Cops Corner: Sarasota 3.26.20

March 17

NO VACANCY
9:45 a.m. — 100 block of Bryant Drive
Financial crime: A man said he responded to an online ad and paid someone $950 to rent a home. When the man arrived in Sarasota and got to the rental property, the owners greeted him and informed him they had never rented their home or advertised it for rent online. The man said he never spoke to anyone directly about renting the property, only communicating with the person who listed it via email. An officer concluded the man was the victim of fraud and collected information about the rental agreement and the advertisement.

PRESS YOUR LUCK
8:01 p.m. — 2200 block of Bee Ridge Road
Theft: An employee at a convenience store reported a man entered the business, grabbed a bunch of scratch-off lottery tickets from the front counter and then ran out of the building. The man took nine tickets valued at $20 in total. The employee showed an officer surveillance footage of the man, but the officer was unable to find anyone matching the man’s description in the area.

WET BANDIT
9:45 p.m. — 1800 block of 29th Street
Property damage: A woman left her house to go to work and discovered a dark liquid-like substance on her driver side front door and window. The woman said she’s been having an ongoing issue with a family member, but she did not see who was responsible for throwing the liquid onto the vehicle. The woman rinsed her car off before speaking to an officer, who estimated the damage at $200.

March 21

DON’T SPRAY IT
8 a.m. — 2100 block of Bay Street
Property damage: A woman reported someone had spray-painted vulgar graffiti on her driveway overnight. The woman said she did not know who might have been responsible. She did not want to press charges, only to report the incident.

STRIKES TWICE
6:14 p.m. — 2000 block of Bay Street
Property damage: An employee at a grocery store reported someone had spray-painted vulgar graffiti on a nearby fence. The employee said this is a recurring issue, and there are no surveillance cameras in the area that would have captured the act of vandalism. The employee said she would be interested in pressing charges if a suspect was identified, but an officer was unable to find any additional information.