Two 'suspicious' cars determined to be neighborly visitors

Friday, Jan. 31

Work not wanted

9:22 a.m., 3500 block of Bayou Circle

Suspicious Person: When a homeowner was away from her residence, a neighbor called her to alert her that a general contractor was at her residence. The homeowner told Longboat Key PD that she did not feel comfortable with the contractor being at her home since they were in the middle of a civil dispute regarding payment for his services. Upon the officer’s arrival at the residence, the contractor was unable to be found and the case was closed. 

Saturday, Feb. 1

Barking problem 

7:57 p.m., 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise Disturbance: A resident called to report a barking dog causing a noise disturbance in a neighboring residence. At the scene, the responding officer met with the complainant who invited the officer into his home to hear the barking dog. Upon entering the home, the officer said he heard a slight barking noise but it was not very loud. The homeowner said the barking was a constant issue and he believed the officer should take custody of the dogs, claiming the owner “should not be a dog owner” and the dogs were often left unattended for hours. The officer said he would not be taking custody of the dogs because barking was not listed as animal cruelty in the Florida State Statute. 

Before the officer left, the dog owner returned home and spoke with the complainant. The two exchanged contact information so they could talk about mitigating the barking in the future. Both were happy with the solution. 

Wednesday, Feb. 5

Neighborly visits not suspicious

1:21 p.m., 500 block of Wedge Lane 

Suspicious Vehicle: Dispatch sent an officer to investigate a report of two suspicious vehicles parked on the street in front of a residence. The responding officer observed the two vehicles in question and checked the tags, neither of which came back as stolen or abandoned. Upon further investigation, the officer discovered one of the cars on the street belonged to another Longboat Key resident and was there to go fishing with a neighbor. The other car belonged to a citizen visiting a different neighbor. Neither car was suspicious, according to the officer.

Gas leak shuts down GMD

1:33 p.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Fire: Longboat Key PD was dispatched to assist the fire rescue department with a reported gas line break. At the scene, the responding officer smelled natural gas and blocked off both lanes of Gulf of Mexico Drive while waiting for Longboat Key Fire Rescue to respond. It was later determined that a 4-inch pipe was cut by contractors working on the property. The fire rescue department handled the scene and GMD was reopened around 3 p.m.

Bright lights and jail time

9:24 p.m., 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Vehicle Stop: While on patrol, an officer spotted a vehicle with its high beams on and, when the driver failed to dim the headlights, the officer conducted a vehicle stop. After running the driver’s information through the database, her information was a match for a warrant in Sarasota County for failure to appear in court last month. The officer confirmed the warrant with Sarasota County and the driver was placed under arrest, handcuffed, and then transported to a Sarasota County jail for booking. The driver’s car was turned over to a towing service.