Longboat Key Cops Corner: I'll let myself out, thanks

July 17

I’ll let myself out, thanks

12:40 p.m., 6600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal call: A caller to police informed officers about a baby raccoon in the property’s swimming pool area. As the officer arrived, he found the animal trying to find a pathway on which to leave. The officer guided the raccoon to an opening, and the baby left the area.

We sure like your seawall

2:46 p.m., 500 block of Yardarm Lane

Suspicious activity: A police officer cleared a traffic stop and went to a home to investigate a report of three men who rang the doorbell and then walked through a gate into the back yard without permission. The officer who arrived spoke to the group, who said they were representatives of a homeowners association. As part of the approval process for another resident’s seawall construction, they had come to see one that was similar in design to the one proposed. The homeowner asked the officer to relay that they were not welcome on the property. The group apologized and said they would use a boat if further inspections were needed.

July 18

Charged up now

2:49 p.m., 3200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: Police responded with fire-rescue to help a caller switch a smoke-detector battery.

Making waves

3:08 p.m., near Greer Island

Boating warning: The operator of a vessel was stopped by the town’s marine patrol officer after he was seen producing a wake in a slow-speed, no-wake zone. As part of the stop, a safety-equipment check was performed, and the boat’s operator was not able to produce a throwable life-preserver. Verbal warnings accompanied an explanation of the violations.

July 19

If I was a rich . . . raccoon

3 p.m., 2600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal complaint: A caller to police sought help in removing a raccoon that had been on the roof of a vacation resort for some time, frightening some of the guests. A Sarasota County animal control officer retrieved the animal and set it free in some nearby woods. 

Found before it was lost

4:06 p.m., police headquarters

Found property: An officer brought to the police department a wallet found by a good Samaritan in the Gulf of Mexico Drive bicycle lane. A police department employee found a business contact for the wallet’s visiting owner, who acknowledged he did not even know the wallet was missing and was unsure how it ended up where it did. Still, the owner was happy to have recovered his property, even though some cash and a card were missing. He was advised to alert his credit-card companies.

July 20

The shining

10:21 p.m., 4300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: A family with a small child apologized to an officer on the beach after a call about suspicious people nearby. The officer sent to investigate found the family with a white flashlight working on a sand castle, in violation of town turtle-nesting season rules. The family remarked they were from out of town and didn’t know the local regulations regarding lights on the beach during turtle-nesting season.

July 21

Circle of life

8:42 p.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal complaint: Police connected with Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium to deal with a sea turtle found dead on the beach. A caller alerted police to the situation, which was relayed to the scientists at Mote. A team from the organization was sent to the scene to collect the remains for study.

July 22

Who’s a good dog? (Silence)

12:20 a.m., 500 block of Neptune Lane

Suspicious vehicle: In responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle that had been seen (apparently) empty and parked with its engine running for 20 minutes, an officer encountered the vehicle’s owner nearby. The owner said his dog had not been happy inside the house and had the pet sit in the car until she calmed down and could come back inside.

Connecting the dots

1:27 p.m., 500 block of Gunwale Lane

Suspicious person: A caller alerted police to an unknown person reclining in the resident’s driveway. When the investigating officer arrived, no one was there but the lawn looked freshly mowed and a lawn crew was at work mowing grass nearby at other homes. The caller was reconnected to police, and the officer explained his findings.

Gone

6:26 p.m., Broadway Street and Lois Avenue

Citizen assist: A caller who did not wish to meet with police alerted officers to a car parked improperly in a zone set aside and marked for vehicles with resident-only parking permits. When the officer arrived, the vehicle had already left.

Fins to the left, fins to the right

8:57 p.m., 600 block of Buttonwood Drive

Suspicious person: Two young men apologized to police for shark fishing from a private dock. Though a caller said they were pulling sharks out of the water, the two denied catching anything. They were cleared through national databases for wants and warrants. They collected their gear and left.