Man unable to find car calls for emergency backup

Saturday, March 29

Left the lights on

2:20 a.m., 4400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Vehicle: A patrol officer noticed an unoccupied car with its lights on parked in a driveway. The officer spoke to the homeowner, who said she had fallen asleep and must have forgotten to turn the lights off. She was thankful for the officer’s assistance. 

Monday, March 31

Late-night date

12:05 a.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Person: While patrolling near a beach access point, a Longboat Key officer spotted two individuals in the parking area. The officer spoke to the pair, who said they were on a date. The two provided their driver’s licenses for the officer to clear them of any warrants, which came back negative, and the couple left the area as requested. 

Raccoon on the road

5:26 p.m., 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal Problem: A citizen called to report a raccoon struck by a vehicle and was still alive on the side of the road. Upon arrival, an officer checked out the raccoon and confirmed it was injured, so the officer safely moved the raccoon to a nearby wooded area “to let nature take its course.” 

Bad breakup

11:43 p.m., 600 block of Bayview Drive

Family Disturbance: Dispatch sent officers to locate a disturbance between a female caller and her boyfriend using a location received by the call signal. At the scene, officers spoke to the caller, who said she wished to talk to the officers further down the street. After a brief walk, the woman said she got into an argument with her boyfriend of three months over an ex-boyfriend. She does not live with her current boyfriend and, as she tried to leave his house, he claimed she ran over his foot. Though she believed he was lying to get her to stay and get out of the car, she said if she did run over his foot, it was unintentional. 

The boyfriend repeatedly called her while the officers were speaking to her. When an officer answered one of his calls, he said he would not cooperate and only wished to speak to his girlfriend. The woman said she did not want to file a police report and only called because her boyfriend originally said he was going to call the police. Due to a lack of evidence and neither party cooperating, officers cleared the case, and the caller said she would not be returning to his house. 

Wednesday, April 2

Email pit stop

3 p.m., 5700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Vehicle: A citizen reported a suspicious vehicle he said was parked on the shoulder of the road for more than 20 minutes. An officer spoke with the vehicle’s driver, who said he pulled over to a shaded area to send an email. After ensuring the car was not reported stolen, the officer let the driver go about his business. 

Thursday, April 3

Wanted: Misplaced car

10:51 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway

Citizen Assist: While leaving a grocery store, a citizen was unable to locate his car and called for emergency assistance, claiming his vehicle was stolen. Multiple officers arrived at the scene and spoke to the vehicle’s owner, who said he was certain he had parked his car near some shrubs but could not find his car in that area. While one officer continued to talk to the man, others began canvassing the parking lot and found the citizen’s car one column away. The man confirmed it was his vehicle and admitted this was his mistake and a misunderstanding.