Police respond to Longboat home after snake slithers in

Saturday, Sept. 6

Crouching figure, hidden intruder

3:10 a.m., 500 block Rountree Drive

Suspicious incident: Police were called to a residence after a woman woke at 3 a.m. and thought she saw, to her horror, a crouching figure in the corner of her room. Police surveyed all rooms and the garage of the house but found no evidence of an intruder. Police wrote in a report that nothing seemed out of place and that there were no signs of forced entry. A canvass of side streets was performed with no results, and police closed the case.

Sunday, Sept. 7

‘If I were a lot younger’

5:29 p.m., 201 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious incident: A 23-year-old man fishing from a pier with two kids aged 12 and 14 called police after the three were approached by a woman who the complainant said appeared to be under the influence. Police were told that the woman, who appeared to be around 60 years old, told them that if she “were a lot younger, she would teach them a few things.” The man said they were not intimidated or in fear of the woman, just concerned by her intoxication levels. The woman had driven south over the bridge and off the Key by the time police arrived, and police closed the case.

Wednesday, Sept. 10

The case of the flying plank

6:00 p.m., 6700 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Property damage: A pickup truck’s tires were squealing in a condo parking lot when it was hit by a hurled piece of wood, causing damage to the passenger door and windshield. The driver of the pickup called police and said he was having trouble adjusting to his new vehicle’s gas and brake pedal, which caused the tires to squeal. A witness told police that he heard a man yell “scumbag!” before seeing a plank thrown over the fence onto the truck. When police contacted the resident of the condo behind the fence, he told officers that he was working on the window trim with a piece of wood laying across his fence. He told police he said, “slow down,” not “scumbag” and that he did not throw the piece of wood. The officer told the complainant that he did not have evidence to prove criminal intent but would file a property damage report.

Thursday, Sept. 11

Not quite a Burmese Python

8:04 p.m., Harbour Links Circle

Animal problem: A snake slithered its way into a woman’s house, prompting her to call the police. When an officer arrived, he was told a snake approximately 12 inches long was seen in the bathroom. The officer heroically placed a piece of tape onto a narrow space where the snake was believed to enter the house. The officer called animal services to say they were not needed and the case was closed.