Cops Corner: East County 09.21.2016

Sept. 3

Scam foiled ... finally

4200 block of State Road 64, Bradenton

Suspicious incidents: The Sheriff's Office responded after a woman's daughter called them about a her mother receiving suspicious phone calls demanded money. The callers said her mother would have to go to join if they didn't pay them. The mother told the callers she couldn't afford a lot so she would send them the $100 gift card they requested and then would make payments. The Sheriff's Office deputies met the mother at a convenience store where she was trying to buy the gift card. They explained she was being scammed. The mother couldn't get the gift card there, so she went to a drug store and a gas station in an effort to buy it. The deputies followed along, trying to convince her she was being scammed. The mother said she was scared and didn't want to get into trouble, but she allowed the deputies to look at her phone. The same number called again and a young woman told the deputies she was the woman's grandmother and that she was sending her a gift card. The line then disconnected. The deputies called the number back and a male answered, then disconnected. The woman told deputies she doesn't have a granddaughter, and she finally believed she was being scammed. The woman thanked the deputies and her daughter for not letting her be scammed.

Sept. 6

Wheels of fortune

6400 block of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard

Possible theft: A pair of lawn company workers noticed a bike sitting near a picnic area with no one around it. Later in the day, a woman noticed the two workers looking at the bike, then walking over and picking it up, then putting it in his work trailer. The woman noticed the owner of the trailer whose phone number was on the back of the trailer. She told the workers the bike was not theirs to take. She called police. One of the men told a deputy that he thought no one wanted it, so he took it. It was unknown who owned the bike.

Sept. 10

Don't mess with a cookie monster

700 Greyhawk Boulevard, Bradenton

Information only: A man was at the clubhouse pool of his residential community when he saw a small child eating a handful of cookies in the pool. He asked the child not to eat the cookies, so the child got out of the pool and finished the cookies. After getting back in, the child told the man to "look down." The child was making an obscene gesture to the man. The man found the child's mother and told her of the incident and she relayed his remarks to the father. The man was approached by the father and they began an argument over the incident. When the man went to tell the security guard about the incident, the father gave him a bear hug. The man proceeded to tell the security guard, and then another man pushed the man from behind. A Sheriff's Office deputy located everyone involved and took a report from the man who was pushed and grabbed. No injuries were observed. As the man was giving his report, the father came and stood next to him. The deputy placed the father into the back of his patrol car. The security guard agreed to produce video evidence of the event.

Sept. 16

Now come the real handcuffs

2900 block of 53rd St., Bradenton

Petit Theft: A man went to the automotive department of a department store and picked up a keychain that resembled handcuffs. He placed them into the palm of his hand and walked to the front of the store, where he placed the keychain inside his wallet. He then picked out two Slim Jims and proceeded to the self checkout. He only paid for one of the Slim Jims, completed his transaction and left the store where he was stopped by loss prevention personnel. The amount taken was $6.04. The defendant was given a notice to appear and left.