Longboat police encountered late-night beachgoers

Friday, July 24

Open house

12:31 a.m., Firehouse Lane

Alarm: Police responded to a routine alarm call late Thursday night, but ended up calling in backup. A caller alerted dispatch of a possible burglary “with living room motion,” according to a police report. An officer saw an upstairs light on upon arrival at the house, which was unoccupied and for sale. After knocking on the door with no response, the officer surveyed the house and found an unlocked garage door. He entered to find a door to the interior also unlocked, and then exited the house, called for backup and secured the perimeter. When backup arrived, the two officers swept the house and found nobody inside. The owner of the for-sale house was called, but no answer was received. The officer closed the doors and closed the case.

Saturday, July 25

Grab your stuff (or not) and run

2:53 a.m., 6399 Gulfside Road

Suspicious incident: An officer reported to a beach access on Gulfside Road after receiving a call from a fellow officer for help with a group of late-night beachgoers. When he arrived, the other officer was speaking to a group of young men asking why they were on the beach after 11 p.m., which is against town ordinance. There was also a pile of belongings including two sets of clothes, two cellphones and an empty bottle. During the conversation, another man approached the group to tell officers he ran when he saw police lights, but he was only on the beach to relax and pray. Officers attempted to determine the owners of the left-behind belongings, but issued a citation to the man who ran. Police looked around the area and found a car in a church parking lot across the street, and issued a citation to the driver when he returned. He was also the owner of the items. The case was then closed.

Wednesday, July 29

Impounded, arrested

3:13 a.m., 6000 block Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious vehicle: A vehicle traveling slowly on Gulf of Mexico Drive made a quick right turn into a neighborhood after police began to follow the vehicle, raising the suspicions of the officer on patrol. The officer made a u-turn and turned into the neighborhood to find the car off and with all lights off. The officer saw open bottles of Twisted Tea and sealed containers of Corona inside it. The officer rang the gate phone and spoke with the homeowner of the house the vehicle was parked in front of and was told by the resident they were not expecting anyone. As the officer continued to survey the area, a woman walked out of some bushes with her hands up. The woman said she was drinking with a man at a bar and the two were driving on Longboat Key as a detour on their way to the man dropping her off at home in Sarasota. A search of the woman’s name turned up an active warrant. The officer arrested her on suspicion of loitering and prowling because she was concealing herself in the bushes while knowing of the officer’s presence. The driver of the vehicle was not found, but the woman told the officer his name. The officer impounded the vehicle and later saw a man walking on the sidewalk who responded to the name given by the arrested woman. The man claimed he was on the beach and the woman took the car for a spin. With no evidence of a crime committed, the officer informed the man his car was impounded and closed the case.