Best of Cops Corner for 2019

Jan. 12

MAC ATTACK AT DRIVE THRU

11000 block of State Road 64 East, Bradenton

Assault: A woman came to the Sheriff's Office to report while she was working her drive-thru shift at a fast food restaurant, she was attacked by two unknown persons in the same vehicle. One woman grabbed her hand and crushed an ice cream cone on her arm that she was handing to her. Another person in the back of the vehicle threw an unknown liquid into her face. The victim was not injured.

Feb. 8

TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS

7000 block of Westhill Court, Bradenton

Scheme to defraud: A woman came to the Sheriff's Office to report a scam. She said she had scheduled an appointment with a tile and grout cleaning service. She said she had seen an advertisement for it. The ad said the service would cost $199. A man from the service showed up and began cleaning. He told the woman he would use a grout sealant for an additional fee. It would come with a five-year warranty. The service would cost an additional $508. The woman agreed and the man said he only would accept a check. The woman wrote his a check and gave it to him. He then told her to stay out of the way so he could work and she went into her bedroom and got on her computer. About 45 minutes later, she noticed it was very quiet and she went to check on the man. He had not done any other work and who had left.

April 7

SWEET CRIME GOES SOUR

2900 block of 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton

Petty theft: A man and a women entered a department store together and proceeded to the meet department as they selected a package of chicken. They then went to the candy section and chose a box of candy, opening it and sharing among themselves. When they had finished the candy, they closed the empty box and put it back on the shelf. They then proceeded past all points of sale and were approached by store security. The Sheriff's Office was notified. The value of the items taken was $6.75.

May 3

THE CRIME REALLY STINKS

2900 block of 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton

Retail theft: Security at a department store watched as a woman entered the store and tried on a tank top in the fitting room. The woman then picked up two boxes of medicine from the pharmacy and placed the medicine and the tank top in a diaper bag she was carrying. The woman approached the self checkout and scanned some items but not the items that were in the diaper bag. She then passed all points of sale without attempting to purchase the concealed items. The stolen items were valued at $35.89. A notice to appear was given to the woman.

May 26

THIEF HAD WINE, MIXERS IN PANTS

2900 block of 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton

Petit theft: A man went into a department store and was watched by store security after he went to the wine aisle and selected a bottle of Yellow Tail wine and a bottle of Schweppes ginger ale, and then put both bottles down the front of his pants. He then proceeded to pass all points of sale without making any attempt to pay. The man was stopped by loss prevention.

June 6

HIGH HO, HIGH HO, OFF TO JAIL WE GO

600 block of 67th Street Circle East, Bradenton

Marijuana possession: A man was observed sitting outside his motel room smoking what appeared to be marijuana out of a pipe. The man returned to his room, then called the front desk and asked for another room for no apparent reason. After making the transfer, a motel employee called the Sheriff's Office after going to the man's previous room and finding a pipe with a green, leafy substance sitting on the dresser. A deputy arrived at the scene to trespass the man, who was asleep in his new room with the door open. A green leafy substance was inside a jar which read medical marijuana on it and was sitting on the table. On the hotel dresser was a multicolored pipe with an unburned green leafy substance in the bowl. The man woke up an said he had a medical marijuana card before admitting he really didn't. The man was trespassed from the motel and was then was placed under arrest. A presumptive test of the substance was completed and tested positive for marijuana. The two pipes and marijuana were placed into property and evidence. The man was transported to jail.

July 4

HOUSEKEEPER WANTS DO-OVER

5600 block of Manor Hill Lane, Bradenton

Information only: A man woke up in his hotel room only to see a housekeeping employee in his room with his wallet in her hand. She then put the wallet down and excited the room. Once outside the door, she knocked on the door for the man to open it.

July 19

SCOOTER LADIES RAID STORE

8300 block of Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota

Retail theft: Two women entered a department store and selected store-provided scooters to do their shopping. The two women selected several items and placed them into their scooter shopping baskets. Eventually, they made their way to the self check-out area where they scanned some of the items they had selected, but not all of them. The suspects made like they were scanning certain items, but actually bypassed the scan before placing them into their shopping bag. The suspects worked together to make it look like all the items were being scanned. The items that weren't scanned out of the cart amounted to $29.37. Also, a bottle of sleeping pills was put into one woman's purse. The suspects attempted to leave the store, but were stopped by loss prevention employees. When the Sheriff's Office deputy arrived, the ladies admitted bypassing the scanner with certain items, but they said they were in a hurry because they were going to a funeral. The ladies were given notices to appear for shoplifting.

Aug. 11

LACK OF FISH LEADS TO FIT

8400 block of Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota

Criminal mischief: A Sheriff's Office deputy was sent to a fast food restaurant after getting a call from the restaurant's employees about a crazed customer. The man had been waiting in the drive through line and because angry when he didn't get his fillet of fish sandwich he ordered. He exited his car and "pitched a fit," grabbing a nearby shopping cart and began bashing it into the side of another car, which sustained approximately $2,000 in damage. The suspect fled in an unknown direction. Witnesses had no idea who the suspect was.

Aug. 20

SHOULD HAVE SCOOTED ANOTHER DIRECTION

8900 block of White Sage Loop, Bradenton

Threat to do violence: A woman was riding her electric scooter and walking her dog down the sidewalk when she came to her neighbor's driveway. Her female neighbor was hosing off her driveway and the woman on the scooter told her to stop so she could get past. The neighbor said the woman on the scooter always is harassing her and her other neighbors. The second woman continued to wash her driveway and the woman on the scooter behind irate, even through she had room to go around the driveway. The woman on the scooter chose to go down the sidewalk and drove into the squirting water. The woman got off the scooter in a threatening manner and was flailing her arms and using profanity as she approached the woman with the hose, threatening her. The woman with the hose squirted the woman in the chest and told her to get off her property. The woman on the scooter called  911 and wanted to press charges. A deputy at the scene informed the woman on the scooter that she was the aggressor. The woman on the scooter also talked about an incident involving the woman in the driveway's dog and was told to contact animal control. The woman on the scooter was not happy and requested to speak to a supervisor. After considering all the statements, it was decided the woman on the scooter was the aggressive. The woman with the hose decided not to press charges.

Aug. 27

SUBJECT WAS A REAL PIG

5400 block of Fort Hamer Road, Bradenton

Found animal: A Sheriff's Office deputy arrived in reference to a found pig. The pig is described as mainly white with a black face, approximately 200 pounds and female. The deputy spoke with several neighbors in an attempt to locate the owner with no luck. The deputy was advised the pig would be safe in its current location but needed to be removed the next morning.

Aug. 31

FRUSTRATED SODBUSTER GETS HER WAY 

2100 block of 67th Street Court East, Bradenton

Information Only: A Sheriff's Office deputy was sent to the scene of a verbal disturbance. When the deputy arrived, he spoke with a female homeowner who was angry that a landscaper had placed a pile of sod on her property. The woman told the deputy that no sod had been there the previous night, so the landscaper had to have brought it that day. The landscaper said the sod was not on the woman's property, but on common ground. One of the contractors in the area attempted to remove the sod but the homeowner wouldn't let him until the deputy arrived. The sod was determined to be on right of way, but was removed from the site to prevent any further issues. There was no damage done to the woman's property.

Sept. 4

SLOW GOING ON TORTOISE CASE

100 block of Alpine Court, Bradenton

Lost pet: A woman called the Sheriff's Office to report her African Spur tortoise was missing. The woman believed her tortoise might have burrowed somewhere in her yard as he had done before. However, the woman saw a "found tortoise" post on a social media page. The woman contacted a lost pet services organization which sent her the name and address of the person who reported finding a tortoise. She went to the address and met a man who told her he had the tortoise but it was getting dark and it was in his yard so he didn't want to look for it until the morning. She contacted him the next day and he said he didn't have time to look for it. The woman had the Sheriff's Office call the man, who said "the tortoise escaped and he hasn't seen it since." The tortoise is approximately 8 years old and weights about 50 pounds. The tortoise has a scar on top of its shell toward the front. 

Sept. 29

LIGHT SHINES ON NEIGHBORS' FUED

6800 283rd Street East, Myakka City

Information only: A Sheriff's Office deputy was dispatched due to a problem between neighbors. The deputy met with a woman who said a male neighbor has been harassing her for months and the previous night had pointed a spotlight on her and kept it on her from the road all the way into her driveway and then continued to shine it on her on her property. The deputy then spoke to the male neighbor, who said the woman pulls her truck into her property and while feeding her horses keeps her headlights on, which shines on his front porch and disturbs him while he tries to relax. The deputy told the two neighbors they needed to mind their own business and attempt if at all possible not to bother each other. The deputy asked them to stop any conflict before it happens. They both agreed and then the female neighbor asked for the situation to be documented in case it happens again.

Oct. 30

GRASS-KILLER TOLD TO CUT IT OUT

13000 Wood Duck Circle, Bradenton

Information only: A man provided the Sheriff's Office a video of his neighbor throwing liquid on several spots on his lawn. The grass in those spots has since died. The man filed a felony criminal mischief report and requested that a deputy speak with the neighbor to ask him to stop the behavior. A deputy viewed the video and then walked the yard, confirming that the dead spots in the yard coincide with the areas where the neighbor has been seen dumping a liquid. The deputy then spoke with the neighbor and advised him he had been trespassed from the yard. He said he understood. The deputy also advised the neighbor that it also included him throwing or dumping anything into the yard.

Nov. 7

HERE'S YOUR CLOTHES, WHAT'S YOUR HURRY?

5000 block of 31st Street Court East, Bradenton

Disturbance: The Sheriff's Office was called by an anonymous neighbor when a couple who had been together five years were having an argument. The called said the woman was throwing all the male's clothes out a window into the parking lot. The deputy spoke with the male, who said he was ending his relationship with the woman and an argument occurred. Both said the argument was verbal with nothing physical. The deputy observed that nothing physical had taken place. Both subjects were given a domestic packet. The man grabbed the rest of his belonging from the residence and had a friend pick him up. He insisted he was never coming back to the home.

Dec. 5

DESPERATELY SEEKING CURTIS

1600 block of White Breeze Cove, Bradenton

Suspicious person: A Sheriff's Office deputy was dispatched in reference to a suspicious incident.  Upon arrival, the deputy was told by a man who said another man had rung his doorbell and asked if Curtis was there. The first man went inside to ask his mother if she knew a Curtis and the suspicious man followed him into to call a number in the 909 area code. The second man told the residents he was out to repair a grandfather clock. The man then left in a PT Cruiser. The male was described as being 5-foot-5 and looking like Joe Pesci. He was wearing magnifying glasses with lights on them. A case card was given to the residents.