Cops Corner: Siesta Key

Nov. 26
Apology just not enough
12:59 a.m. — The intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Gleason Avenue. Driving Under the Influence. A deputy used radar to clock a vehicle traveling at 33 mph in the posted 20 mph zone. When the deputy stopped the vehicle, he noted the driver smelled of alcohol. The 28-year-old male driver said he had had two beers. The deputy called a second officer to the scene to conduct an investigation. That officer reported the driver said he didn’t feel drunk and that he was driving because his friend was drunk. After the second deputy arrested the driver and took him to the jail, the driver said he was sorry for what he had done. When he was administered a breathalyzer test, the driver blew a .167.

Nov 26
Waiting for the video
9:27 a.m. — 5300 block of Calle de la Siesta. Criminal Mischief. The owner of a hotel reported that he had found his recently purchased metal mailbox smashed and on the lawn when he arrived at work. He said one of his guests had told him about hearing a crash just before midnight, but the guest had not gone outside to take a look. The owner said he also recently had installed a high-quality surveillance system and didn’t want to chance erasing any of the tape. He said he would contact the manufacturer for directions on how to retrieve the information. The deputy said he would await the owner’s call before taking further action.

Nov. 27
Free rides
Noon — 750 block of Beach Road. Grand Theft. A 50-year-old man called to report that someone had taken two unlocked bicycles from the complex where he lives near the beach. The man had no idea who would have perpetrated the crime. The bicycles were valued at $300 each.

Nov. 28
The imaginary neighbor
5 a.m. — 5100 block of Jungle Plum Road. Suspicious Incident. A woman who had called the Sheriff’s Office about a suspicious incident told the responding deputy, “He’s at it again.” She said she was referring to a neighbor whom she calls, “Joy Boy.” She added she thinks he stalks her. She told the deputy on this occasion that she had heard a loud noise on her roof and the wind chimes had tinkled, but there was no breeze. (The deputy reported wind of 15 to 20 mph at the time.) The woman insisted her neighbor was bothering her again. The deputy discovered later that the woman had called the Sheriff’s Office 20 times in the previous eight months; 11 of those calls were for “suspicious persons or vehicles.” Five of them resulted from her pushing a panic alarm, but deputies had found no emergency when they had arrived. The deputy who responded to the latest call wrote that he had been at the house five times over the past 30 days. On two occasions, he had phoned the woman’s daughter to tell her he had found no signs of a crime. The daughter told the deputy that her mother sometimes calls 911 and hits the panic button for no reason. The daughter seemed willing to help, the deputy reported, but the daughter lives an hour away, so it is not possible for her to come to the scene right away. The deputy added every time he had come to the home, the woman told him the same story about the neighbor following her and climbing on her roof. She also had claimed the neighbor had poisoned her dog. The deputy wrote all those claims were unfounded. He added the woman never recognized him when he showed up, either, in spite of seeing him so regularly. The deputy concluded the woman needed some type of professional help, and he hoped she would be able to get it.

Walking it off
10:15 a.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail. Miscellaneous Incident. A police officer responding to a call about two homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk found the two men staggering southbound on the sidewalk. The officer determined they both were heavily intoxicated, so he took custody of them under the auspices of the Marchman Act and transported them to First Step for treatment.