Cops Corner: Sarasota

Oct. 12
Lock it up
4 p.m. — 900 block of N. Beneva Road. Burglary. A man parked his van at a grocery store, left his wallet under the seat and took his debit card inside to make a purchase. He said he thought he had locked the vehicle but must not have because his wallet, containing his driver’s license and Social Security card, was missing when he returned. The man told police he was sure that was the last place he had left the wallet.

Cashing out
5 p.m. — 1300 block of Boulevard of the Arts. Petit Theft. A manager reported that $96 was missing from the petit cash box. The cash, in increments of four $20s, one $10, one $5 and one $1 was discovered missing around 2:20 p.m. on the above date. The manager told police that the cash box, located in an unlocked drawer in his desk, was locked when he found it but the lid was looser than it used to be. There were no pry marks evident on the cash box. Besides office staff, security has access to the office. No further action was taken at the time.

Oct. 15
Bright eyed and ‘bush’-y tailed
4:47 a.m. — School Avenue. Trespassing. A security guard found a homeless man sleeping in the bushes by a parking garage. The officer checked to see if the homeless man had any warrants and issued a trespass warning.

Wheeler and dealer
9 p.m. — 2700 block Coconut Bay Lane. Theft. A woman parked her car outside her apartment complex, and in the morning, the car’s wheels were missing. The suspect, or suspects, had jacked up the vehicle and removed the two right side wheels. The suspect left behind a small black jack, which the police officer checked for fingerprints, but could not find any. It appears that the car was wiped down so there would be no fingerprints left behind. A similar incident occurred the day before.

Oct. 16
Breakfast of champions
7:05 a.m. — 500 block Kumquat Court. Open Container. A police officer observed a man holding a 16-ounce can of Steel Reserve beer. The man told the officer that the beer was from the previous night, and it was empty. The officer picked up the beer car and observed that it was a quarter full.

Keen observation
12:30 p.m. — 2500 block Clematis Street. Burglary of Structure. A woman left her home, and when she returned several hours later, she saw that her bedroom light was on. She knew that she had turned off the light when she left. The woman noticed that a window shade was up, and upon closer inspection saw that the screen was not in place and part of the window was missing. An officer found that the jalousie window had been broken and removed. The window appeared to have been hit with an object and popped off the frame, and the suspect then used a lawn chair to climb through the window. The officer took fingerprints and told the woman about safety measures she can take in the future.

Hit and run
8:08 p.m. — 1900 block Main Street. Car Crash. A four-door Nissan car was parked illegally on Main Street when the driver of Chevy pickup truck tried to park near the car and crashed into the driver’s door. The driver of the pickup truck, described as a woman with long dark hair and wearing a turquoise shirt, left the scene. An officer searched the area but was unable to find the truck or the driver.

What a tool
11 p.m. — 2700 block Hillview Street. Burglary of a Vehicle. Officers responded to a call of a possible burglary in progress. The homeowner told police officers that he saw a male looking into his car, which was parked outside his home. The suspect then walked to a pickup truck and tried to open the locked toolbox. The homeowner yelled out, asking the suspect what he was trying to do to his vehicles. The suspect ran off and headed toward Tuttle Avenue. The homeowner followed the suspect for a while, and then he returned home and called the police.

Oct. 17
Leaving on bad terms
8:04 p.m. — 1300 block Main Street. Threats. A bar manager fired a worker, and the former employee was upset about the firing. The former employee made several threatening statements to the manager and said the place would go out of business soon. The manager believes the former employee also stole from the business. The manager said he would conduct an audit of the inventory and make a report after he knew what was missing.