Cops Corner: Sarasota 7.30.20

July 23

NOT RED-HANDED
3:18 p.m. — 200 block of North Tuttle Avenue
Dispute: A woman reported someone had thrown ketchup on her apartment’s front door. The woman did not see who did it, but she suspected her neighbor’s children might be responsible. An officer spoke to the neighbor, who said her children were not involved and that she had told them to stay away from the neighbor’s apartment.

WINE & DINE
6:17 p.m. — 1000 block of North Tamiami Trail
Battery: An employee at a store reported that a woman attempted to steal some items. The employee confronted the woman, asking her if she was planning on stealing anything from the store. The woman proceeded to lock herself in the store’s bathroom. When the woman left the bathroom, the employee noticed an empty bottle of wine the woman drank. The woman attempted to flee, at which point the employee blocked the front door and called the police. The employee said the woman began to fight her, hitting her and biting her arm. The employee fought the woman off, at which point the woman locked herself in the bathroom again. The woman later spoke to an officer and said she was sorry for stealing the wine.

July 26

OFF THE HOUSE
1:57 a.m. — 1500 block of Main Street
Dispute: The manager of a restaurant reported that a customer was refusing to pay his tab. The manager asked the customer to pay several times, but the customer said he didn’t have to. An officer spoke to the customer, who said his friend invited him to the restaurant for drinks and told him it would be free because she was friends with the owner. The customer’s friends and other members of the party left before he did. The manager asked the customer to pay his tab, at which point the customer said he was told he did not have to pay. The manager said the owner did not notify him of such an agreement. While an officer spoke to the customer, the manager spoke to the owner, who confirmed the customer was not told he could drink for free. The customer became upset and argumentative, refusing to give his name to officers. Eventually, after being told it would be considered a theft if he did not pay, the customer agreed to pay his tab and left.