Man causing disturbance resists arrest and assaults officer

Thursday, Feb. 29

Drugs on display

6:40 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway

Vehicle Stop: An officer witnessed a white SUV fail to stop at a red light before turning right, prompting the officer to pull over the driver. When the officer approached the driver, he reported smelling a strong odor of marijuana from the vehicle, and saw a THC oil vape pen on top of the driver’s bag on the front passenger seat. There were also remnants of marijuana on the passenger floor board and a glass pipe in plain view. The officer detained the driver and searched the vehicle. Inside the driver’s work bag, there was a prescription pill bottle with the label scratched off. Those 21 pills were assumed to be Xanax pills based on the officer’s training. There was another THC oil pen in the center console, which was proved to be THC from a chemical field test. The officer placed the driver under arrest and arranged for the vehicle to be towed. 

Friday, March 1

No dumping in this dumpster 

11:15 a.m., 1200 block of Bogey Lane

Officer Public Service: An officer responded to a caller that reported cardboard boxes in a construction dumpster. When the officer arrived on scene, the complainant showed the officer the boxes, which had a name on them. After making contact with the person whose name was on the boxes, she agreed to remove them from the container.   

Keep hands to yourself

3:02 p.m., 5600 block of Emerald Harbour Drive

Battery: Dispatch sent a Longboat Key officer to a reported disturbance. The dispatcher advised the officer that a man was yelling at neighbors and others in the area. When the officer arrived at the scene, he was able to find the man in question sitting in a truck. The man got out of his truck when the officer approached, telling the officer to go away and that he would not talk to him. The officer tried talking to the man, saying that he was there to investigate a disturbance. 

According to the officer’s report, the man became increasingly agitated as the officer tried figuring out if the man was allowed to be at the property. The man claimed he was doing work at the residence, but continued to argue with the officer. The officer’s report states that the man started walking toward the front of his truck and said he was leaving. Then, the officer told the man he was not free to leave yet and advised him to not get into the truck due to concerns over officer safety. 

The man quickly went toward the driver side of the truck. When the officer told him to stop, the man proceeded to try to open the car door. The officer tried getting in between the man and his truck, but the man swung and hit the officer’s forearm. A struggle ensued as the officer grabbed hold of the man who was resisting arrest. A witness helped the officer get a hold of the man and get him to the ground. The witness also said he saw a gun on the man’s waist, which the officer found and took from him. The man was placed under arrest and transported to Manatee County Jail for resisting an officer with violence and battery. 

Sunday, March 3

Short break on a long journey 

7:46 a.m., 2300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Person: A caller reported to dispatch that a suspicious person on a yellow kayak with a Texas registration was on shore. The responding officer spoke with the kayaker, who said he was participating in a race called “The Everglades Challenge,” which spans from Fort DeSoto to Key Largo. The man said he paddled ashore because of the inclement weather and was going to wait until it passed. 

Tuesday, March 5

Some dogs are OK

9:11 a.m., 2300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal Problem: An officer responded to a call that reported a dog on the beach. When the officer arrived at the beach, he talked with a man and a woman who had a German shepherd. It turned out that the woman was blind and the dog was her seeing-eye dog. 

Are there spare batteries for these? 

10:27 a.m., 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Officer Public Service: A witness called for police backup after seeing a man in his 60s struggling to get his motorized wheelchair going. When the officer arrived, Longboat Key Fire Rescue was already on scene and speaking with the man. He said the chair wasn't completely dead yet, but it was going slowly. Though he refused help, the Fire Rescue Department stayed to make sure he got home okay. 

Wednesday, March 6

Back to back offenses

3:19 p.m., 1900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive 

Vehicle Stop: The license plate reader alerted officers to a vehicle with a driver who had a suspended license. An officer stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver, who said she was pulled over the previous day by a Longboat Key officer for the same reason. The officer asked why she was driving if she knew her license was suspended, and she said she had to go to work. According to her, the suspension was because of an issue her insurance company made. But the officer said that she still shouldn’t be driving until the issue is resolved, and she was issued a criminal court citation.