Longboat Key Cops Corner: Tell that snake this is our beach

Friday, May 6

Our beach!

7:35 p.m., 3700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal complaint: An officer responded to a complaint about an aggressively acting snake on the beach. By the time the officer arrived, a civilian had removed the snake from the sand and released it into the vegetation of the dunes. No injuries were reported -- reptilian or otherwise.

Casting aspersions

10:59 p.m., 7200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: A boater reported a group of people fishing from a forbidden portion of the Longboat Pass bridge. Upon the officer’s arrival, he noted the only people fishing on the bridge were in the proper location.

Saturday, May 7

It tipped over

4:06 p.m, 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Property damage: Following a storm, a man called police to report a light pole had fallen on his car in a parking lot. The man added he had seen the pole swaying back and forth earlier and moved his girlfriend’s car, which was not damaged. Damage was seen on the vehicle’s roof cargo rack. A security officer helped the police officer move the tumbled light pole off the man’s vehicle. No other vehicles were damaged.

Sunday, May 8

An inside look

10:28 a.m., Reclinata Drive and Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: An officer was unable to lock or even close an electrical service box that a resident reported finding open. Florida Power and Light was notified. No foul play was suspected.

Tidying up

12:06 p.m., 3600 block of Fair Oaks Place

Noise complaints: An officer responding to a report of noise encountered a resident using a vacuum to help clean a pool deck. There was no violation of town noise codes.

Need a lift?

11:34 p.m., 600 block of Broadway Street

Citizen assist: An officer was sent to assist a driver with a flat tire. Upon the officer’s arrival, he found the driver needed a tow truck, which he summoned with the help of emergency dispatchers.

Monday, May 9

Tool time

9:57 a.m., 4900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: An officer was flagged down by a man who asked for police to stand by while he entered a worksite from which he had been fired to collect his personal tools. An officer did so without incident.

Tuesday, May 10

Closing time tunes

3:40 a.m., 6900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise: Police investigated a complaint of music coming from a restaurant after hours. With no one at the business and music still coming from the outdoor speakers, the officer laid them face down to muffle the sound. The owner of the business, reached later in the day, said the music had been inadvertently left on at closing time and that it wouldn’t happen again.

Wednesday, May 11

Never mind

10:33 p.m., 3300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: A caller to police said he had seen two men near a residential complex’s swimming pool without permission. An officer arrived but found no one at the pool. The caller told the officer he had since learned the men were guests who were, in fact, allowed to at the pool.

Thursday, May 12

Prep work

6:23 a.m., 600 block of Hibiscus Way

Noise: Police went to a construction site following a complaint of noise. The officer spoke to two men there who said they were setting up a machine for later use, but had no plans to use it until after 8 a.m., when such work noise was permitted by the town. The officer who responded reported seeing and hearing no work being done earlier than allowed.

Rented, parked, (maybe) towed

2:45 p.m., 6900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Abandoned vehicle: The manager of a business told police a white SUV had been parked on the property for five days. Officers found it was registered to a national rental car fleet, but they were unable to penetrate the company’s automated phone system to learn more about who might be responsible for it. There were no wants or warrants and no sign of attempted forced entry. The manager said she would soon call for a tow truck to remove the vehicle from the premises.

Here in America . . .

6:01 p.m., 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen dispute: The manager of a dining established called police to report a couple who refused to pay for their meal and refused to leave. The officer requested the manager ask the couple to call him, so he could explain their options. The officer reported receiving a call from a man with an overseas accent who said he and his wife had been displeased with the way they had been treated. The officer explained the tenets of Florida’s defrauding an innkeeper statutes and that they could both be taken to jail. The manager shortly thereafter informed the officer the couple’s bill had been paid in full.

This balcony or that balcony?

11:33 p.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious incident: A man who entered a hotel room balcony drew the immediate attention of security staff and police. A hotel manager said all was well, though. The man had accidentally entered the wrong balcony.