Longboat Key Cops Corner: Nothing to see here

March 10

No castaways here

1:30 p.m., Off the key

Boat incident: While on marine patrol, a pair of Longboat Police officers heard a two-way radio report of a capsized sailboat in Sarasota Bay, possibly with a man on board. As the officers arrived in the area of the report, they found the person who had made the call and determined the overturned vessel was a derelict hull, and there was no one in distress. The U.S. Coast Guard was also advised of the call’s outcome.

Lost, found, returned

7:26 p.m., 5400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Found property: A caller notified police about found property, but when an officer arrived, no one was around. The officer began looking around and began finding loose credit cards and identification cards on the ground, then a silver carrying case for the cards was found nearby. In all, nine cards were found, including credit cards and membership cards. The officer ultimately made contact with a relative of the card owner, who said he had dinner at a Longboat restaurant and must have left the carrying case on the roof of his car. A meeting was arranged, at which time the card owner produced valid proof of his identity and was given his cards back.

March 12

In the dark

10:58 p.m., 1100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer on patrol caught sight of an SUV driving at night without its headlights on. After performing a traffic stop on the vehicle, the officer learned the driver was visiting from overseas and was not aware the lights were still off. He was shown how the lights on that particular rental car operated.

March 15

Two-wheeled peace of mind

9:45 a.m., 600 Bayport Way

Community policing project: The Longboat Police conducted a bicycle registration event at a condominium community. A total of 17 bikes were registered, making it easier for police to identify the property and return them to their rightful owners if ever stolen.

That’s no place to park

12:37 p.m., 300 block of North Shore Road

Traffic: While on routine patrol, an officer spotted a pickup truck blocking the private driveway of a residence on North Shore Road. The officer cited the driver of the truck for illegal parking.

Searching the sands

2:29 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Lost property: A beachgoer flagged down a police officer to seek assistance in finding lost keys to his pickup truck. The beachgoer told the officer his key fob went missing sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 2:29 p.m. He last saw the key fob when he put it in the pocket of his swim shorts. The officer contacted the town’s Public Works Department and was able to obtain a metal detector to check the area where the beachgoer had been. With no success, the beachgoer made arrangements for his family to be picked up and his truck towed home.

Recklessly heading south

3:24 p.m., Schooner Lane and Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: Longboat Key police received a call about a reckless driver on Gulf of Mexico Drive near Schooner Lane. As an officer responded, he was advised by a police dispatcher the vehicle had left Longboat Key. The call was transferred to Sarasota Police on Lido Key.

That sinking feeling

3:09 p.m., off the island

Unsecured boat: While monitoring radio traffic, a Longboat Key marine officer heard chatter of a partially submerged vessel adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. The officer located it and learned it belonged to a larger vessel being towed by  a private company to the 10th Street Boat Ramp. The marine patrol officer met with the crew towing the larger vessel and transferred the smaller boat to them.

The price of beer

3:35 p.m., North Shore Road Beach Access

Beverage violation: A Longboat Key police officer reported spotting two men (ages 30 and 35) each in possession of open containers of Bud Light while at the Greer Island beach. The officer brought both men to the beach access to check state and national crime databases for wants and warrants. Finding none, he issued each of the men a notice to appear in court on the open-container violations. The beers were photographed, and the images entered into evidence.  A short time later, a 23-year-old woman was similarly found with an open container of Corona. She too was issued a notice to appear in court. A 49-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man were issued notices to appear in court later in the day under similar circumstances. Drinking alcohol is not permitted on town beaches.

Nowhere to be found

5:06 p.m., Broadway Street and Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer responded to a report of a car blocking the intersection and a driver who appeared ill. Once on the scene, police and fire-rescue personnel couldn’t find such a car or a driver who seemed sick, though traffic was moving very slowly and was backed up.

Not an emergency

5:45 p.m., Off the island

Public service: A caller to police reported an overturned sailboat in Sarasota Bay, outside of the city limits. The marine patrol officer requested follow-up information because a derelict boat has been overturned in the general area for months. The caller had no further information, so the officer began searching. All he found was the derelict vessel and no emergency situation.

One for the road

6:38 p.m., 7000 block of Firehouse Road

Suspicious people: A caller alerted police to what appeared to be three people drinking alcohol in their vehicle. A check of the area turned up nothing. The responding officer reported the vehicle must have left before police arrived.

Time’s up

7:42 p.m., 1700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: The island’s traffic monitoring camera system flagged a passing car for an out-of-date registration. When police stopped it, the driver was issued a written warning for operating a vehicle with registration expired for less than six months.

March 16

Keep it down

1:03 a.m., 5800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise: Police were called to the pool area of a property to investigate noise complaints. The officer spoke with several people and asked them to keep their voices down. The people around the pool said they would be returning to their rooms for the night.

Lurking in the shadows

3:37 a.m., 700 block of Broadway Street

Suspicious person: While on patrol in Longbeach Village, a police officer spotted a man in the doorway of a business. The officer circled around and spoke to the man, who had been joined by another person known by the officer as a member of the business’ cleaning crew. Both men were on the job at the business after hours.