Worker builds beach dolly, quits and takes it with him

Friday, Aug. 7

Taking a toll

11:52 a.m., Police headquarters

Suspicious incident: A local woman walked into the police station recently to protest a $3.36 bill from the Florida Department of Transportation. In her hands was a provided photo of the vehicle that was being charged for the unpaid toll, and the specialty license plate on the vehicle did not match her vehicle, which had a normal Florida tag. The woman also appealed the toll charge with FDOT. Longboat police closed the case.

A different kind of dine and dash

10:01 p.m., 412 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious incident: An employee at a restaurant called police after his phone went missing during a recent shift. The worker, a manager at the restaurant, told police he placed his phone at the bar and left it there while working. When he returned, his iPhone was no longer there. The man told police he believed the phone was taken by accident by a patron he knew and provided a phone number for the diner. The police officer and manager then used the locate my phone feature and found a ping in a nearby residential area. The officer went to the pinged location but was unable to locate anyone with a phone matching the description. The officer then called the guest, who was a possible accidental suspect, but he said he was in Venice. The restaurant manager told police he wanted to wait until the next day to file a report. The next day came, the phone had been returned and the case was closed.

Monday, Aug. 10

In-car road rage

2:50 p.m., 2165 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Disturbance: Police were dispatched to vehicle-related incident on the town’s busiest road. When the officer arrived to the scene, he spoke to the complainant, who said she was in the passenger seat of her rental vehicle when a verbal altercation ensued between her and the driver. The woman told police the man driving almost struck a vehicle from behind, which led to a heated argument between the two. The man in question had already departed on foot by the time police arrived. Police determined no crime had occurred, and wrote in the police report both subjects mentioned had been “involved in numerous past police reports for similar behavior” within Longboat Key. Police searched for arrest warrants, saw none and closed the case.

Tuesday, Aug. 11

Dolly drama

11:54 a.m., 5000 block Gulf of Mexico Drive

Civil disturbance: If you make something while on the clock with materials paid for out of your pocket, does it belong to you or your employer? That’s the basis of an argument that led to police presence at a resort recently. The resort's general manager called police after a former employee who recently quit took a beach dolly and refused to return it. The manager said the dolly was constructed by the former employee during business hours to be used for business purposes. With no proof of ownership or bill of sale for the dolly, and after the employee failed to answer a phone call from police, the officer determined this incident did not meet the criteria for criminal mischief, burglary or theft but was instead a civil matter. The officer informed the manager he could take the matter to court and closed the case.