Citizen reports suspicious smoker relaxing on the sidewalk

Friday, Jan. 10

Suspicious power restoration 

12:03 a.m., 500 block of Yawl Lane 

Suspicious Vehicle: A resident reported a suspicious, large truck parked and running with its lights on in the middle of the night. Upon arrival at the scene, the responding officer observed the vehicle in question, which was marked as a Florida Power & Light vehicle. The officer spoke with someone in the truck who said they were there to restore power to a house on that street. The officer observed nothing suspicious; it was just an FPL crew doing its job. 

Saturday, Jan. 11

No license to drive

7:32 a.m., 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Vehicle Stop: An officer on patrol noticed a truck with one inoperable front headlight and stopped the vehicle. The officer explained to the driver why he was stopped and, upon asking the driver for identification, the driver said he did not have a driver’s license. The driver offered a Brazilian passport, but the officer issued the driver a criminal citation for driving a vehicle without ever having been issued a license. The officer advised the driver that he must leave the vehicle parked where it was and call someone with a valid license to pick up the vehicle. 

Minor mailbox mishap 

7:55 a.m., 400 block of Firehouse Court 

Citizen Assist: Dispatch sent an officer to the scene of a citizen assist call after a delivery driver accidentally backed up into a mailbox. The mailbox was broken off of the pole, and the delivery driver said she wanted police present when she reported the damage to the homeowner. The officer stood by as the driver spoke with the homeowner and explained what happened. The homeowner said it was not a big deal and that he would fix the mailbox without any need for a property damage report or other police involvement. 

Tuesday, Jan. 14

Locked out while lifting 

8:24 p.m., 600 block of Cedars Court 

Suspicious Person: A citizen contacted dispatch to report a suspicious man knocking on his front door. Upon arrival, the responding officer found the man walking around the clubhouse area who matched the description given by the caller — a white tank top and a New York Yankees hat. The suspicious Yankees fan said he was working out in the complex’s exercise room and left to use the restroom, but was then locked out of the exercise room. That’s when he started knocking on doors to find someone with a key fob to let him back into the exercise room, he said. The officer helped him find another door to the exercise room so he could retrieve his items. 

Wednesday, Jan. 15

Impatient boater 

2 p.m., Lois Avenue

Disturbance: Officers were dispatched to a reported verbal dispute at the town boat ramp. The officers were met by a man who described the dispute. According to him, two men argued over the use of the boat ramp — one was operating a barge that was hauling hurricane debris from Jewfish Key, and the other was upset because it was taking too long. The barge was preparing to leave as the officers arrived at the scene, so the situation was resolved. 

Thursday, Jan. 16

Having a smoke on the sidewalk 

3:43 p.m., 300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive 

Citizen Assist: A Longboat Key officer was dispatched to a report of a suspicious person lying down on the side of the road and smoking a cigarette. At the scene, the officer found the smoker lying on the sidewalk. He said he did not need medical assistance and was just resting after a long walk.