Cops Corner: Pelican Press

May 31
PARENTAL CONTROL
1:49 a.m. — corner of Beach Road and Avenida Del Mare. Driving Under the Influence. A man began following a vehicle that nearly swerved into his lane. When he saw the vehicle stop, he got out of his own car. The driver of the first vehicle approached the man, who got back into his car and left the area. Police arrived and followed the driver who had been swerving. Upon striking a curb, the man was pulled over. The man began to cry and said he had a child on the way and was afraid he would fail. The man said he just wanted to go home and was in a place he did not know.

June 1
RAGING HORMONES?
9 a.m. — 4100 block of Roberts Point. Vehicular Burglary. A man reported that he heard noises he assumed were raccoons outside of his house and awoke to find his car door slightly ajar. He called police when he noticed his computer and his wife’s hormone creams were missing from the vehicle. Officers were unable to gather fingerprints because it was raining when they arrived.

June 2
BEACH BANDITS
12:30 a.m. — 200 block of Beach Road. Petit Theft. Two men were seen acting suspiciously on Siesta Key Beach near a woman’s unoccupied belongings. After she returned from the water and could not find her purse, a witness described the men, and the woman called police. Her cell phone and keys were inside the purse.

QUICK CONFESSION
8 a.m. — 5000 block of Midnight Pass Road. Drug Possession. Two men matching the description of burglary suspects were stopped by police. When an officer asked to speak with one of the men, he immediately admitted that he was in possession of cannabis. Police found a plastic bag containing a green leafy substance in the man’s front pocket.

AT LEAST THEY’RE HONEST
4:25 p.m. — 6600 block of Midnight Pass Road. Petit Theft. A convenience-store clerk reported that two young men stole a carton of Marlboro cigarettes. They had asked for a cup of water and cigarettes, and when the clerk put the merchandise on the store counter, one of the men grabbed the cigarettes and both started toward the exit. The clerk asked what they were doing, and one of the men replied, “Stealing.”

NOT-SO-EASY RIDER
1:40 p.m. — 5100 block of Ocean Boulevard. Vehicle Crash. A woman lost control of her rental scooter and crashed into a parked car. The car was parked legally, so police determined the woman was at fault.

June 3
AIRHEADS
2:03 p.m. — 900 block of Beach Road. Criminal Mischief. Two men got into an argument about a parking space near Siesta Key Beach. The men walked around looking for a deputy to solve the dispute, but were unsuccessful. When the man occupying the space stated he was going to the beach, the other man said he would slash the vehicle’s tires. When the first man returned from the beach, one of the car’s tires was slightly deflated. Police determined someone had let air out of the tire.

June 4
SLEEPING GIANT
12:25 a.m. — 600 block of Beach Road. Drug Trafficking. Police found a man sleeping face down in the grass near a road. When an officer determined he was dangerously impaired, the man was taken into protective custody. Police found 144 prescription opiates in his pockets and arrested him for drug trafficking.

BICYCLE MADE FOR NONE
8:30 a.m. — 900 block of Beach Road. Grand Theft. A man reported that his mountain bike was stolen from a bicycle rack near Siesta Key Beach. Police were unable to determine if there is surveillance of the area.

June 7
INCREDIBLY LOUD AND EXTREMELY DRUNK
2:22 a.m. — 5200 block of Ocean Boulevard. Disorderly Intoxication. Police responded to complaints about a disturbance in Siesta Key Village and found a man walking toward a pizza restaurant shouting obscenities and screaming. The man pulled away from a deputy who attempted to handcuff him and told the officer to “do what you’ve got to do.” The officer pulled out his taser, and the man complied.