Longboat Key Cops Corner: The wind had no alibi

Feb. 16

Prime suspect: wind

4:54 a.m., 500 block of Halyard Lane

Suspicious incident: A couple called the police when they awoke to find their front double doors open. A check of the home by the responding officer found nothing out of the ordinary. The officer examined the door and found the deadbolt that engages at the bottom was not activated. The couple said they had been moving the previous day and had both doors open. The officer theorized high winds overnight might have pushed open the unbolted door.

Contact made

8:56 a.m., Marbury Lane

Traffic: Police investigated a reported collision between two commercial vehicles. A witness reported hearing a bang when the two vehicles passed and seeing the remains of broken lights on the pavement. After police contacted one of the companies, a driver reported to the police station saying he had been unaware of a collision. Some old damage was noted on his truck, but it could not be determined where the damage came from.

Front to back

3:27 p.m., 5200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A driver was cited for careless driving in a collision that resulted in two injuries and serious damage to both vehicles. Police reported that the first vehicle was hit in the rear by the second vehicle, and both had to be towed. Both drivers were treated at the scene but refused transportation to the hospital. The cited driver said traffic ahead began to slow and there was not time to stop.

Picking up a tail

8:53 p.m., 900 block of Spanish Drive

Suspicious incident: A resident who had been shopping called police after a red sedan with several people inside followed her home.  When an officer came to investigate, he could not find a vehicle of that description anywhere around. The officer said he would check on the area throughout the evening.

Feb. 18

Access denied

1:25 p.m., 4600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: A complaint was registered with police about construction materials blocking a public beach access that runs between two private properties. The town’s code enforcement officer was alerted.

Feb. 19

Everybody do their share

12:27 p.m., 500 block of Companion Way

Suspicious incident: A caller to police was concerned that workers who had arrived in trucks to perform utilities work would leave without cleaning up the site. An officer spoke to one of the subcontractors who assured the officer the crew would clean up.

Feb. 20

All’s well that ends well

7:21 a.m., 2000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise: A resident called police to complain about the noise produced by a leaf blower on a nearby golf course. An officer explained that noise produced as part of sporting venue maintenance was exempt from the town’s work-noise rules. Even so, the officer spoke to the worker with the leaf blower, who agreed to work elsewhere and return later.

It’s still the law

4:21 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Pandemic: An officer was called to a retail location on a report of a person inside without a face covering. The officer walked through the location but saw no customers or staff without face coverings.

Feb. 21

A good sign

1:29 p.m., North Shore Road

Dogs on the beach: A caller to police reported four dogs on the beach in violation of town rules. An officer arrived to find people loading a vehicle that was similar to one described in the call. The people said they intended to bring their dogs to the sand but spotted a sign prohibiting it, so they turned around. The officer delivered to them a town pamphlet entitled Helpful Information for Dog Owners.

Need a ride?

3:41 p.m., 5000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: An officer asked a man lying in the grass if everything was alright. The man said leg pain prompted him to get off his feet on his walk home, but that he needed no medical attention. The officer drove the man home.

Feb. 22

Not here

1:42 p.m., off the key

Boating warning: The town’s marine patrol officer stopped a vessel that was pulling riders on an inner tube in the Intracoastal Waterway, a violation of marine regulations.  The boat operator was issued a verbal warning.

Smell of smoke and garbage

3:14 p.m., 7100 block of Longboat Drive

Fire: The driver and passenger of a garbage-collection truck were able to extinguish a fire in the loading hopper portion of their vehicle, but heavy smell of smoke concerned them that the fire might reignite. Fire rescue units responded and police conducted traffic control during the incident.

Feb. 23

Stopping to help

8 a.m., 2400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Rescue assist: A bicyclist and an off-duty town paramedic stopped to help a man who fell on the sidewalk while jogging. An officer who saw what was happening called fire rescue. The man said he wasn’t sure if he lost consciousness. He was taken to the hospital.