Cops Corner: Pelican Press

Sept. 8
MANIAC ON THE HOOD
9:30 p.m. — 5200 block of Ocean Boulevard. Criminal Mischief. A man parked his vehicle near a dumpster behind an Italian restaurant and called police after finding $1,000 of damage when he returned. He told deputies that it looked like the front bumper of his navy blue Volvo had been kicked in, and the hood of the vehicle had deep dents, which may have been caused by someone pounding on it with their fists or dancing on the vehicle. The man asked a neighboring restaurant for video from a surveillance camera in the parking lot.

Sept. 9
LOOKING FOR THE ANTS-WER
6:30 a.m. — 1200 block of Sharswood Lane. Burglary of a Business. A man reported that someone pulled a vehicle next to a trailer on one of his constructions sites and ransacked the office. Deputies investigating the scene could only find tire tracks showing the suspect’s getaway path and noted that several anthills were disturbed by the vehicle’s tires and had yet to be rebuilt. A laser, a battery pack and a saw were reported missing, and officers took pictures of a size 9 1/2 boot print near the scene.

BACK THAT THANG UP
7:40 p.m. — 5200 block of Calle De Rio. Vehicle Crash. A woman driving a white Chrysler backed her vehicle out of a Siesta Key driveway and struck another moving car, according to a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office traffic report. Neither of the drivers was cited for traffic violations, but the report noted the woman driving the Chrysler had improperly backed into the roadway.

Sept. 13
MORE THAN A FEW
2:24 a.m. — intersection of Higel Avenue and Ocean Boulevard. Driving Under the Influence. Police pulled a white truck over after the driver stopped the vehicle in a roadway for “no reason” and had swerved over traffic lines. The man operating the truck shuffled through papers during the traffic stop and slurred his speech, a deputy said. The man said he had had “a couple” to drink, and when the deputy asked what he had a couple of, the man replied that he had a couple pitchers of beer. During the field sobriety tests, the man gave up and said he had too much to drink to walk 10 steps and turn around.

DIRTY POLITICS
6:29 a.m. — 5100 block of Oxford Drive. Petit Theft. Two neighbors reported that their political signs were stolen from their front yards. The men told police four Obama/Biden signs valued at $5 each were taken.

FINDING THE KEY
12:16 p.m. — 5300 block of Siesta Court. Residential Burglary. A woman called police to report that her seasonal neighbor’s sliding pool bathroom door was wide open, and she suspected the house had been burglarized. Officers found that someone had cut through a screen to access the door and opened the door with ease, because the owner had left the key to the deadbolt in the lock. The neighbor and police walked through the house and didn’t notice any missing items. They noted the residence looked neat and undisturbed.