Longboat Key Cops Corner: Crossing the line

April 13

No harm, no fire

9:03 a.m., 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Alarm: Police and fire-rescue units responded to a condo complex after a fire alarm went off. The incident was deemed a false alarm, triggered by a faulty sensor in a service elevator.

Gone missing

11:30 a.m., 1200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Lost property: Police were contacted by the owner of a diamond earring, lost about a month earlier in a parking lot in town.

On the line

12:44 a.m., 7000 block of Bayside Drive

Civil disturbance: A homeowner called police about a dispute he’s been having with his neighbor regarding trees planted near a shared property line. The man said he foresees a day when the small trees grow past the property line, and he was concerned about that situation. The man was told by police it’s acceptable to trim limbs and leaves over his property.

Cute but still illegal

12:53 p.m., 7000 block of Seabreeze Avenue

Traffic/parking: A pink golf cart was parked along the street in a no-parking zone, and its owner was nowhere to be found. A written warning was left on the cart. The cart was gone about two hours later.

Aloha . . . now please leave

3:37 p.m., 3600 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: An officer called to investigate a suspicious person found a family using the beachside tiki hut of a nearby condo complex. The family was told it was private property and asked to return to he beach.

One chance given

4:15 p.m., 100 North Shore Road

Beverage violation: A man and woman were seen by police on the beach with open containers of hard seltzer. They complied when asked to pour out the alcoholic beverages and were told to put away any other alcohol they had with them. They were warned they’d be issued notices to appear in court if they were spotted again with open containers. A short time later, they were spotted again with open containers. As promised, officers escorted them off the beach and issued them notices to appear in Manatee County court.

Who called?

9:34 p.m., 2500 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Abandoned 911 call: Police dispatchers received a 911 call in which they heard loud music playing before contact was broken. Callbacks to the number were unsuccessful. An officer send to the address of the caller checked all 15 floors and found no problems or loud music. He left a message at the number of the 911 caller. The owner of the phone eventually called back, saying he had been at a wedding and 911 was likely accidentally dialed when the phone was on a table.

April 14

On its own

11:10 a.m., 700 Bayport Way

Boat call: Police were called to help locate the owner of a boat found adrift in Sarasota Bay and subsequently brought to a dock in town and secured. Checking a state database, police found the local owner of the boat, who said she had not known the vessel was missing. The owner drove to the dock where her boat was, ensured nothing was damaged or missing — it wasn’t — and drove it home. She said the boat lift had been malfunctioning at her home. Police gave the boat owner a ride back to the dock so she could retrieve her car.

Help on the half-shell

6:37 p.m., Sarasota Bay

Assist other agencies: Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium staff contacted police about a report of a turtle that survived a collision with a boat. Assisted by a boater who kept the turtle in sight, police found the turtle and brought the animal to Mote.

April 15

Sitting idly by

11:37 p.m., 800 Bayport Way

Suspicious vehicle: Police were called to check out a parked vehicle found with its engine running. No one was nearby or could be found. Police learned the car was registered to a rental company, which sent a voicemail to the customer about the situation.

Missing dinghy

8:38 p.m., Linley Street boat ramp

Missing property: A man who lives aboard a sailboat in the mooring basin reported his dinghy missing. He last saw it six days earlier, still tied to the stern of his boat. When he woke up the next morning, it was gone, and he had spent the last few days looking for it. No rough weather took place, and the man said he heard or saw nothing suspicious. He was not sure of the 10-foot white boat with blue seats was stolen or drifted off.

Save us, but first find us

9:05 p.m., 1100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Rescue: Callers reached out authorities to report they were stuck in an elevator. When rescuers arrived, they found the elevator in the reported building in working order. They then were advised the trapped trio was in another building. They were quickly rescued without harm, and the elevator was marked out of service.

April 16

Not quite light

2:57 a.m., 1200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A rental SUV with out of state plates, driven by a visitor, passed an officer with only the vehicle’s daytime running lights illuminated. The officer performed a traffic stop, at which time the 77-year-old driver said she was unfamiliar with the rental vehicle’s controls. The officer showed her how to operate the headlines.

Wild peacock chase

10:40 a.m., 7000 Poinsetta Avenue

Suspicious person: Police were alerted to a report of people chasing a peacock. An officer met with the caller who said the people she saw didn’t live on that property and were possibly trespassing. The officer spoke to the resident of the property, who said he didn’t see anyone in his yard. Officers didn’t see anyone fitting the description of the peacock pursuers.

He’s not stopping

9:23 p.m., 4300 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A driver was given a written warning after an unusual traffic stop. An officer on patrol spotted a car driving at a high speed and activated his emergency lights. The driver of the car did not initially pull over, then pulled to the shoulder but drove off again with the police cruiser still behind. The officer activated his siren, which prompted the driver to pull off the road again. The driver told the officer he thought an ambulance was behind him, and then worried he hadn’t pulled far enough off the the road for it to pass, so he drove off to find a wider part of the road to stop. The officer told him to pull off immediately when an emergency vehicle is behind him with lights flashing.

April 17

Parking lot bump

1:41 p.m.,  500 block of Bay Isles Parkway

Traffic: Police investigated a collision between two cars in a shopping center parking lot. The incident involved a car backing out of a parking space and collided with the drivers’ side wheel-well area of another car. Both drivers were given a case number and advised to contact their insurance companies.