- November 17, 2024
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11:58 a.m., 500 block of Harbor Point Drive
Animal complaint: With no volunteers available from a nearby bird-rescue sanctuary, a police officer and a resident teamed up to care for an injured hawk. Together, they lifted the animal from the caller’s front yard into a box. The officer then transported the bird to Save our Seabirds on City Island for examination and treatment.
5:32 p.m., 3600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Fire assist: Police and fire-rescue personnel came to a residential building on a report of an occupied and stuck elevator. Fire-rescue teams were able to rescue the elevator rider without harm.
12:05 a.m., 6800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Unsecured premises: An officer routinely checking the security of businesses found the front door to one location unlocked. Following a check inside, the officer ascertained that no one was inside and there were no signs of forced entry. The owner was notified of the officer’s nocturnal findings.
2:49 p.m., 3400 block of Fair Oaks Lane
Citizen dispute: An intoxicated person at a gathering following the death of a friend and family member was reported to have gotten into an argument with others. An officer arrived and spoke to a third party who explained the situation. Both the intoxicated person and others involved agreed to leave the scene.
3:43 p.m., 2300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Citizen assist: Police agreed to stand by while a woman arrived at a family member’s home to gather belongings before leaving. The officer did so and left when the woman was finished loading her vehicle.
1:54 a.m., 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious vehicle: An officer moved in to investigate when he saw a vehicle in the wee hours of the morning pull into a public beach access spot after established hours. The officer learned from the man, a Manatee County resident in his early 30s, that he and his girlfriend simply wanted to visit the site of their first date. While cooperative, the man was also checked for wants and warrants through a national crime database (something that surely didn’t happen on that first date at the beach). The two left the beach area without incident.
2:58 p.m., near Sister Keys
Abandoned boat: The town’s marine patrol officer was flagged down by another boater and informed about a vessel that had come loose from its anchor and was drifting around the heavily traveled Intracoastal Waterway. The officer and the boater were able to guide the vessel to a safe spot and securely anchored it. The boat’s owner was advised of the situation and where to find his boat. The owner said he would check on the vessel the next day.
7:29 p.m., 5400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic hazard: Police cited the driver of a car-hauling truck that parked in the highway’s center-turn lane to deliver a client’s vehicle.
8:35 a.m., Linley Street boat ramp
Boating call: The town’s marine patrol officer was alerted to police intelligence regarding a missing sailboat. In speaking with a source, the officer learned the missing boat was anchored nearby, though most of its identifying marks and numbers had been faded by the sun. The officer was able to identify the vessel and advised Manatee County authorities that he had confirmed the boat’s location. The officer spoke with the boat’s owner and asked that he make contact with police if he is in the area soon.
11:30 a.m., 2200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic hazard: A caller to police complained that the line of hurricane-debris collection trucks was obscuring her view of oncoming traffic as she attempted to pull out of a side street. By the time of the officer arrived, the line of big trucks had shifted and alleviated the vision problem.
3:09 p.m., Greer Island
Abandoned vessel: Police found a mostly submerged and heavily deteriorated boat near Greer Island, potentially creating a hazard to boats that actually still float. The vessel was towed toward land and out of the way. Attempts to locate the owner of the vessel, registered to a man in Naples, were unsuccessful. The boat was not listed as stolen in a statewide crime database. The owner of the land to which the boat was towed was apprised of the situation.
11:56 p.m., 100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious vehicle: An officer on patrol investigated the presence of a vehicle in a town park after hours. The vehicle was covered with blankets and clothes. The man with a Naples address on his identification appeared homeless and living in the 2005 model vehicle. The officer explained he could not remain in the town park, but suggested other locations to bed down for the night.
8:40 p.m., 3800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic hazard: An officer used a collection of traffic cones he found nearby to mark the location of a manhole cover that had popped out of its spot as a warning to nighttime drivers. A member of the Public Works Department team said the situation would be addressed.
11 a.m., police headquarters
DMV number inspection: A man who had just driven to Longboat Key from a mid-Atlantic state sought police help in verifying his vehicle’s identification number to facilitate registration in Florida. With no wants or warrants associated with the car, the officer stamped the man’s paperwork as OK.
10:22 p.m., 500 block of Cedar Street
Unsecured premises: An officer on routine patrol, performing security checks on businesses, found a door unlocked and went inside to make sure all was well. It was. The officer locked up and left a business card with a case number in the location’s mailbox.
7:33 a.m., 1200 block of Hillview Street, Sarasota
Agency assistance: The town’s marine patrol officer was called to assist Sarasota Police Department in responding to a report of someone clinging to a barrel floating in Sarasota Bay, as reported by someone in the Harbor Acres community. Before the Longboat Key officer could arrive at the scene, it was determined that the barrel/castaway combination was actually a manatee.