Cops Corner: Longboat

Aug. 4
Go South, young man
2:48 a.m. — 3100 block of GMD. Suspicious Person. A man told police that his belongings were taken from him in Bradenton; he had no identification on him when police found him sleeping on a bench. The same man was observed walking on Gulf of Mexico Drive the night before and told police that he came to the area from Atlanta to look for work and was headed to Sarasota. Police gave the man a ride to a bus stop off the Key.

The clock is ticking
8:57 a.m. — 700 block of Tarawitt Drive. Ordinance Enforcement. Police told an RV owner about an ordinance prohibiting travel campers from parking at a residence for more than five days. The owner told police that he was aware of the ordinance and had parked at 10 p.m. the night before. Police informed the owner that he had until Aug. 8 to remove it. The owner agreed with the calculation.

No one’s home
6:08 p.m. — 100 block of N. Shore Road. Suspicious Circumstance. Police found a small blue tent at the mangrove line near a public beach access but were unable to find its owner.

Aug. 5
Expired tags
8:36 a.m. — 100 block of Broadway. Suspicious Vehicle. Police contacted the owner of a vehicle with expired tags parked in the street. A woman told police that she is waiting to have the vehicle’s title transferred from her father’s name to her name. The woman agreed not to operate the vehicle until it has a proper tag.

Dogged detour
1:18 p.m. — 5500 block of GMD. Disturbance. A man told police that he observed large groups of Segway operators riding through a park and yelling to people walking dogs to move out of the path. The man said that some dog walkers are older and might not be able to move out of the path quickly enough. The manager of a Bradenton Beach Segway rental company agreed to inform tour guides about these issues and said that she would tell them to avoid the park.

Aug. 6
High turnover rate
8:09 a.m. — 5800 block of GMD. Vandalism. A man told police that an unknown person entered his rear patio area and overturned and threw a chaise lounge off a balcony, damaging it beyond repair. The man said he also found multiple chairs and portable canopies on the beach that were also overturned. Police found that none of the chairs or canopies appeared to be damaged and wrote that the suspect(s) likely accessed the patio by climbing a locked metal gate at the back of the home.

Family matters
10:16 a.m. — 2700 block of GMD. Disturbance. A man told police that he had a “heated discussion” with his daughter, who he said was upset and shouldn’t be driving. Both parties told police that there are ongoing family issues for which they are seeking counseling to resolve.

Meaty matter
2:59 p.m. — Longboat Drive North and Longboat Court. Code Enforcement. Police issued warnings for soliciting without a permit to two Pinellas County men selling meat from a pickup truck.

Aug. 7
Dropped driver’s license
1:11 p.m. — 100 block of Broadway. Police found a woman’s Florida driver’s license at a public beach access.

What’s the damage?
2:04 p.m. — 3400 block of GMD. Property Damage. A woman told police that she opened her car’s passenger door near a beach access and hit the mirror of the car parked next to her, causing the mirror to come loose from the door frame. The woman and her husband told police they would pay for the damage and were unable to find the car’s owner on the beach but did not want to leave without reporting the damage. Police found the owner and gave her the woman’s contact information and told her to get an estimate.

Aug. 8
On the run
1:57 a.m. — Off the Key. Assist Other Agency. Police helped Bradenton Beach police, who arrested a suspect found with an alleged stolen vehicle, but were unable to locate a second subject.

CLASSIC COPS

Oct. 13, 1992
New look
8:30 a.m. Cedar Street. Suspicious Person. Suspect found to be a local resident with a new beard.

April 7, 1984
Now that’s stretching it
4:42 p.m. 4900 block GMD. Man reports string stretched across the road. String attached to abandoned kite.