Cops Corner: East County

The following information was gathered from incident and arrest reports obtained from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

April 21
Stolen seats
5 a.m. — The intersection of 57th Avenue East and 58th Drive East. Theft $300 to $5,000. The complainant reported an unknown person(s) took multiple chairs from the community pool. During the crime, the person(s) broke the light above the pool.

April 28
No sharing
11:33 p.m. — 14200 block of Mossy Oak Lane. Information only. The complainant reported his neighbor has been using his gate and entrance to access his neighbor’s property, which is adjacent to the complainant. The neighbor has no legal easement. The complainant advised the neighbor he wants him to stop using the gate and entrance. He also wants the neighbor to stop allowing his horses to travel freely upon the complainant’s property. The neighbor was advised of the two issues and agreed to take steps to establish his own entrance and gate and will install a fence to contain his horses.

May 1
Cryptic messages
3 a.m. — 6500 block of Anchor Loop. Information. The complainant’s cell phone woke her up after she received text messages from the defendant. He wrote he was sorry for what he was about to do. The complainant made several attempts to phone the defendant to find out what he meant but was unsuccessful. He then texted he was going to stay at a motel, but he wouldn’t name which one. The complainant stated the defendant told her he suffers from an undisclosed illness, but she was unsure how true that statement was. Dispatch contacted all of the hotels in the area of the defendant’s residence and they denied anyone by the name given was staying there. North-side deputies responded back to his residence and stood by to check the inside when the complainant arrived back.

Doesn’t check out
9:28 a.m. — 35500 block of State Road 70 East. Petit theft, first offense. The complainant reported she had received two $500 American Express travelers checks from an online business opportunity in which she is enrolled. When she received the checks, she noticed the checks were blank except for the amount. She went to her bank and discovered they were counterfeit. She reported the scam to the proper authorities and returned home with the checks. After returning home the night before, the checks along with some other mail fell out of her truck onto the ground. When she returned to her truck May 1, she noticed the checks and other mail missing. She said she believes a person staying on her property is responsible for the theft, but she has no evidence. She wanted to report the theft even though the checks had no true value because they are counterfeit.

May 1
Wallet woes
12:14 p.m. — 6200 block of State Road 64 East. Petit theft first degree less than $300. The victim was paying for his items and placed his wallet on the table next to the credit card machine. He forgot to take it when he was finished paying. He realized he had left the store without his wallet when he went to a nearby gas station about five to 10 minutes later. He returned to Walmart, but his wallet was missing. Surveillance footage showed the female in line behind the victim take his wallet when it was her turn at the register. A copy of surveillance footage was obtained from Walmart security. A still photo of the suspect and copy of her receipt, showing the last four digits of the card used to pay for her items, were obtained. The wallet and contents have a combined estimated value of $245. The victim was issued a case number and a victim’s rights brochure.