Sarasota Cops Corner: Doo-doo the right thing

Tuesday, May 17

Driving a hard bargain

6:13 p.m., 2200 block of Bee Ridge Road

Financial crime: A business operator reported to police the theft of business checks from the premises and offered an investigating officer a theory on how the checks might have gone missing. The operator said a couple had visited the business and might have spotted a checkbook in a partially opened drawer. Over the course of their business interaction, the three people went outside, but one of the couple asked to go inside to use a restroom. Six checks were determined to be missing days later, one of them had been cashed before the bank could be notified. The business operator provided police with as much data on the couple as possible. 

Wednesday, May 18

Doo-doo the right thing

8:50 a.m., 1500 block of 23rd Street

Dispute: A resident came to police headquarters to file a report about a neighbor who continually allows her dog to urinate and defecate on her property, despite several requests and confrontations aimed at reversing the behavior. The resident said she did not have information on who the neighbors are. The resident said she would report further incidents to police.

Thursday, May 19

Latte fingers?

11:38 a.m., 1300 block of S. Tamiami Trail

Suspicion: A resident came to police headquarters to report a lost wallet and to relay her suspicions that it might have been stolen. She said she had been to a coffee shop, placed the wallet on a table, then noticed it was gone. Employees said no one had turned in a lost wallet and they hadn’t seen what had happened to the article, which contained a collection of cards and a driver’s license. She said she thought the wallet could have been stolen, but she had no witnesses or evidence to that end. She was unsure of the store had interior security video coverage.

Sunday, May 22

Settling up

7:50 p.m., 1500 block of N. Lockwood Ridge Road

Property damage: An incident with a laundry cart caused damage to a vehicle, though police determined the dispute between two parties was civil, not criminal. The caller to police said a person using a laundry cart outside a business let the item crash into her car's door. The caller refused payment of $100, saying the damage was more extensive than that. In brokering an agreement, the officer suggested both parties exchange information, obtain a damage estimate for the car and work out the payment details. The officer held out the possibility of civil court if a satisfactory arrangement couldn’t be made.

Missing items

9:41 p.m., 2000 block of Main Street

Theft: A man who told police he was homeless reported the theft of a family photo, a driver’s license and a filled-out form containing personal information from his backpack, which was left unattended overnight on the street. The man told police he intended to press charges in the event of an arrest. The man was directed to a resource for homeless people to facilitate the replacement of his license.