Police investigate suspicious man walking barefoot on the island

Saturday, Sept. 28

Suspicious clean-up crew

7:34 p.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Person: Dispatch sent an officer to investigate a resident’s report of a suspicious boat with numerous people onboard. The resident said he saw the boat moored on his dock, and people were unloading generators and other equipment. He claimed he was concerned about possible looting, and the people did not have permission to be moored on his dock. The responding officer found some of the people who were on the boat, and they claimed they were being paid to help clean up and restore a neighboring property. Despite the story, the officer told the crew they had to leave due to the island’s restrictions on civilian traffic. The crew gave the officer proper identification and went on their way without any issues. 

Monday, Sept. 30

Just walking home

9:27 a.m., 1200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Person: An officer responded to a suspicious person call referencing a man walking on the island with no shoes. The officer canvassed the nearby area and found the man who said he was walking home to his Longboat Key residence from downtown Sarasota. He explained that someone took his shoes from him the night prior, but he still had his wallet and cell phone. The man denied the officer’s offer to report the shoe theft, and he continued his walk home. 

Message in the sand

10:01 a.m., 5900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Incident: A resident called in a suspicious incident, and told the responding officer that she saw the words “Help Please” written in sand a couple of blocks away on the beach. The officer walked the beach and saw the message in the sand. Then, the officer wiped the message away with his foot and tried to contact the residents of the beachfront property nearby, but could not reach them. Other officers arrived at the scene, and the group entered the residence to ensure no one was in danger. There were no people inside and no signs of forced entry, so the officers closed the case. 

Tuesday, Oct. 1

Shoe stealer

12:06 p.m., 1900 block of Harbourside Drive

Suspicious Incident: A Longboat Key officer was dispatched to a suspicious incident report and met with the complainant. According to the complainant, a man driving a van stopped in front of his house and stole a pair of shoes that were lying in the street while he was cleaning out his garage. The shoes were not trash and the complainant said he was planning on keeping them, but they were among trash cans and bags on the street. The complainant said he just wanted the incident documented by police. 

Wednesday, Oct. 2

Help fueling up

9:47 p.m., 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Officer Public Service: An officer was asked to respond to a call at Longboat Key Fire Rescue Station 92 to help a woman pour gas into her vehicle. According to the dispatch call, the woman tried to fill the gas herself but accidentally poured it on herself. While the officer was en route, though, Fire Rescue canceled the call and said no police assistance was needed.

Thursday, Oct. 3

Late night drive

3:10 a.m., 600 block of De Narvaez Drive

Suspicious Vehicle: While on patrol, an officer noticed a car driving around past the town curfew and stopped the vehicle. The driver, originally from Canada, said he used to live in a nearby house. He also claimed to suffer from insomnia and driving around late at night helps that. The driver said he did not see the sign at the south entrance that said the island was only open for residents. He was issued a traffic citation for not carrying his driver’s license and warned about the curfew violation.