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Sarasota | Cops Corner

Homeless man takes up residence in restaurant shed
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 20, 2025
Homeless man takes up residence in restaurant shed

Officers discovered a man living in a storage shed and helping himself to a restaurant's liquor bottles. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Man spotted operating a wheelchair while intoxicated
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 13, 2025
Man spotted operating a wheelchair while intoxicated

After drinking many too many beers, a man rolled his wheelchair into the middle of Main Street and passed out. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Man arrested on charge of assault with canned goods
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 6, 2025
Man arrested on charge of assault with canned goods

After being called a racially charged word, a man responded by hurling canned food at a woman, causing a minor injury. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Boat engine damaged by water in the fuel tank
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 30, 2025
Boat engine damaged by water in the fuel tank

A couple discovered their sluggish boat engine resulted from someone putting nine gallons of water in their gas tank. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Saliva skirmish ends the night out at a downtown club
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 17, 2025
Saliva skirmish ends the night out at a downtown club

A woman claiming to be a victim turns out to be the spitter in an after-midnight skirmish of sputum. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Alleged rock throwing becomes international incident
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 16, 2025
Alleged rock throwing becomes international incident

A woman who claimed a 3-year-old threw a rock at her car shared knowledge of a sale of U.S. missiles. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Woman reports frequent visitor outside her bedroom window
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 9, 2025
Woman reports frequent visitor outside her bedroom window

On multiple occasions a man is spotted outside a woman's apartment engaging in a lewd act with an audience of dolls. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Man trespassed from convenience store twice in one night
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 2, 2025
Man trespassed from convenience store twice in one night

Having previously received a trespassing warning from a convenience store, a man tested law enforcement by showing up there twice in one night. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Barred bar patron finds relief in the street
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 25, 2025
Barred bar patron finds relief in the street

Kicked out of a Main Street bar, a man is arrested for public urination in the street. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Irate man strips down in the middle of the street
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 18, 2025
Irate man strips down in the middle of the street

After being asked to move along, a man exposed himself in the middle of the road while shouting at everyone in the area. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Homeowner hassling construction crew brings law enforcement response
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 11, 2025
Homeowner hassling construction crew brings law enforcement response

Frustrated over construction activity on Golden Gate Point, a resident flails profanity at workers over parking and other issues. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Teens terrorize motorists by tossing tennis balls, other objects at their cars
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 4, 2025
Teens terrorize motorists by tossing tennis balls, other objects at their cars

Young males reported throwing objects from their car at passing vehicles were identified by the license plate. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Impaired man not sure how he got to downtown Sarasota
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 28, 2025
Impaired man not sure how he got to downtown Sarasota

Found face-down on an outdoor table after purging the night's misadventures, a man told officers he thought he was on Siesta Key. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Street dancer disrupts traffic flow on Main Street
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 21, 2025
Street dancer disrupts traffic flow on Main Street

High on more than life, a man is removed from Main Street where he was putting on a one-man flashmob. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Fired workers threaten damage at construction site
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 14, 2025
Fired workers threaten damage at construction site

Three men fired for not showing up for work were accused of threatening to shoot their former boss and make holes in drywall. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Unnamed subject caught hitting golf balls into a vacant house
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 7, 2025
Unnamed subject caught hitting golf balls into a vacant house

Two males were hitting golf balls from a back yard into a canal and through glass into a home; one of them evading police. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Convenience store scuffle involves assault by fruit
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 30, 2025
Convenience store scuffle involves assault by fruit

A dispute between a clerk and two customers involves unconventional weapons, including bananas. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Road rage incident continues for several miles
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 23, 2025
Road rage incident continues for several miles

An aggressive driver tails a couple driving separate vehicles from South Tamiami Trail to St. Armands. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Police respond to simultaneous bar brawls one block apart
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 10, 2025
Police respond to simultaneous bar brawls one block apart

Sarasota police officers respond to one fight inside and another outside Main Street bars after 2 a.m. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Family discovers a surprise tenant in condo
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 9, 2025
Family discovers a surprise tenant in condo

A couple entering a family-owned rental finds a man living there, later learning their agent signed the lease for them. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Man goes postal on a post office glass door
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 2, 2025
Man goes postal on a post office glass door

Two men arrested after one throws a brick through a post office door and scatters newspapers across the street. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Playful hair pulling reported as battery
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • March 26, 2025
Playful hair pulling reported as battery

Platonic friends face police scrutiny after a man pulls a woman's hair because "she likes it," he said. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Men being too 'touchy' banished from a city park
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • March 19, 2025
Men being too 'touchy' banished from a city park

An intimate encounter with inappropriate exposure results in two men being trespassed from Laurel Park. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Hotel hijinks highlight busy weekend by the bay
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • March 12, 2025
Hotel hijinks highlight busy weekend by the bay

Officers respond to a valet area fight, an abandoned woman and a deserted man at three bayside Sarasota hotels. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Neighborhood watchman rams pickup truck with golf cart
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • March 5, 2025
Neighborhood watchman rams pickup truck with golf cart

A resident accuses a repairman of speeding through his neighborhood and, to make a point, strikes his vehicle with a golf cart. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Noise complaint escalates into trespassing, resisting arrest
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • February 26, 2025
Noise complaint escalates into trespassing, resisting arrest

A late-night call to Indian Beach Park finds suspects playing loud music in a car and drinking from open containers. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Restaurant worker dispatch for possible battery
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • February 19, 2025
Restaurant worker dispatch for possible battery

Investigation comes up empty in the case of a woman with a black eye, her confiscated phone and a first date that involved a luxury hotel room. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Boy hides in a dryer to avoid bedtime
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • February 12, 2025
Boy hides in a dryer to avoid bedtime

A juvenile calls 911 from the confines of a dryer drum where he tried to avoid bedtime and a frustrated father. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Police chief calls for backup to stop a street scuffle
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • February 5, 2025
Police chief calls for backup to stop a street scuffle

Officers respond when Police Chief Rex Troche spots two men on the verge of a fight in a downtown street. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Men behaving badly on Main Street
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • January 28, 2025
Men behaving badly on Main Street

Officers investigate assaults on a bathroom, tables at a women's march and a restaurant's planters occur over a four-day period. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Officers don't take social media bait
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • January 22, 2025
Officers don't take social media bait

Two males streaming videos to a popular social media site fail to draw officers into compromising scene. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Woman discards suitcase with $22,000 check inside
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • January 15, 2025
Woman discards suitcase with $22,000 check inside

Angry over stolen money, a woman threw out her boyfriend's suitcase full of clothing and a check he had to deliver to his boss. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Roommates get into altercation over body lotion scandal
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • January 8, 2025
Roommates get into altercation over body lotion scandal

One man accused another of using his body lotion, which resulted in an alleged physical assault. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Man's immigration papers disappear while working out of town
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • January 1, 2025
Man's immigration papers disappear while working out of town

Thinking it was abandoned, a man's roommate sent his suitcase allegedly containing important documents to his mother in Texas. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Sarasota Cops Corner: The Best of 2024
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • December 24, 2024
Sarasota Cops Corner: The Best of 2024

Nudes, lewds and dudes highlight this year's greatest hits from the files of the Sarasota Police Department.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Test drive speed limit disguises used car problems
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • December 18, 2024
Test drive speed limit disguises used car problems

Exceeding 25 miles per hour after buying a used SUV reveals issues that exceed the cost of the vehicle. This and other Sarasota Police Department reports in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
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