Police called to investigate suspicious washing machine noise

Friday, Aug. 23

Another electrical problem

11 p.m., 1600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Assist other Agency: An officer on patrol heard a transformer explosion nearby and went to the scene to see a small brush fire along the sidewalk and downed power lines that were sparking. While the officer was waiting for the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department's arrival, more fuses from the nearby pole had blown and started more small brush fires. The fire rescue department arrived at the scene and that section of GMD was shut down for a short time until Florida Power & Light arrived. 

Saturday, Aug. 24

Suspicious washing machine

3:10 p.m., 1900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive 

Suspicious Incident: A condominium employee called 911 after she heard a washer turn on when she entered a unit that no one was supposed to be in. Longboat Key officers responded to the suspicious incident and entered the unit. All rooms were cleared, and it appeared that the sound the employee heard was an air conditioning unit. No signs of forced entry were observed, and an officer contacted the unit's owner to let him know of the situation. 

Sunday, Aug. 25

Lending a hand

12:55 p.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Road 

Disabled Vehicle: After wrapping up a traffic stop, an officer was approached by a man who asked for assistance with a flat tire. The officer told the man that he could not help change the tire due to the department’s policy, but the officer helped in any way he could. The man called AAA for roadside assistance, which would not get there until three hours later. Due to the long wait time, the officer gave the man a courtesy ride to a nearby store to wait for AAA inside.  

Tuesday, Aug. 27

Boisterous boat maintenance 

10:28 a.m., 600 block of Buttonwood Drive 

Noise Disturbance: Dispatch sent an officer to investigate two separate noise complaint calls from residents who claimed there was loud music from a neighbor’s house for the last 90 minutes. Upon arrival at the residence in question, the officer did not hear loud music but spoke with the homeowner. She said someone was having work done on her boat’s sound system and loud music was on for a few seconds to make sure everything was working properly.  

While speaking with the homeowner, she mentioned that one of the complainants had trespassed on her property to talk to the worker after the music was played. However, she told the officer that she did not want to file a trespass warning because she was rushing to get to an appointment. 

Wednesday, Aug. 28

Bogus bone

9:26 a.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Incident: Officers were dispatched to a report of a bone found on the beach. The caller said he was walking on the beach when he found what appeared to be a joint bone. An officer took a picture of the bone and sent it to a medical examiner, who confirmed it was not from a human. The bone was disposed of in a nearby trash can. 

Kayakers late for arrival 

4:36 p.m., 800 block of Evergreen Way

Marine Rescue: Two kayakers were reported to have not returned from a kayak trip, and the caller was worried about them being out there without a cell phone and with a storm approaching. After receiving descriptions of the two missing kayakers, the officer checked the town boat ramp but did not see any kayakers. Other agencies were notified of the incident, and the officer continued to check nearby boat ramps. While finalizing a BOLO, the caller told the officer that she thought she saw the missing kayakers traveling south. The two kayakers returned to the residence unharmed, and the officer called off the search.