Remains found on Longboat beach determined to not be human

Friday, Aug. 9

Fishing poles lost at sea

12:44 a.m., 7200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Lost Property: An officer was dispatched to a report of missing fishing poles. The fishermen said they were fishing from the center drawbridge where fishing is prohibited and lost two poles. At first, the two thought someone had stolen their fishing poles that were hanging over the side of the bridge. The officer wasn’t able to determine whether the poles fell into the water or were stolen, and neither of the fishermen had descriptions of the poles. Neither wanted an official police report, and the officer closed the case. 

Suspicious smell

10:33 p.m., 1200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Drug Case: While on patrol, an officer saw a vehicle with one inoperable headlight and another with its high beams activated. The officer pulled the vehicle over and, while conducting a traffic stop, smelled a strong odor of marijuana. When asked if she had a medical marijuana card, the driver said she did not, which prompted further investigation due to probable cause. The officer searched the car and found a plastic bag of marijuana next to some work clothes and fresh food. The driver was given a traffic citation and a notice to appear in court. 

Saturday, Aug. 10

Random rental car

1:48 a.m., 300 block of North Shore Road 

Suspicious Vehicle: An officer on patrol noticed a vehicle parked in front of a location with its driver's door open but unoccupied. The officer checked the vehicle's registration and confirmed the vehicle wasn't reported stolen or abandoned, and there were no signs of forced entry. The vehicle was registered to a rental company and the officer was unable to determine who the renter was at the time. For safekeeping, the officer closed and locked the car door. 

Speeding without a license 

1:29 p.m., 6900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Vehicle Stop: While using a lidar speed gun on traffic along GMD, an officer saw a vehicle going 48 mph in a 35 mph zone and conducted a vehicle stop. During the traffic stop, the driver said he did not have a driver's license but his name was confirmed as the registered owner of the vehicle. The officer retrieved the driver's information and found that his license had been expired since 2022. The driver was issued a criminal citation and a notice to appear in court, and the driver contacted a friend who would pick him and the truck up. 

Monday, Aug. 12

Unknown remains 

1:01 p.m., 6700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Incident: Dispatch sent officers to the beach when a caller reported he spotted what could be human remains. When the officers met the complainant at the scene, they located the bones on the dune and sent photos to a medical examiner. The remains were determined to not be from a human, and the case was closed. 

Tuesday, Aug. 13

No license to drive 

12:29 p.m., 500 block of Buttonwood Drive

Vehicle Stop: The license plate readers alerted police to a driver operating with an expired driver's license. An officer located and stopped the vehicle. During the stop, the officer asked for the usual paperwork to which the driver offered a Florida Identification Card and said the vehicle was registered to his mother. When asked if he had a driver's license, the driver admitted that he never received one but said he was driving because he worked on the island. After giving the driver a criminal citation, the officer advised the driver that he couldn't operate a vehicle until he obtained a valid driver's license. 

Wednesday, Aug. 14

Too early of a start 

7:32 a.m., 500 block of De Narvaez Drive 

Noise Disturbance: A Longboat Key officer responded to a complaint about construction noise before 8 a.m. Upon arrival, the officer saw workers using power tools at the construction site and asked them to stop. The construction manager was issued a formal warning and advised that no construction noise could occur before 8 a.m. 

Checking on businesses 

8 p.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Open Door/Window: While conducting business checks on patrol, an officer noticed that a business's front door was unlocked. Upon further investigation, everything appeared normal and no one was inside. As the officer was locking the door on the way out, an employee showed up to get something and said he would lock the door. 

Thursday, Aug. 15

Dog dispute

9:30 a.m., 500 block of Golf Links Lane 

Animal Problem: A resident called for police assistance after she claimed another dog was aggressively running toward her dog and tried to attack it. She said the owner of the dog was picking up dog litter and her dog got loose, which is when the dog started running toward her dog. No bite marks or punctures were found on the complainant’s dog. The complainant described the other dog and its owner, but the officer was unable to locate them in the area. 

No light on the beach

9:46 p.m., 3200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Person: An officer was dispatched to investigate a report of suspicious people on the beach with flashlights. Upon arrival at the beach, the officer saw two teenagers on the beach playing on their cell phones. Neither had a flashlight on, but the officer advised them to stay off of their cell phones because white lights aren’t allowed on the beach during sea turtle nesting season. The two teenagers apologized and agreed to stay off of their cell phones on the beach.