Cops Corner

June 6
The nose knows
3:12 a.m. — 600 block of Washington Boulevard. Complainant told police there was an extremely bad smell coming from a Dumpster. He said he felt it may be a “death” smell. The responding officer wrote in his report: “Smells like a trash Dumpster. No smell of death.”

Don’t follow me
3:36 a.m. — 1400 block of Main Street. Theft. A purse-snatcher picked out a target he was sure could not follow him — a woman on crutches. The victim told police her purse was stolen, and she was trying to hobble back home.

Fool me thrice ...
12:10 p.m. — 3000 block of Tangelo Drive. Grand Theft. An 83-year-old woman reported she was the victim of a scam. She received a phone call by someone pretending to be her grandson, who said he was in an accident in Mexico and needed $7,000 wired to him to get bailed out of jail. She sent the money. The next day, she received another call from her “grandson,” who told her he needed another $7,000 to fix the rental car that was damaged in the accident. She sent the money. Later that same day, her “grandson” called again, asking for $6,000 to fix a light pole damaged in the crash. Bank personnel stopped her from sending money a third time and told her to call the sheriff’s office.

Positive ID
2:51 p.m. — 5200 block of Ocean Boulevard. Trespassing. A convenience-store manager caught a man trying to steal some merchandise he had stuffed in his pockets. The man hurriedly removed the stolen items and handed them back to the manager and ran away. Unfortunately for the thief, he also mistakenly handed the manager his driver’s license. The manager called the sheriff’s office and asked that they give the thief a trespassing warning. Two hours later, the same thief returned to the store. The manager called deputies again, and the thief was arrested.

I saw the light
6:31 p.m. — 1200 North Gulfstream Avenue. Suspicious Incident. A caller reported that someone was throwing light bulbs from the top of a high-rise condo building.

Color me bad
11:23 p.m. — 1300 block of South Tamiami Trail. Suspicious Person. A coffee-shop employee told police she’s been having an ongoing problem with one of her customers. But his latest antics have been too colorful to ignore. The employee said the man dyed his hair blue inside the shop’s bathroom and created a huge mess, and he refused to help clean it.

June 7
Ed Norton, is that you?
3:48 p.m. — Main Street. Suspicious Incident. Complainant spotted a man trying to open a sewer grate and crawl inside. The man may not have been familiar with how really sewers work, because he was dressed in all white.

Bird watcher
9:12 p.m. — 2900 block of Michigan Street. Suspicious Person. Two women called their neighbor to tell her a man was leaning over her fence and using binoculars to look into her windows. One woman only saw the man from behind, so she couldn’t give a good description of him. The neighbor fears the man was a registered sex offender who lives nearby.

Campfire story
22:56 p.m. — 1400 block of First Street. Suspicious Person. Complainant was parking his car on the third floor of a parking garage when he looked in the corner and saw a man preparing for a pleasant night’s slumber. The man appeared to be setting up camp.