Longboat Key Cops Corner: Trying to stay gold

Feb. 22

Stay gold

10:02 a.m., police headquarters

Lost property: An officer was directed to the police station to speak with a man who reported losing a piece of jewelry valued at around $2,500. The man wasn’t sure if it had been lost in town or elsewhere in Manatee County, but it was last seen the day before. The man’s out-of-state contact information was taken in case the piece was turned in.

Dangerous smell

8:48 p.m., 3300 block of Sabal Cove Lane

Report of gas leak: A police officer joined fire-rescue personnel in responding to a report of a gas odor inside a home. Fire-rescue reported being unable to locate the source of the reported odor.

Persistent sound

10:19 p.m., 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Vehicle alarm: A caller who did not want to be contacted by police reported a car alarm going off in a nearby garage for the previous two hours. As the officer arrived, he discovered the vehicle’s owner in the garage turning the alarm off.

Feb. 23

Ticket to ride, not drive

1:54 p.m., 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer on patrol was alerted by the town’s license-plate monitoring system to the presence of a vehicle  that was owned by a driver with a suspended license. During a traffic stop, the driver told the officer he was unaware of the suspension, which had been ordered in June 2018 on the grounds of a medical issue. The driver was cited for driving on a suspended license. A passenger in the vehicle took over driving duties.

Wildlife assist

1:16 p.m., Off the key

Animal rescue: Help from the town’s marine patrol officer was sought by Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in rescuing a sea turtle reported to be tangled near Siesta Key’s Point of Rocks. The officer arrived to find the turtle dead, tangled in a crab trap line. The officer brought the turtle back to Mote personnel on City Island.

Battling boaters

3:03 p.m., off the key

Assist other agency: The town’s marine patrol officer was sent to south Lido Key for a report of a disturbance between two boaters. Upon the officer’s arrival, a Sarasota Police marine officer said no further assistance from the Longboat Key marine officer was needed.

Cornered

4:58 p.m., 700 block of Broadway

Traffic: A call about an illegally parked car resulted in a ticket issued to a vehicle too close to the intersection of Broadway Street and Lois Avenue.

Smoke = fire

5:54 p.m., 4800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Structure fire: An officer joined fire-rescue units at the site of a residential fire, which was extinguished by firefighters. A cigar left behind was blamed for igniting the fire.

Leaving a calling card

11:57 p.m., 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Business security check: An officer performing a routine security check of a business discovered a rear door unsecured. After calling for backup, two officers checked inside and outside of the business, discovering no signs of a break-in or other crimes. Before locking up, they left a business card with the incident report number noted.

Feb. 24

On the line

11:56 a.m., 4200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Public service: A report of a landscaping crew obstructing the highway’s bicycle lane sent police to investigate. An officer arrived to find a truck parked off the pavement and orange safety cones placed on the white line bordering the bicycle lane, with no obstruction. The officer asked an employee to remove the cones from the pavement, and they were relocated into the grass.

False alarm

11:58 a.m., 1100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Residential alarm: Police and fire units went to a home on a report of an activated fire alarm. No sign of smoke or flames were found. Firefighters traced the source of the alarm and determined it had been a false alarm.

Bad pass

11:47 p.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer heading north spotted a southbound vehicle passing in a no-passing zone, turned around with lights and siren, and performed a traffic stop. The driver conceded having no valid license, which a records check confirmed along with an order to seize the vehicle’s tag. The driver was cited for driving without a license, was issued a written warning for improper passing and a passenger was instructed to drive the now-license-plate-less vehicle directly to the owner’s home. The cited driver was also issued a court date.

Feb. 25

Can’t see

11:43 a.m., Neptune Avenue and Gulf of Mexico Drive

Parking: An officer was sent to look into a report of a construction vehicle parked adjacent to an intersection and obstructing the view of drivers trying turn from Neptune Avenue. As the officer arrived, the vehicle was driving away. The officer spoke to a site supervisor and requested word be spread to avoid parking in areas that pose safety risks.

Middle of the road

2:08 p.m., 1100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Highway obstruction: An officer told the driver of a car-hauling transport truck that parking in the center-turn lane to load or unload was not permitted. The officer asked the driver to arrange in the future with clients a safer location for such activities.

Connection made

4:14 p.m., police headquarters

Found property: A visitor came to the police station to turn in a key fob found on a town beach. In addition to the auto-key fob and a house key, attached to the ring was a dog tag engraved with a serial number and the name of an out-of-state veterinarian. A police department employee called the veterinarian with the information. Within minutes, a caller contacted the police department and made arrangements to pick up the lost key fob.

Feb. 26

Do as the sign says

10:06 a.m., 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer watched as a car passed a stop sign without stopping. The driver was issued a written warning.

Ooops

4:23 p.m., 1400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Abandoned 911 call: Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call with no one on the other end. Police responded and learned the caller accidentally dialed, but all was OK.

A helping hand

10:33 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway

Public service: Police assisted a citizen to a road-service agency keys and a cell phone had been inadvertently locked in a car.

It’s OK

11:13 a.m., 700 block of Broadway

Public service: An officer checked on a vehicle parked on the north side of Broadway Street, which is ordinarily off-limits to parking. The owners of the property were moving and had received permission from the police department to park there while in the process of moving.

Missing leather

4:02 p.m., police headquarters

Lost property: A man called police on an non-emergency line to report losing his wallet, possibly in a business parking lot, earlier in the  day. The wallet possibly fell from a car-door compartment when he visited the business.