Longboat Key Cops Corner: You've been warned

May 15

You’ve been warned

10:14 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway

Traffic: An officer was alerted via the town’s license plate recognition system of a vehicle entering town from the south with an expired registration. The officer located the vehicle and spoke to the driver, who said she was unaware of the expiration. The driver was issued a written warning and advised to correct the lapse as soon as possible. Less than 15 minutes later, another vehicle was stopped under the same circumstances in the 4800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. That driver, too, was issued a written warning.

Doing it right

11:01 a.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A vehicle entering town triggered an alert because its owner’s drivers license had been suspended. An officer stopped the vehicle, but the owner was riding in the passenger seat and a licensed driver was behind the wheel. They were allowed to proceed with no warnings or citations.

Hot round

7 p.m., Harbourside Drive and Bay Isles Parkway

Fire: Police were called to assist the fire department with a small brush fire between the eighth and ninth holes of the nearby golf course. A tree lined with underbrush was the cause, and the fire was quickly extinguished.

Kids, right?

8:36 p.m., Greer Island

Juvenile problem: Three children spotted playing on beach construction equipment were seen by multiple callers to police. By the time officers arrived to investigate, the youngsters were gone.

Thin water

8:36 p.m., 2200 block of Harbour Court Drive

Fire assist: Police were asked to assist the fire department on a report of a boat stuck on a sandbar. Fire rescue personnel were able to get the boat back underway.

Tune trouble

 8:40 p.m., Harbourside Drive

 Noise complaint: Music from a wedding party at a restaurant prompted a call to police. Officers investigating the call were told by a manager the music would be turned down and would end by 10 p.m. The caller complained that the noise prevented him from enjoying his outdoor porch and the issue had been reported previously.

May 16

Order on the court

8:43 a.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen dispute: Police were called to a park over a dispute involving tennis courts. A player wished to use a court with a backboard to practice but was unsuccessful in asking a group already on that court to move because of wind issues. Police explained the courts were for public access and were on a first-come, first-served system.

Please stop

9:34 a.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A vehicle that failed to stop for activated warning lights in a pedestrian crosswalk was stopped and its driver issued a written warning, along with an explanation of crosswalks.

 One bridge, big difference

12:27 p.m., Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: The driver of a slow-speed golf cart was stopped and issued a verbal warning while operating the vehicle on Gulf of Mexico Drive. The driver said he didn’t realize it was improper to drive the vehicle on Longboat Key because he had been told it was OK to drive it in Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach.

Rude

5:25 p.m., 3800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen dispute: A man and a woman with a service dog on private property yelled profanely at a resident when they were asked if they were residents of the community. When police arrived, officers were told the couple and dog had driven away.

Sea doggie

5:27 p.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Dog on the beach: A complaint about a dog on the beach ended when police were told the dog and its owner motored off on a personal watercraft.

Just fishin’

5:44 p.m., 500 Bay Isles Parkway

Juvenile call: Police were called to speak to a group of juveniles fishing on a golf course. The youngsters left when spoken to by officers.

Leaky

6:35 p.m., 6700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Fire assist: Police and fire units were alerted to a boat on a lift leaking fuel. A commercial towing service came and retrieved the vessel and brought it to its facility in Cortez.

Knocked over

8:13 p.m., 200 Sands Point Road

Traffic: A witness told a security guard about a vehicle that knocked over a light pole and left without stopping. Police were called and found a vehicle answering the witness’ description with front end damage. Police traced the ownership of the vehicle but were initially unable to contact them.

Open door

9:46 p.m., 6600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious incident: A resident reported to police returning home after a day away to find the front door ajar. Police scanned the home and found nothing out of the ordinary, though an officer noted the front-door latch wasn’t engaging properly. The homeowner said he would ask his security company to review camera footage and reconnect with police if anything out of the ordinary appears.

May 17

Our beach

12:22 p.m., Sands Point

Trespassing: Police spoke to a beachgoer on the privately owned portion of the shoreline. The beachgoer explained that he did not know he had been trespassing and agreed to move. The officer explained that should the beachgoer return, he would be subject to arrest.

Dig the view

6:48 p.m., 1600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: A person who stopped to look at the beach on a vacant plot of land found his vehicle stuck in the sand. An officer explained the land was private property. The man said he would call for roadside assistance if he was not successful in freeing his vehicle.

Night fight

11:53 p.m., 400 block of North Shore Road

Agency assistance: A couple injured in a fight at a Bradenton Beach bar called police from Longboat Key. Fire-rescue personnel took one of them to the hospital while a Bradenton Beach police officer arrived to take over the investigation.

May 18

Backing up to crash

9:41 a.m., Bay Isles Parkway and Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic crash: The driver of a truck was issued a citation following a collision between his vehicle and the vehicle behind. The driver told police he had stopped for a red light beyond the stripe on the pavement and tried to back up but hit the vehicle next in line. The driver of that vehicle said she used her horn to warn the truck driver, to no avail. The citation was for improper backing.

Tough week for lamp posts

6:17 p.m., 4200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic crash: A witness called police to relay word of a car that hit a light pole at the entrance of a community and drove off. The vehicle with three men inside then returned but drove off again. The witness passed along a license number which was connected to a driver with a suspended license.

May 19

Nice try

11:51 a.m., police headquarters

Citizen assist: The victim of an attempted scam came to police to report his experience. He told an officer he had received a call from a number he didn’t recognize telling him he needed to return the call to quash an arrest warrant issued by local authorities in his name. The man said he knew that call was not genuine, but wanted to report the telephone number.

No chasing

8:13 p.m., 4400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious vehicle: Police spotted a vehicle with one headlight out and attempted to stop it, but it instead accelerated to high speed. The initial officer did not pursue because of the speeds involved, but alerted emergency dispatchers. Another town officer also saw the vehicle but likewise did not begin a pursuit. The tag was issued to an out of area driver, though the vehicle description did not match the involved vehicle.