Longboat Key Cops Corner: Upon further review . . .

March 6

Upon further review

4:08 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: An officer was flagged down by a relative of a person who had fallen on a sidewalk earlier in the day. The relative relayed that another family member wanted the officer to know that the fall victim might have been distracted by a dog that was tied up nearby while its owner worked out. The officer attempted to look into this avenue of inquiry but found no dog near the location of the previous fall.

Neighborly concern

7:20 p.m., 3600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: The neighbor of a person to be released from the hospital that day called police concerned because the person had not yet returned home. The officer, through a family member, determined the resident moved from the hospital to a mainland rehabilitation facility.

Homeward bound

8:05 p.m., 3500 block of Fair Oaks Drive

Missing person: Concerned about an overdue relative who was new to the area, a resident called police to report her missing. The resident said the relative had returned from dinner and immediately took her dog for a walk but hadn’t returned after 40 minutes. An officer found the woman at a nearby pond and brought her home. Fire-rescue confirmed the woman was OK medically.

It's an owner and dog reunion

11:08 p.m., 3700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal complaint: A dog wearing a tag inscribed with its name and owner’s telephone number was reunited with its owner following a call to police by a neighbor. The neighbor found the dog near his door at night and thought it looked familiar but couldn’t reach anyone by phone. Police left a message and heard back as a county animal control officer was still on the scene. The owner retrieved the dog with a verbal warning from the animal control officer.

March 7

Where’d they go?

3:06 a.m., near Whitney Beach

Suspicious incident: An officer was sent to help a caller to police who seemed confused on the telephone. The person had become separated from a group of friends and had no means with which to return to Holmes Beach. The officer gave the person a ride with no incident.

All is well

9:38 a.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Abandoned 911 call: Police responded to a dropped call to the emergency line but arrived to find everything in order. A business manager said the call was made in error and no assistance was needed. 

Polar exploration

12:42 p.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Property damage, not vandalism: The manager of a business called to report a collision between a customer’s car and a stainless steel pole on the property. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vehicle was light, and there was no visible damage to the pole. The customer told managers no police report was needed and that it would be reported for insurance purposes. Company managers called police to document the incident.

Case of the missing cases

1:26 p.m., 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Theft: A package containing pillow cases, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, went missing. The recipient said the box had been delivered while she was out of town, but when she returned, it was nowhere to be found. Neighbors had not picked it up for safekeeping, either.

A warning and something to read

5:31 p.m., 6851 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Dog on the beach: An out of town owner of a small dog was issued a town of Longboat Key brochure detailing regulations pertaining to pets following a call by an unidentified caller. The owner apologized for violating town rules about dogs on the beach and departed without incident.

OK elsewhere

6:43 p.m., Seabreeze and Palmetto avenues

Dog on the beach: An officer responding to a report of a dog on the beach encountered the pet and its owners leaving as he arrived. The owners said they had previously visited a dog-friendly beach. They were issued a verbal warning and handed a town brochure on the topic.

Indoor voices, please

10:01 p.m., 300 block of Firehouse Lane

Noise: Responding to a noise complaint, an officer reported hearing several voices of people apparently enjoying themselves. The people were informed of the noise complaint, and they agreed to remain quieter.

H2oh!

11:59 p.m., 500 block of Spanish Drive

Citizen assist: Police responding to a neighborhood on a report of a water leak discovered a 20-foot high plume upon arrival. The leak was reported to Public Works, which sent someone to shut off the flow.

March 8

Cheers

5:12 p.m., North Shore Road

Alcohol offense: Police reminded a group on the beach that open containers of alcohol are not permitted. The group had set up a table with a full bottle of wine along with a half-full bottle alongside. The group removed the wine to their car and returned to the beach.

Grass stop

6:39 p.m., 2500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious vehicle: Police looked for but could not find a vehicle reported by a resident as suspicious. The initial call said the vehicle had been driving erratically northbound, then stopped in the grass before continuing on.

Checking out

7:50 p.m., 5800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Disturbance: Police were called to a resort to investigate the sounds of an argument. An officer heard a woman yelling in a room before knocking, though no signs of a physical fight were found. A man in the room said the couple had been drinking through the day and began arguing about attention paid to a resort employee. Both parties told the officer they just wanted to go to sleep and return home the next day.

March 9

Turn it off

7:34 p.m., 500 block of Norton Street

Citizen assist: Police and fire-rescue were notified of a resident having trouble turning off water service to a residence because of interior flooding. Fire-rescue personnel were able to assist in shutting off the flow.

March 10

The great beyond

7:15 a.m., 5500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal complaint: A visitor to a town park called police to report an injured raccoon. An officer arrived and pronounced the woodland creature deceased. The Public Works Department was notified. Next of kin was not.

Not here

8:49 a.m., 600 block of Norton Street

Citizen assist: Police were called to a home by a resident who received a package for a previous owner. An officer was unable to make contact with the former resident.

Following too closely

5:21 p.m., 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic crash: No one was injured in a two-vehicle collision. Police cited a driver for following too closely in the crash that rendered one vehicle inoperable. The officer’s investigation found that the first driver, heading south, failed to slow in time to avoid hitting the vehicle in front.   A second collision at the scene also resulted in a driver being cited for following too closely, though damage was lighter to both of those vehicles. No injuries were reported there, either.

March 11

Never mind

1:59 p.m., 7100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise: A caller who did not want to meet with police alerted officers to a boat anchored off the beach playing loud music. When an officer arrived in the area, the boat was gone.

Dog on the job

3:21 p.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Dog on the beach: Police spoke to the owner of a dog on the beach and a caller to police regarding the animal’s service certification. Dogs with proper certification are allowed to visit the town’s beaches.

Down goes the mailbox

4:30 p.m., 800 block of Broadway Street

Property damage, not vandalism: A resident reported to police about $200 in damage done to a curbside mailbox that had been knocked over. The resident said there was no security video available, and employees of a nearby business said they hadn’t seen the incident.

Paws on pavement

7:10 p.m., North Shore Road

Dogs on the beach: A caller to police alerted officers to a pair of dogs on the beach at Greer Island. When the officer arrived, he spotted two leashed dogs similar to those described in the call, along with their owner walking along a road. No offense of dogs on the beach was witnessed.