Cops Corner

Nude swimmer trying to forget a difficult day met by police

An anonymous caller reported a man swimming naked. When police spoke to the swimmer, he said he was having a hard day. This and other Longboat Key Police reports in this week's Cops Corner.


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Friday, June 14

Second lesson learned 

9:29 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway 

Vehicle Stop: An officer was alerted by the license plate readers to a driver with a suspended driver’s license. The officer stopped the vehicle and spoke to the driver who admitted to not having a valid driver’s license. It was also discovered that the driver was given a criminal citation for the same reason in October and received another one for this second violation. The driver had to park the vehicle at his worksite and call someone else to drive the vehicle. 


Saturday, June 15

No lounging allowed 

11:23 a.m., 7000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Person: Dispatch sent an officer to investigate a report of a suspicious person sitting in a condo association’s lounge chair. At the scene, the officer spoke with the suspicious sitter, who said he did not realize the chair was privately owned. He returned the chair and left the area willingly. 


Sunday, June 16

Scoping out the scene 

2:30 p.m., White Key 

Animal Problem: An officer on marine patrol was flagged down by a boater who said he called Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium about a dead sea turtle. The officer went to the location provided by the boater to check out the location, which was only patrollable by wading in the water. Dispatch was asked to inform Mote staff that the responders should be prepared to wade through the water to get to the dead sea turtle. 


Monday, June 17

Tough day all around 

8:31 p.m., 200 block of Sands Point Road 

Marine Rescue: An anonymous caller reported someone who entered the Gulf with no clothes on. Officers responded to the scene and spoke with the swimmer, who was then wrapped in a towel. The swimmer said he had a tough day at work and wanted to go for a swim so he could forget about the day. 

Tuesday, June 18

Not driving, but moving on the road 

9:52 a.m., 6400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Vehicle Stop: An officer on patrol observed a pickup truck driving on the sidewalk, move to the shoulder of the road and then into the opposite lane of traffic. Fearful of a head-on collision, the officer stopped the vehicle. During the traffic stop, the driver said he did not have a driver’s license and said he was not driving the truck, just moving it. He was able to provide a passport, but the officer found that the man did not have a Florida driver’s license. The officer issued him various citations for driving without a license, not having a seatbelt and not maintaining the designated lane of traffic. 


Thursday, June 20

Drive-through damage 

7:43 p.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Property Damage: Dispatch sent an officer to a reported disturbance between a man and a security guard. At the scene, the officer spoke with the two men, who said they were in a verbal argument over damage to the exit gate. The security guard said the man’s wife previously left through the gate and, when the gate came down after her vehicle, the bicycle rack had not cleared the gate arm. According to the security guard, this caused the gate arm to get stuck between the vehicle and the bicycle rack, and the gate was ripped from its base. The husband said his wife and the vehicle were away due to prior plans and he could provide any of the information needed. The security guard could not find the security footage but requested that a damage report be completed for the company. 

 

author

Carter Weinhofer

Carter Weinhofer is the Longboat Key news reporter for the Observer. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, he moved to St. Petersburg to attend Eckerd College until graduating in 2023. During his entire undergraduate career, he worked at the student newspaper, The Current, holding positions from science reporter to editor-in-chief.

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