Resident calls police, too afraid to talk to construction workers

Friday, May 10

Beach chair confusion 

2:24 p.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Disturbance: An officer responded to a disturbance called in by a resident who claimed there was a group of women sitting on beach chairs that did not belong to them. The officer searched the nearby beach to locate the individuals, who were at the neighboring condo complex. The two beachgoers said they were meeting their grandmother who lives in the complex. They said they did not know the chairs belonged to anyone and thought they could use them since their grandmother lived in the complex. But, the condo complexes aren’t the same, and the chairs were not fair game. The beachgoers returned the chairs and apologized for any inconvenience. 

Saturday, May 11

Stray golf ball strike 

9:39 a.m., 2400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Property Damage: While on patrol, an officer saw a vehicle swerve off the roadway. The officer pulled behind the driver, who appeared visibly shaken. She pointed to her windshield, which showed signs of damage from a round object. Then a man wearing golf attire approached the scene and it was made clear that a golf ball struck the vehicle. No crime was committed, just a golfing accident. 

Safety first, lunch later 

12:50 p.m., Jewfish Key

Vehicle Stop: A marine patrol officer observed a vessel with no registration numbers and conducted a vessel stop. The operator was frustrated and said he was in a hurry to dock at a restaurant for dinner, later telling the officer to hurry up and write him a ticket so he could eat lunch. The officer then escorted the vessel to the dock to perform a safety check. It was then discovered that the life vest on board for a 4-year-old was not Coast Guard approved, and the vessel operator received two citations.

Crab spotting 

9:39 p.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Person: Dispatch sent Longboat PD to investigate a report of five or six people on the beach with spotlights. At the scene, officers canvassed the area and found a family leaving the beach and using headlamps. One of the family members said they were searching for speckled crabs and were on their way out. 

Sunday, May 12

Passenger left behind

2:20 p.m., Jewfish Key

Vehicle Stop: Marine patrol officers observed a personal watercraft operating on a full plane in a minimum wake zone with a passenger holding onto the front hood of the personal watercraft. The operator made a U-turn and both he and the passenger fell off the watercraft. After that, the operator got on the personal watercraft and left the passenger behind. The officers picked up the passenger on the police vessel while another officer stopped the watercraft. The operator could not provide a boater identification card and did not have registration numbers on the watercraft. He was then cited for reckless operations, violating a minimum wake zone, no boater identification card and failure to display registration numbers. 

Monday, May 13

Too scared to ask

9:15 a.m., 500 block of Birdie Lane 

Officer Public Service: Dispatch asked an officer to respond to a citizen assist call where a resident was unable to get out of her driveway due to construction workers. Upon arrival, the officer saw the construction workers digging in front of the resident’s driveway and proceeded to speak with the resident. She said she needed to leave for a road trip but was afraid to ask the workers. The officer then spoke with the workers, who agreed to fill up the hole so the resident could leave.