Cops Corner 11.26.09

Nov. 11
Put it on my tab
11:56 p.m. — 1000 Boulevard of the Arts. Grand Theft. A hotel manager reported one of his guests had not paid his $2,070 bill. The guest wanted to extend his stay for 11 days, but the front-desk clerk noticed the credit card was being rejected. The guest said his assistant would be driving from Miami with a new card. The assistant never arrived, and the guest kept charging things to his room, including food, drinks and a massage. Confronted again about the credit card, the guest said his father was going to fax a credit-card authorization, but that never arrived, either. The guest left the hotel and walked across the street to another hotel. Police met him there and arrested him.

Nov. 16
Just a touch-up
6:15 a.m. — 1500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Criminal Mischief. Complainant from a construction company reported someone spray painted the seats in two gold cars and a storage-trailer door. Another storage-trailer door was damaged when someone tried to pry it open. Damage was estimated at $200.

Always on the go
3:15 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Theft. A man shopping at a department store took four designer shirts and began walking toward the exit. When a security guard tried to stop him, he ran out the door to a waiting car, and as he jumped inside, he yelled at the driver to, “Go, go, go.” The guard got the car’s tag number.

Nov. 17
Dog rescue
1:58 a.m. — 300 block of Mac Ewen Drive. Animal Problem. The caller reported a dog stuck in the middle of a retention pond. The dog was having trouble staying above water. Sheriff’s deputies rescued the dog and turned it over to animal services.

Flaming mad
5:23 a.m. — 3400 block of Queens Street. Disturbance. The complainant was cooking food in a frying pan. The noise apparently awoke a friend, who was sleeping on the couch. The friend was not happy and tried to move the pan, which immediately erupted in flames. The friend threw water on the grease fire, but more flames erupted. The fire eventually died down on its own.

Study haul
8:50 a.m. — 2800 block of Ringling Boulevard. Suspicious Vehicle. A U-Haul truck has been parked in a parking lot for three weeks without moving. The complainant said there were no contact numbers on the truck.

What’s in your wallet?
3:44 p.m. — 3400 block of Queens Street. Unauthorized Use of Credit Card. A woman reported that someone had opened a credit-card account in her name, without her permission. She said she received a collection notice in the mail from the credit-card company, which stated that she owed $2,551. She told the company that she never opened that account. The credit-card company said the account originated in
Atlanta.

No support for bra thief
6:16 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Petit Theft. A lingerie shop manager had been tracking the theft of merchandise from her store, when she noticed a pattern of missing items, including a certain cotton panty and makeup. The manager also noticed that an employee had been ringing up her own purchases of those items and then returning them to different stores. When confronted, the employee admitted to stealing things for eight months — five lip-gloss tubes, 14 eye shadows, 10 dressy panties, 15 cotton panties and 17 gift certificates. She also admitted giving a friend $10 off the purchase of a bra. The value of the stolen merchandise was $625.