- April 23, 2024
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Weighty investigation
8:34 a.m., 6500 block of Gulfside Drive
Property damage: A beachfront resident called police to report damage done to beach chairs left near the high-water line the previous evening. In meeting with the responding officer, the caller said she had left three chairs on the beach and discovered damage to one of them in the morning. She theorized someone had purposely cut the chair’s webbing. The officer, after inspecting the chair, instead theorized that the webbing had become weakened by the cool overnight weather and someone had sat in the chair, breaking the webbing.
Stop for the lights
9:29 a.m., 900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic: With yellow lights flashing in a crosswalk, a driver was seen by police driving through the signal on Gulf of Mexico Drive. The driver from Lakeland told the officer he didn’t see anyone in the crosswalk, so he drove through. The officer reminded him to stop for the flashing lights first, then determine if anyone is trying to cross before proceeding. The driver was issued a written warning.
Cutting cable
10 a.m., 2700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Fire department standby: A sergeant spotted a downed power line near Bicentennial Park and immediately used his cruiser to block the roadway and call for assistance from Florida Power & Light and Longboat Key Fire-Rescue. Crews arrived and cut the cable to render it safe, and the road was reopened about 45 minutes later.
Wrong way
10:30 a.m., 2700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic: While assisting with traffic control at the scene of downed power lines on Gulf of Mexico Drive, an officer spotted a Cadillac driving south in the northbound lanes for about a quarter-mile, passing stopped traffic. Once the officer got the driver to stop in the grass, the driver said he was trying to get through the intersection to turn at Bay Isles Road. The officer reported the driver was upset for being stopped and didn’t believe that a wire was down in the intersection. He was issued a citation for driving on the wrong side of the road.
His papers were in order
11:27 a.m., 7000 Longboat Drive East
Suspicious circumstance: Police were called to a neighborhood to investigate a report of a remotely controlled drone flying nearby. An officer located a car described as being connected to the flight and spoke to the drone operator. He produced a valid FAA drone-operator certificate and said he was photographing a home for a real estate agent and had not strayed from the boundaries of that assignment. No other complaints about improper overflights were received. The drone operator left for another assignment without incident.
Just a little bit more, please
12:47 p.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic: A landscaping truck and trailer was partially blocking the bicycle lane, drawing a complaint from a caller. Though there was room for cyclists to pass, the officer asked the driver to move a little farther into the grass to clear the lane completely. It was done.
Is anyone licensed?
8:36 p.m., 6500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic: An officer was alerted by the town’s traffic-monitoring system that a car owned by a driver with a revoked license was heading north on Gulf of Mexico Drive. The driver said the car belongs to her father. When asked for her drivers license, she told the officer she is working on getting one and produced a valid ID card instead. With no wants or warrants, she was ticketed for driving without a license. A licensed driver arrived to drive the vehicle away.
Alarming guest
10:43 p.m., 3500 block of Fair Oaks Way
Alarm: A house guest who was unfamiliar with their host’s alarm system opened a door and triggered the alarm. The homeowner confirmed the situation.
Stop to fix
2:40 a.m., 800 block of Broadway Street
Traffic: An officer stopped a vehicle with a broken brake light. The driver said she knew she needed to replace the red tape on the brake light. There were no wants or warrants posted for the driver and passenger. The driver was issued a written warning.
Talking trash
10:58 a.m., 700 block of Broadway Street
Disturbance: A man called police to report a dispute he’d had with a boater over trash. The caller said he had seen a man aboard a sailboat throw trash overboard at the Linley Street moorings. When the caller confronted the boater, the caller reported he was threatened with a gaff pole. The case was referred to the police department’s marine unit.
Smashing!
2:56 p.m., 600 block of Cedar Street
Vandalism: A homeowner reported hearing a loud bang from outside his home and later found his car’s driver-side front window shattered. No property appeared to be missing. The homeowner said he suspected a family member.
No waves, no running
3:17 p.m., 280 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Boating: Police were called following a report of a yellow Wave Runner aground on a sandbar near Quick Point Nature Preserve. Longboat Key Fire-Rescue also arrived and removed the watercraft from the sandbar. No injuries were reported.
Please leave
8:53 p.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Disturbance: A resort guest who was causing a disturbance at the bar was asked to stay in his room for the rest of the night. Resort employees called police to report the man had been asked to leave the bar. Police found him wandering the sixth-floor hallways and was asked to return to his fourth-floor room.
What was that?
11:49 p.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Rescue: A caller to police reported flares over the Gulf of Mexico. A sergeant reported seeing a lantern on the water, but no flares or vessels in distress. Police also heard from Venice Police via a messaging system that a meteor shower could have been mistaken for flares over the gulf waters.
