Men caught sleeping in Longboat park after hours

Saturday, Feb. 8

Phishy text request

9:11 a.m., 3200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Incident: Dispatch sent an officer to investigate a resident’s report of a suspicious text message that told her she had to pay Florida tolls via text message. She knew the message was suspicious and did not send any money, and the officer said the message was likely a phishing scam. The resident deleted the message and reported it as junk.

Missing among the mangroves

12:43 p.m., 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive 

Assist Other Agency: Longboat Key officers were sent to assist in a search for people lost in the mangroves. The original call came from Ted Sperling Park on Lido Key, but the phone’s location showed the callers were near the south end of Longboat Key. Upon arrival, the officers quickly located two women across from a small body of water in the mangroves north of Quick Point Park. The women were able to walk through the shallow body of water toward the officers. They told officers they were exploring, went off the path and got lost in thick mangroves. Both were uninjured and denied medical attention. 

Monday, Feb. 10

Still suspended 

10:58 p.m., 500 block of Yawl Lane 

Vehicle Stop: While on patrol, an officer noticed a familiar vehicle driving along Gulf of Mexico Drive. According to the report, the driver was previously cited by the same officer for operating a vehicle with a suspended license. The officer followed the vehicle and checked the vehicle’s registration as the driver turned onto a side road. The database confirmed the driver still had a suspended driver’s license, so the officer initiated his patrol vehicle’s lights to conduct an official stop. The driver first claimed he missed his turn, but the officer determined he was attempting to avoid the officer because he knew his license was suspended. The driver was processed for an arrest in the field and issued a citation. 

Not a joking matter

11:55 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Vehicle: An officer patrolling the area noticed a car parked in Bayfront Park after hours near the kayak launch area. As the officer activated his vehicle’s emergency lights and exited his vehicle, the owner of the suspicious vehicle walked around to the rear of his vehicle. The officer asked the man what he was doing in the park, to which the man said he just found out his mother had cancer and was upset. 

Following procedure, the officer asked the man for his identification and the man said his license and vehicle documents were in his vehicle. As the man reached into his glove box, he chuckled and said, “I have a gun in here,” according to the police report. The officer immediately told the man to step away from the vehicle and show that nothing was in his hands. The man was detained and the officer walked him to his patrol vehicle to be away from whatever firearm he mentioned. The man said he was an attorney and claimed this was “a bit much,” but the officer explained he was not under arrest, just detained for the moment due to his gun claim. 

Other Longboat Key officers arrived on the scene and determined the man was alone and did not have a gun in immediate reach of his glove box. The man was taken out of the handcuffs and issued a citation for being in the park after hours. 

Tuesday, Feb. 11

Tired from fishing

12:35 a.m., 100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Vehicle: While on routine patrol, an officer noticed a car parked in a town park after hours and investigated the suspicious vehicle. The officer saw two men sleeping in the vehicle and woke them up to ask what they were doing in the park after hours. They said they were fishing and, when they returned to their car, they fell asleep. Neither had active warrants, and the officer gave them a verbal warning before asking them to leave.