Sarasota Cops Corner: Who owns the house plant?

Wednesday Feb. 9

Claiming collusion

6:50 a.m., 100 block of Lime Avenue

Civil dispute: Police responded to a call about a woman making suspicious claims to her boyfriend. The boyfriend told police that she had a mental health issue and had not been taking her medication. He told police that she believed the Russians were threatening her and implanting things into her body. When police interviewed the woman, she denied all of the claims and appeared to be fine. The police did not find any issues during their medical evaluation.

A sacred plant

1:05 p.m., 800 block of Osprey Avenue

Civil dispute: A woman called the police and accused her neighbor of stealing her house plant. She claimed that she allowed her neighbor to watch the house plant until she found a place to put it, as her apartment complex informed her that it was a fire hazard. But the neighbor claimed the house plant was given to her as a gift. Police were unable to solve the issue and told the two neighbors they must file a civil case for a legal decision on who owns the plant.

Thursday Feb. 10

Room service

3:10 p.m., 4000 block of Tamiami Trail

Theft: A hotel worker who resides at the hotel left his room to begin a shift. A few hours later he returned to his room and noticed many of his belongings were gone. He remembered a suspicious woman who checked in a few nights earlier and visited her room to offer room service. When she opened the door, the worker noticed many of his belongings inside the room. Police were able to return most of his stolen belongings.

Big John

8:45 a.m., 1300 block of Lockwood Ridge

Stalking: A woman was transporting belongings from her car to her apartment when a man approached her claiming to be Big John. She had never met the man before and said he was not trying to hurt her. He told his friends to enter her car, which she quickly said she did not want. The woman also received a call from her apartment manager, saying a man who fit the description of Big John was trying to visit her apartment. The man and his friends left before police arrived.

Talked him out of it

9:15 a.m., 200 block of Oakwood Boulevard

Family disturbance: Police responded to the same home for a third time in response to a claim that a man had barricaded himself inside. The man claimed to have a knife and threatened to harm himself with it if police arrived. After surrounding the home, police got in touch with the man via phone and persuaded him to come out of the house. The man was issued a trespassing warning and taken to a protective facility.