access spot. The officer who responded ascertained the vehicles were parked legally along the side street. The access point has been closed to parking for weeks because of the town’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still legal

1:51 p.m., 800 block of Broadway Street

Parking: An officer was sent to investigate the second report of a vehicle parked illegally, along with a new report of another vehicle similarly parked. The second vehicle was gone before the officer’s arrival. The first vehicle, which had been found to be properly parked by the same officer an hour earlier, was still properly parked.

Now, it’s illegal

4:11 p.m., 2900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Parking: Hours after checking out, and refuting, a report of illegally parked cars on a side street near a public beach access, an officer was alerted to more possibly illegally parked cars. This time, one driver was cited for parking too close to a stop sign. All other cars on the side street were properly parked.

Helping the turtles

10:52 p.m., 2800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Code enforcement: Police officers stopped along the beach to check for compliance with town turtle protection codes on beach furniture left overnight. Officers found and tagged furniture at three addresses, indicating it was a potential hazard to sea turtles either coming ashore or returning to the water. The police department followed up with the code enforcement officer,

July 27

Bumper to bumper

12:02 p.m., 700 block of Jungle Queen Way

Traffic: Police investigated a minor traffic collision in which a driver was cited for improper backing. According to police, the driver was backing up to allow a truck to pass when the driver’s car bumped into the front of a parked car. No injuries were reported and damage was reported to be minor.

Fore your information

12:19 p.m., 5400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A golf cart being operated on the road in a 45 mph speed limit zone was stopped and its operator told where such vehicles are allowed to drive. A verbal citation was issued.

Be on the lookout

5:35 p.m., 2500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: Callers reported to police a recklessly driven red pickup truck heading toward the town’s southern border. Police could not arrive in time to witness the poor driving and radioed for police elsewhere to keep an eye out for such a vehicle.

Sweet, toasty, illegal

9:27 p.m., 2800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Fire report: Fire-rescue personnel and police responded to a report of a fire on the beach. An officer reported the fire-rescue personnel had spoken with a family about the illegality of their small fire over which they were roasting marshmallows. No police attention was required, and the family extinguished the one foot by one foot fire.

July 28

Not welcome

2:43 p.m., 600 Marbury Lane

Suspicious incident: A homeowner called police to report a man who stood on the street in front of his home and took some photos before driving off. No vehicles answering the description were seen following the incident.

Early heads up

7:17 p.m., 5500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Code enforcement: A police officer went to the beach to investigate a report of beach furniture and tents left on the sand in potential violation of the town’s turtle-protection codes. The officer found the property on the beach, but the code would not take effect until after dark. The officer spoke to a property manager who was aware of the property on the beach and said it would be taken care of before dark.

July 30

Uh, it’s closed

1:38 p.m., North Shore Road

Parking: Police found several vehicles parked in a portion of North Shore Road closed to the public because of the town’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Police tape closing off parking spaces had been removed and several vehicles were parked in a barricaded area. People unloading one vehicle for a trip to the beach were issued a verbal warning.

July 31

Not correct

8:18 a.m., Schooner Lane

Citizen dispute: Police spoke to a man following an incident in which a piece of equipment parked in a town right of way had been chained to a tree. The man told police he had not been informed about the parking of the equipment and that his attorney advised him to lock it to a tree. The officer explained this was not a proper course action and the man unlocked the equipment. The equipment operator said he would try to park in a different location from now on.