Police respond to late-night verbal dispute at sea

Friday, June 21

Standby for SOS transport 

2:26 p.m., 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal Problem: An officer saw a group of citizens on the sidewalk near an osprey. One of the citizens said the osprey appeared to be severely hurt and Save Our Seabirds was already contacted. The rescue organization arrived within minutes and took it for emergency care. The officer then returned to service.

Saturday, June 22

Pack up the picnic

1:21 p.m., 3000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Trespassing: A homeowners association representative alerted police to a family using a picnic table on private property. At the scene, the officer spoke with the representative, who said he confronted the individuals and told them they had to leave, but the group ignored him. The officer then located the family eating at the picnic table and told them the representative wanted them trespassed. The two adults signed the trespass warnings without an issue and left the area. 

Sunday, June 23

Helping a heron

12:15 p.m., Jewfish Key

Animal Problem: While on marine patrol, an officer was dispatched to check on someone yelling for the police. Upon arrival, the officer found the individual calling for help, who said he rescued an injured great blue heron bird. The officer took the bird from the boater and transported it to the town boat ramp. A Save Our Seabirds member met the officer at the boat ramp and took possession of the bird. 

Monday, June 24

Mysterious damage claim

9:16 a.m., 200 block of North Shore Road

Property Damage: A citizen approached an officer to report that he believed his vehicle was damaged at a public beach access point. The officer observed a crack in the front of the vehicle, but it could not be determined what happened. A report was created for future reference. 

No fireworks, just family football

9:40 p.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise Disturbance: A caller claimed that fireworks were being set off by juveniles on the beach. When the officer arrived at the beach, he was unable to locate any juveniles. The officer then spoke with the complainant, who said the juveniles were playing football and setting off fireworks, but they had left after she told them she was calling 911. 

Then, the officer was able to spot a group playing football. The officer spoke with the father who said he was playing catch with his kids when they were yelled at by the complainant for playing too close to the turtle nests. A bystander confirmed that there were no fireworks involved and the children were playing football near the water and away from the turtle nests. No violations were observed. 

Tuesday, June 25

Random tire tracks 

4:53 a.m., 6300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Incident: Longboat Key PD was sent to investigate reports of a golf cart driving on the beach. An officer canvassed the scene and found fresh tire tracks leading onto the beach, which were not there when the officer last checked a couple of hours prior. The officer called the findings into a sergeant, who then advised the officer that he observed a Public Works employee driving an all-purpose vehicle in the direction of the beach access. Pictures of the tracks were documented just in case. 

Documenting the damage

12:27 p.m., 800 Marbury Lane

Civil Disturbance: Upon arrival at the scene, the complainant told police that a landscaping company had been parked in a neighbor’s driveway but also was blocking her driveway which caused recent damage to her property. She claimed there was damage done to landscaping, underwater piping and other property items due to the large truck in an “extremely narrow street.” Landscaping workers at the site at the time of the officer’s arrival had minimal English skills and did not provide any additional information, according to the officer’s report. Shortly after the officer’s arrival, a supervisor from the landscaping company arrived on the scene and worked out an agreement with the complainant. 

Wednesday, June 26

That won't cut it

8:20 p.m., 2500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Vehicle Stop: An officer on patrol noticed a vehicle with a defective brake light and signaled for the vehicle to pull over. The officer spoke with the driver and asked for all the necessary information. First, the driver said his driver’s license was expired, but when the officer double-checked the driver’s name in a database, the officer discovered the driver never had a driver’s license. When the officer asked the driver again, the driver said he never had a driver’s license, just a learner’s permit in high school. The driver was issued a criminal citation for the lack of a driver’s license, a traffic citation for the brake light and was advised he is not allowed to drive a vehicle on the road. 

Dispute at sea

11:09 p.m., 7000 block of La Lenaire Drive

Disturbance: Dispatch sent officers to investigate a report of a verbal disturbance between a man and a woman on a boat. Officers went by sea to the vessel anchored south of Jewfish Key and found the two individuals in question — the woman was on the deck of the main vessel and the man was sitting on a smaller vessel that was tied to the larger one. The officer spoke with the man, who also advised the officer that there were two firearms onboard the vessel. One of the other officers secured the firearms for the duration of the interaction.

The man then explained that he got into a verbal argument with the woman and tried to separate himself, hence the reason he was on the smaller vessel. Both said the argument was solely verbal and never got physical. The officers were able to talk things through with the two, who said they would separate for the evening. An officer transported the woman to a nearby boat ramp where they had a vehicle.