- December 5, 2024
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Difference of opinion
10:29 a.m., 5100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic: Alerted by the town’s license-plate reading system, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with possibly outdated registration. During the stop, the driver was able to produce valid registration documents, and the vehicle’s plate was also up to date. The driver was released with no citations.
Cared for, urgently
1:03 p.m., 300 block of Shore Road
Traffic: A woman who had been struck by a vehicle in a church parking lot called police following her return home, but only after being taken to an urgent care clinic by the person driving the vehicle. The victim and the driver both told police the victim was adamant about not calling first responders even though her ankle was broken. Once home, though, she was urged to follow up with police. The driver, contacted later by police, confirmed the victim’s version of events. The driver was advised of the dangers of that course of action and was issued a citation for careless driving.
Doing their part
1:58 p.m., Longboat Pass Bridge
Rescue assist: Police stopped traffic to assist fire-rescue personnel with the rescue of someone who fell off a vessel near Greer Island. The person was transported by boat to the Coquina Beach boat ramp, and by ground to a hospital in Bradenton.
Tracking the tunes
3:22 p.m., near Longboat Drive East
Noise: Residents called police to complain of loud music coming from boats moored not far away. Land-based officers who responded reported hearing music and requested assistance from a Manatee County marine unit, because no town marine unit was available. The Manatee unit reported they were unable to locate the source of the loud music. Another call was received 40 minutes later with a similar complaint.
Rope!
11:31 a.m., 2600 block of Harbourside Drive
Property damage, not vandalism: A boat owner called police to complete a report on an incident that caused damage to his boat. The owner said the operator of an adjacently docked vessel got underway while a line from the boat to the dock was still tied off. The extent of the damage was unknown until a diver could survey the boat’s hull.
Dialing wrong
12:12 p.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Abandoned 911 call: Police went to investigate a call to the 911 emergency line during which the caller told dispatchers nothing was wrong. Police learned from the caller that the emergency line was accessed accidentally while trying to dial a numerically similar New York area code.
Dial M for Mysterious
1:06 p.m., police headquarters
Suspicious incident: A person came to the police department to report a possible burglary a day before. The person told an officer he returned home from errands and could not locate cash, credit cards and other property. No one had permission to be in his residence. The person also related numerous calls from an out-of-area telephone number asking for prepaid money cards on the same day the items turned up missing.
Trying to see
5:21 p.m., Gulf of Mexico Drive and Broadway Street
Traffic crash: A driver was cited for careless driving in a crash between two vehicles. Police reported the driver of one car, waiting to turn north, backed up slightly to gain a better view of oncoming traffic and collided with the vehicle stopped immediately behind. No one was injured.
A matter of code
6:04 p.m., 600 block of Broadway Street
Suspicious incident: A resident called police to report the theft of four signs from her yard. The resident said she took video of a person dressed in a town polo shirt, driving a marked town vehicle, photographing the signs, removing them and driving off. The resident said other signs in her yard had been tagged by the town, but she removed those signs previously. No notice or a case number was provided by the town employee, the resident said. The town’s code enforcement officer was informed of the police case.
No need for speed
8:53 p.m., 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic: In a span of less than 25 minutes, three drivers were stopped and issued written warnings for speed. The vehicles were driving 45, 47 and 46 mph in the 35 mph zone on the south end of the island.
Missing a tool?
3:23 p.m., 5400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious incident: A resident called police to report finding a screwdriver in her vehicle that did not belong to her. Nothing was missing from the vehicle and there was no sign of forced entry. The resident said the vehicle had recently been in a shop for service.
You’ve been warned
10:06 p.m., along Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious vehicle: A driver was issued a written warning for careless driving following an incident in which another driver reported being followed. Police reported receiving a complaint from a driver who said they were being followed by a vehicle that had flashed its lights several times. Despite two reversals of direction on Gulf of Mexico Drive, the caller said the vehicle continued to follow. Police stopped the vehicle after watching it brake suddenly swerve. Police reported the driver to be agitated and argumentative. The driver denied following the caller’s vehicle.
“Aggressive older man”
11:26 p.m., 700 block of Old Compass Road
Citizen dispute: A relative of a woman caring for an out-of-town person’s home called police to relay her encounter with an aggressive man walking two small dogs. The woman told her relative, and later police, that she was tending to the property when the man told her to leave. Police canvassing the area found no one answering the woman’s description.
Weeding out the facts
8:03 p.m., 3800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Citizen dispute: A caller to police complained that a neighbor’s use of medical marijuana was affecting a chronic medical condition and that something needed to be done. The neighbor denied using medical marijuana in the residential unit. Both were told to take the matter up with property management.
Cool exemption
9:24 p.m., 500 block of DeNarvaez Drive
Noise complaint: A caller who wished to remain unidentified complained about noise coming from nearby work being done past the town’s established hours. Police spoke to the air conditioning repair employees about the nature of the complaint but assured them that they were not subject to those rules.
2:28 a.m., 700 block of Longboat Club Road
Animal complaint: Police responded to a report of a two-foot-long orange snake on the loose inside the building. A security officer said he had seen the snake, left to retrieve a shovel, and couldn’t find it again. A search around the immediate area yielded no snake. The officer was told to call Sarasota County Animal Control or a trapper if the animal was found again inside the building.