Longboat Key Cops Corner: Tree-trunk travel delays

March 14

One tree spill

6:59 a.m., 5300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Public service: An officer responded to a call about a tree that had partially toppled and blocked the entrance and exit to a private community. A resident sought help from police in removing the tree to facilitate the beginning of a 12-hour driving trip. The officer explained the tree was on private property and would have to be handled by property management. A sergeant also arrived to further explain the situation. Management was notified.

Who was that guy?

8:41 a.m., 6300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: A resident reported a man dressed in a bright green T-shirt on gated property. The caller said the man did not approach his door. No such man was found by police, who theorized the man might have been a landscaping worker.

Hard to see

12:11 p.m., 600 block of Broadway Street

Parking: A car that was reported to be parked too close to a private driveway was ticketed for the violation. Vehicles are expected to be 15 feet from private driveways, and this vehicle was one foot too close.

A numbers game

12:20 p.m., 600 block of Halyard Lane

Alarm: Responding to a residential alarm call, an officer found a home that appeared to be under construction but secure. A neighbor referred the officer to the property owner in a home nearby. The owner reported the alarm to the monitoring company but said she could not remember the proper code for the home under construction.

Is it a parkway then?

1:43 p.m., 300 block of North Shore Road

Parking: An officer on patrol spotted a sedan partially blocking the driveway of a residence in an area clearly marked for no parking. A citation was issued.

Outside the lines

3:27 p.m., 700 block of Broadway Street

Parking: An SUV parked outside the allowable space was issued a citation.

Injury timeout

4:49 p.m., 800 block of Broadway Street

Rescue: Police and fire-rescue units responded to a call involving a person who fell on a dock outside a restaurant. The victim was taken to the hospital with a shin injury.

Two lines that never intersect

5:56 p.m., 200 block of North Shore Road

Parking: A vehicle not parked in a parallel fashion in a zone posted for parallel parking was issued a citation.

Do you know what time it is?

11:51 p.m., 100 block of North Shore Road

Parking: A driver was issued a verbal warning for a parking violation. The driver was allowed to depart without a formal citation.

March 15

Expensive seafood

12:33 a.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious vehicle: While on patrol, an officer stopped to investigate why a vehicle was parked after-hours in a town beach access site. A check of the vehicle and its owner revealed no associated criminal activity. The officer found a man on the beach harvesting crab. The man was cited for the parking violation and left without incident.

“No English”

6:30 a.m., 600 block of Buttonwood Drive

Noise: Police spoke with a resident about a report of noise, apparently coming from a leaf blower or grass trimmer near a golf course. The officer found  a man in a maintenance cart, with leaf blower in the back. When the officer asked the man about the situation, the worker responded “No English,’’ the officer’s report indicated. A sergeant said he would speak to maintenance supervisors about the report.

Where intersections intersect

1:18 p.m., Broadway Street and Palm Drive

Parking: A car parked less than 50 feet from an intersection was issued a citation for the violation.

His name: Justin Time

1:35 p.m., 100 block of Broadway Street

Parking: An officer spotted a parking violation near a beach access point, but the vehicle’s driver returned and moved the vehicle before the officer had a chance to write up the citation.

Pretty close

1:56 p.m., 100 block of Broadway Street

Parking: A car was issued a citation when an officer spotted it parked less than 30 feet from the stop sign at Gulf of Mexico Drive and the western intersection at Broadway Street.

Wrong-way parking

2:05 p.m., 500 block of Broadway Street

Parking: A vehicle parked the wrong direction and outside of the designated parking spot was cited for the infraction.

March 16

Unnerving

8:31 a.m., 4300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious circumstance: A phone message left by an unknown caller prompted a town resident to call police. The message sounded like a frail woman, who said she was lying in bed and didn’t know what to do. “You have to come find me,’’ the message continued. The officer called the number from the caller ID to learn it was a rehabilitation center with a patient with the same name as the woman who called. That woman, though, said she did not place the call.

Hands free

10:22 a.m., 600 block of Bowsprit Lane

Rescue: A police officer freed the hand of a caller who reported he had become stuck in a car seat.

All is well

1:36 p.m., 700 block of Emerald Harbor Drive

Suspicious circumstance: A caller to police reported receiving a suspicious call from a person who claimed to be a family member who needed $8,000 in bail following an arrest in a traffic incident. Instructions were provided to send the money to a Pennsylvania address via FedEx. A call to the actual family member confirmed there was no trouble.

March 17

Middle is wrong

1:30 p.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: The driver of a car-hauling tractor trailer was cited for loading and unloading vehicles in the middle of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Half of it was OK

1:49 p.m., 700 block of Broadway Street

Parking: An SUV parked half in and half out of a designated curbside parking space was cited for violating the town’s regulations on parking too close to residential driveways.

This is for you

1:48 p.m., 700 block of Linley Street

Parking: The driver of a vehicle parked improperly on the town’s boat ramp was handed a ticket by the officer sent to investigate. The officer was about to call a tow truck to have the vehicle removed.

And don’t come back

4:26 p.m., 5000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise: Police responded to the beach on a report of people aboard a boat drinking and playing loud music. They left as the officer arrived.

No fire

8:33 p.m., 2400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Alarm: Police and fire-rescue responded to residential community after receiving a fire alarm alert. Fire-rescue personnel told responding police officers that the alarm was triggered by cooking smoke, and there was no emergency.