Cops Corner: Pelican Press

May 11
RUDE MANNERS
7:49 p.m. — corner of Gleason Avenue and Reid Street. Driving Under the Influence. An officer pulled over a man driving on Ocean Boulevard without a seatbelt. When the officer approached the car, he noticed the man was eating a grilled steak with his hands and smoking a cigarette at the same time. The man was asked three times to put down the steak and cigarette and exit the vehicle, however, he kept trying to bring his cigarette. He was arrested for driving under the influence and driving without a valid license.

May 12
PROPERTY RIGHTS
10 p.m. — 6500 block of Sabal Drive. Criminal Mischief. A man reported that a neighbor he has quarreled with in the past did $400 worth of damage to his fence. He claimed that the neighbor referred to the fence as “ugly” and admitted to the deed. The suspect was not arrested and the man who called the police said he would review personal surveillance tapes to see if he can identify the culprit.

DOUBLE BOGEY
10:20 p.m. — corner of Midnight Pass Road and Sun & Sea Island Hideaway. Driving Under the Influence. A man was pulled over for driving erratically and was arrested for driving under the influence after an officer found two fresh beer cans in his car. He explained he had had four beers and six shots of liquor at a bar after a day of golf — he also had a recorded blood alcohol content more than double the legal limit for operating a vehicle.

May 13
EXCORCISM NEEDED
9:58 p.m. — 1200 block of Sea Plume Way. Impaired Person. Police encountered a woman thrashing about while lying in the middle of a roadway screaming in an unrecognizable language. An officer took her to jail after finding that no one was home while trying to return her to her residence.

May 14
PRICEY PILFERING
11 p.m. — 5300 block of Siesta Cove Drive. Grand Theft. A woman reported that a $600 vacuum cleaner, $1,000 suitcase, some clothes and prescription medication were stolen from her vehicle. An officer was unable to dust for fingerprints because the vehicle owner had been touching the car before police arrived.

May 15
NO PARKING
2:15 p.m. — corner of Island Circle and Las Rosas. Vehicle Crash. A woman parked at an unoccupied house less than a mile from the main Siesta Key Beach access backed into a truck causing $500 of damage to both vehicles.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
4:30 p.m. — 3900 block of Higel Avenue. Trespassing. A woman reported that a man she had hired in the past for odd jobs walked by her window while she was in bed. After hearing her garage close, she saw the suspect walk by her kitchen window. A neighbor spotted the man on his bike and threatened him by saying, “You had better have a gun.” The rear hatch of the woman’s car was found open, and the suspect escaped.

TWO’S COMPANY
7:15 p.m. — 900 block of Beach Road. Battery. After riding her bike to meet a male friend, a woman reported that he got angry and pushed her so hard she had to take two steps backward to avoid falling. The woman said the suspect became angry when she asked to borrow a beach chair and he said yes with the clause that she would sit next to him. The woman responded, “I will be one minute,” which sparked the tussle.