- December 21, 2024
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3:56 p.m., 7200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Fire assist: Police and fire personnel were alerted to three people struggling in a current while swimming from a boat near Jewfish Key. Upon arrival nearby, police and fire responders learned a personal-watercraft operator aided the three in returning to their boat. Fire-rescue personnel met the boat at the Coquina Beach boat ramp to medically check the three, who were reported to be uninjured. Manatee County Sheriff’s Office personnel and personnel with Bradenton Beach police also assisted. The boat departed with all hands following the incident.
11:55 a.m., 800 block of Longboat Club Road
Citizen assist: A resident called police to report a plume of water spraying from the ground in a neighbor’s yard. An officer was unable to get a closer look because of a locked gate but spoke to a neighbor for homeowner contact information. The homeowner said the pump involved was the property of the neighborhood’s homeowners’ association and said she would be contacting that group’s property manager.
8:39 a.m., 5200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Citizen assist: An officer who stopped to inquire why a vehicle was stopped with emergency flashers activated learned the driver had run out of gas. Because the island’s only gas station was out of gas cans, the officer retrieved one from the police department and returned. Another officer transported the stricken driver to the gas station, then brought him back. Once fuel was supplied, the driver was able to depart without further incident.
9:31 a.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Abandoned 911 call: A hotel employee walked with an officer to a guest’s room in response to a call to the county’s emergency phone line. A man in the room said a child had accidentally made the call. The officer spoke to a woman in the room to confirm the report, because a female voice on the phone told emergency call-takers than there was no problem. There wasn’t.
8:15 a.m., 500 Golf Links Lane
Noise complaint: The operators of a truck blowing insulation into a home’s attic spaces were told to shut down for the day, as they were in violation of the town’s regulations on weekend construction noise. The homeowner said he had been unaware of such regulations. All work ceased.
1:04 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Road
Suspicious vehicle: An officer stopped to investigate a 15-year-old model year car, parked in the Town Hall lot after hours. No one was nearby and the vehicle was unoccupied.
8:41 a.m., 5800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Animal: While on another assignment, an officer spotted a baby turtle in the back yard swimming pool of a beachfront home. Experts at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium were called to pickup the wayward hatchling.
12:40 p.m., 2800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious incident: A resident alerted police to a white tent with food inside that seemed to be the basis for a roadside business of some sort. An officer arrived to find a couple celebrating their wedding engagement with a charcuterie board. The officer had no luck reconnecting with the caller to explain his non-commercial findings.
3:10 p.m., 10th Street Boat Ramp, Sarasota
Agency assistance: A Longboat Key marine patrol officer assisted Sarasota Police in the apprehension of a suspect in a reported boat break-in. The Longboat officer arrived at the boat ramp area and spotted under a tree a man who resembled the suspect’s description. The Longboat officer stood by while city police responded and helped until no further assistance was needed.
5:50 p.m., 2900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Citizen dispute: A carpenter and a homeowner had a civil disagreement over payment for work done. The carpenter told an officer he worked 13 hours over two days and was seeking $260. The homeowner said he agreed to a flat rate of $150 and was seeking identification of the carpenter for tax purposes before he pays him. The carpenter left without being paid and said he understood the matter was civil and not criminal.
9:20 a.m., 100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Citizen assist: A police officer called the Public Works Department for assistance in removing a dead large bird from the entrance road to a waterfront town park. A staffer said someone would respond to remove it.
12:17 p.m., 2000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic hazard: An officer on patrol stopped and gathered a number of cardboard boxes from the roadway, saving them in his vehicle for later disposal at the police station.