Cops Corner: Sarasota 03.03.16

Feb. 22

ONE MAN’S TRASH
Noon — 2200 block of North Washington Boulevard
Theft: A man reported that someone stole his motorcycle motor. The man was cleaning his storage unit and relocated a stripped-down motorcycle so he could move other items around. The man placed the motorcycle parts in a hallway near a trash receptacle. The man left the area and did not return for a week, at which point he realized the motor was gone. An employee at the storage facility was unable to recover security footage, but the officer concluded that someone either threw away the motor or took it assuming it was garbage.

Feb. 29

GRASPING IN THE DARK
8:29 p.m. — 3100 block of Fruitville Road
Suspicion: An anonymous complainant notified police that a man was walking around the area with a flashlight and attempted to open a car door. An officer found a man matching the description in a bank parking lot. He said he was waiting for a friend to pick him up, and had the flashlight on his phone turned on so he could see. He said he thought his friend’s car pulled into the parking spot near him, so he tried to open the passenger side door. He apologized and said he did not mean to scare the driver, who was not his friend.

BUSH BABIES
10:56 p.m. — 1000 block of 10th Street
Suspicion: A woman was on her balcony when she saw three men smoking cigarettes and looking in the bushes nearby. The woman’s husband went outside and asked the men what they were doing. They said they were looking for $20 they had lost in the bushes and then began calling the woman and her husband vulgar names. The woman called the police, but officers were unable to locate the suspects.

WHEELING & STEALING
9:21 p.m. — 700 block of South Washington Boulevard
Suspicion: An anonymous complainant saw a van drive into a car dealership parking lot, place four tires on the roof and then leave the area. An employee at the dealership said she was unsure if anyone was supposed to be picking up any tires from the business, but said she would report back if there was a chance any crime occurred.