Cops Corner: Pelican Press

Oct. 26
Whom can you trust these days?
4:40 p.m. — 1200 block of Stickney Point Road. Petit Theft. A man reported that within a day or so of his move to Lakeland, he received a phone call from a woman who said she was with a bank on the Key. She told him someone had come into the bank to turn in the man’s debit card. No transactions had been reported for the card prior to the man’s receiving the phone call, and the man told a deputy he had not realized he had lost the card. Six days later, the man contacted the same woman bank officer to advise her to cancel the card, because he had no way to get back to Sarasota to retrieve it. When he went to a Lakeland branch of the bank the following day, he learned that numerous purchases had been made with the card the previous day and that the card still was active. The man asked an official at the Lakeland bank branch to cancel the card. The man said he suspected the female bank official on the Key had stolen his card number and used it to buy the items reported on the card’s account. The deputy concluded, “This requires further investigation.”

Oct. 27
Small accident; big consequences
2:21 a.m. — 5100 block of Ocean Boulevard. Driving Under the Influence. A 26-year-old man backed out of a Village parking lot and hit an unattended vehicle. A deputy on the scene reported the man’s face was flush and his eyes appeared to be bloodshot and glazed. The deputy added that he detected a strong odor of alcohol from the man, as well. When the deputy asked the man where he was going, the man said he was on his way home. When the deputy asked where he had been, the man replied that he had been “all over Siesta Village.” When the deputy asked him to be more specific, the man said he had been at a restaurant. When the deputy then asked how much the man had had to drink, the man said he had drunk a couple of beers. The deputy asked the man to perform the standard sobriety exercises, but the man refused. After the deputy transported the man to the jail, the man also refused to take a breathalyzer test.

Nov. 2
At least one item was a bargain
2:08 p.m. — 500 block of Venice Lane. Fraudulent Use of Credit Card. A man reported that his credit card had been used by someone at a home supplies store in New Jersey. The first purchase on the card was for $2,010, with a credit for a $201 discount. The card also reportedly was used to purchase five “weather watches,” with a total cost of $299.50. The man reported that he had no idea who had used his card, but the credit card company supplied information about the suspect to the Sheriff’s Office.

Nov. 3
After all, he was open about it
8 p.m. — 5200 block of Ocean Boulevard. Suspicious Incident. The owner of a Village restaurant called the Sheriff’s Office to complain about a person who had been dining in the establishment. The owner said the man had acted strangely and had asked the server if he could speak with the owner. When the owner went to the man’s table, the man said he had a firearm, but he did not specify whether it was on his person or in his vehicle. The owner reported he, nonetheless, became uncomfortable. The man then told the owner he needed $600 for a hotel room. The owner referred him to a hotel down the street, adding he could not give the man money. The man then paid his bill and left. The owner wrote down the license plate number and description of the man’s vehicle, which he gave to a deputy. After the deputy ran the tag, he showed the owner the photo of the man to whom the vehicle was registered. The owner confirmed that that was the man with whom he had spoken. The deputy learned that the man was on probation for the felony offense of carrying a concealed firearm. Because the man had not threatened the owner or displayed a firearm, the deputy felt no probable cause existed for a crime.