Longboat Key Cops Corner: No burglars here, just us

Feb. 9

Oh, hi

4:36 a.m., 3600 block of Fair Oaks Place

Burglar alarm: An officer went to a home in response to a call about an activated security alarm that indicated an open back door and motion inside the residence. When the officer arrived, he saw the homeowners inside and spoke to them. The homeowners said the alarm simply went off for unknown reasons and they would speak to the alarm company about getting the glitch repaired.

The lassez-faire approach

10:49 a.m., 700 block of Penfield Street

Animal call: A resident called police to report a snake in their mailbox. Manatee County Animal Control was alerted but did not respond, so a Longboat Police officer arrived to help. The officer found a small snake in the mailbox, and the resident asked the officer to leave the door open to let the snake leave on its own instead of removing it by hand.

Plenty to drink

11:35 p.m., 5500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Public service: Police were called to a park in response to a report of water leaking from a dog water station. The town’s Public Works Department was notified to effect repairs.

No need for speed

10:39 p.m., 6400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer spotted a car pass him at high  speed. Once the car was pulled to the side of the road, the officer issued a written warning.

Feb. 10

Help on the high seas

7:30 a.m., New Pass Bridge

Assist other agency: A Longboat officer and an officer from Sarasota teamed up to look into a report of a good Samaritan boater towing an abandoned vessel from the middle of the New Pass channel. The officers found the boater on land nearby and learned the abandoned craft drifted off from a sandbar in Sarasota.

No pests here

2:24 p.m., 1100 block of Bogey Lane

Suspicious circumstance: An officer went to a home to speak to the resident about metal traps found in her yard. The traps, similar to those used to catch rodents, were baited with peanut butter but didn’t belong to her and she didn't know where they came from. The resident said she would make arrangements to have them removed. It was possible a pest-control company set them up at the wrong address.

All is well

4:35 p.m., Near Siesta Key

Assist other agency: A marine patrol officer was sent to aid another agency in response to a report of an overturned boat with victims in the water along the Intracoastal Waterway near the Stickney Point Road bridge. After a 10-minute run, the officer learned from an attendant at a nearby marina that the vessel was a personal watercraft, and all the people were safely accounted for ashore.

Water, water everywhere

5:22 p.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Alarm: An officer joined Fire-Rescue personnel in responding to an alarm. When the officer arrived, he found water pouring from the building. He was initially told the water was flowing from the building’s fire sprinklers, but it was actually from a broken pipe on the building’s exterior. Fire-Rescue was able to shut off the water.

Drifting into Siesta

5:15 p.m., Near Siesta Key

Assist other agency: A marine patrol officer was asked by the U.S. Coast Guard to assist near Siesta Key's north bridge with a report of an unoccupied sailboat drifting toward the span. Upon his arrival, he found another boater had taken the sailboat under tow out of the Intracoastal Waterway and was awaiting vessels from the Coast Guard and Sarasota County to assist.

Up in the air

5:33 p.m., 4400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious circumstance: A caller complained to police about a drone flying too close to a building. The drone operator said she had been asked to take a photo of the building by the residents and that she was finished.

Smoke, no fire

5:50 p.m., New Pass

Assist other agency: A police officer was asked to assist Fire-Rescue with a report of heavy smoke coming from one of the New Pass dredging vessels. The captain of the vessel said there was no fire, but rather the crew was changing a diesel-fuel filter because of the smoke.

Feb. 11

No trouble here

2:11 a.m., 2300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Rescue: Police were sent to a vacation rental after a medical-alert alarm connected to the tenants was activated. First responders were let into the unit by the building manager, but no one was present. The manager called the tenants, who said they were out of state, but everything was fine.

Game over

12:52 p.m., 500 Bay Isles Road

Suspicious circumstance: Police cautiously responded to a report of a plastic cylinder tied to a tree near Town Hall. Once found, it appeared to be an orange medication vial, wrapped in gray paper. A town employee said it was likely part of a geocache game, in which participants find hidden objects with GPS coordinates. Participants then log their find in a notebook inside the tube. An officer recovered the tube, which held a pen, a notebook, various coupons and some cards from game participants.

Feb. 12

Return to sender

11:44 a.m., 5300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Disturbance: Police were called to a store over a disturbance between staff and a customer. The manager said a customer used profanities when told one shipping label couldn’t be used for three packages and then left the premises. A trespass warning was issued. Police spoke to the customer at his home who said shipping company hadn't provided sufficient labels to return the packages, and he became upset when store staff threw his boxes to the floor and pointed fingers at him as he was leaving.

Knock it off

10:11 a.m., 3000 block of Grand Bay Boulevard

Suspicious circumstance: After a fire alarm activation, a man approached police to suggest the alarm might have been the result of vandalism. The alarm pull station associated with the alarm had been knocked off the wall, though workers had recently been carrying plasterboard and other construction materials nearby.