Cops Corner: Pelican Press

Oct. 3
‘Oh, what a night’
7 a.m. — 600 block of Beach Road. Grand Theft and Criminal Mischief. A staff member of a resort on the Key reported that a sign and a fire extinguisher had been stolen between 10 p.m. Oct. 2 and 7 a.m. Oct. 3. The fire extinguisher had been found in the swimming pool; it had been discharged. Its estimated replacement value was about $100. An unknown person or persons also had used a large rock to remove a tow-away sign attached to a concrete wall. This caused about $50 in damage, the staff said. Additionally, the rock had been used to smash in three lanterns, causing about $250 in damages. The wrought iron on one lantern was bent as well, resulting in another $50 in damage.

Oct. 4
Long suspension, short memory
11:26 p.m. — 2300 block of Ocean Blvd. Driving Under the Influence. A driver had backed out of the alleyway next to a nightclub and into the roadway, heading southbound in the northbound lane. The driver then pulled across the road and drove halfway onto the sidewalk as he made his way onto Avenida Messina. The vehicle also was close to a pedestrian the driver appeared to be following, so the deputy observing him stopped him, fearing for the pedestrian’s safety. While talking with the driver, the deputy said he noted an obvious odor of alcohol, and the driver’s eyes were bloodshot. When the deputy asked for a driver’s license, the man handed the deputy a Florida ID card and said he did not have a license because he had not paid a traffic ticket. When asked how much he had had to drink, the driver said he had had “like two beers” at the nearby nightclub. After he was arrested, the driver said he had been driving with a suspended license for the past six months, because he needed to drive for his job. However, he said the only reason he was driving that night was because the friend who had accompanied him was “not OK to drive.” The deputy discovered the driver had failed to pay several traffic fines.

Oct. 5
Mystery man
9:55 p.m. — 900 block of Beach Road. Battery. A woman waved down a deputy at the corner of Canal Road and Ocean Boulevard and said her ex-boyfriend had hit her. She said they had been enjoying time at Siesta Public Beach near one of the lifeguard stands when they started what she thought was a good-natured disagreement. Then she said the ex-boyfriend hit her several times in the face. However, the deputy saw no marks or bruising on the woman’s face. The woman then told the deputy he was probably still on the beach, because she had provided their transportation. Two deputies and the woman searched the area of the beach but could not find the ex. Then the woman said she had known him only for a short time. She thought he worked in Sarasota, but she did not know his last name. She told the deputies she would find out his last name and let them know. The deputies took no further action.

Oct. 6
Neighborhood watcher
3:10 p.m. — Intersection of Midnight Pass Road and Big Oak Lane. Petit Theft. A 14-year-old girl reported she had chained her bike to a street sign just after 6 a.m. that day, before she went to school. When she returned, the bike was missing. However, she said a person had left a note on the sign saying he might have seen someone riding her stolen bike. A deputy planned to call the man, who had left his phone number on the note as well.

Oct. 7
Coming back for more
3:30 p.m. — 80 block of Avenida Messina. Residential Burglary. A woman reported that when she arrived home after being away for a couple of weeks, she saw the outside rear door to her bedroom had been pried open and the TV and cable box were missing. Additionally, the home theater system had been removed from the living room, but it was packed up in the bedroom. She suspected the thief was planning to retrieve it later. None of the neighbors reported hearing or seeing anything suspicious.

Oct. 8
Give it another try
9:16 a.m. — Intersection of Midnight Pass Road and Sun and Sea Drive. Driving While License Suspended. A deputy on routine patrol spotted a man whom he believed had a suspended license getting into a truck at a convenience store and driving away. The deputy confirmed the man’s license was suspended then stopped him in the man’s driveway. When the deputy approached the man, the man said he had no idea what he had done wrong, but he handed the deputy two traffic citations. One had been issued the previous morning for driving with a license suspended without knowledge of the suspension. When the deputy told the man the other deputy had stopped him the day before because the man was driving with a suspended license, the man said he hadn’t known about the suspension until that deputy had stopped him. This time, the man ended up in jail.