Aug. 8
Trespassing, talking aggressively
7:15 p.m.
Officer Maple and Sgt. Smith were dispatched to Bay Isles Road regarding a suspicious person call. The call was received from an employee of the temple who contacted dispatch who relayed information about a man walking around the parking lot in the rain with no further description provided. Upon his arrival, Officer Maple made contact with the complainant and she provided more information about the individual. The complainant described the man as wearing dark clothes with shorts and dark colored hair. She further stated that the individual was walking in an aggressive manner around the temple property which had prompted her concern and subsequent call to law enforcement. After receiving the updated description, Sgt. Smith and Officer Maple conducted a thorough canvas of the area surrounding the temple. Despite the officer’s efforts, they were unable to locate any individual matching the description provided by the complainant. The search covered the temple grounds and surrounding vicinity but yielded negative results. As a precautionary measure, both Sgt. Smith and Officer Maple remained on scene until all temple goers had safely departed the premises for the evening. Throughout the extended presence, officers maintained surveillance of the property and observed nothing outside of the ordinary. No further suspicious activity was noted during their time on scene. Officer Maple officially closed the case after ensuring the safety of all temple attendees and staff. Case clear.
Aug. 9
Nude on the balcony
10:39 a.m.
Officer Martinson was dispatched to the 5800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive on a call of a suspicious incident. Upon arrival, Officer Martinson was met by the caller outside the front door of the residence. The complainant stated she had been up on the second story rear balcony, which overlooks the ocean, sitting nude in the shallow kiddie pool with a towel wrapped around her breasts. The complainant said before sitting at the pool she had taken off all her clothes and was walking around nude and skinny dipping. The complainant stated while sitting in the pool she then noticed a worker on the second story rear balcony of the house under construction next door was filming her. The woman described the construction worker as tall, heavy set and wearing a bright orange shirt. The complainant stated she didn’t know how long the man had been filming her and was afraid that the man and nude videos of her and she didn’t know what he would do with them. Officer Martinson then walked over to the neighboring house and spoke with the man who works for a window company. The worker stated he had been outside on the balconies taking pictures and videos of the glass which had been installed the man said he is required to take pictures and videos of the finished glass installations and send them to his boss. The man said he didn’t take any pictures or videos of the woman and offered to show Officer Martinson the photos. The man showed the officer his phone and Officer Martinson didn’t see any nude pictures or videos of the neighbor and did see multiple pictures of installed glass outside on the balcony and a video of installed glass in the bedroom and bathroom. Officer Martinson then walked back to inform the caller what he had learned and she said she was a little relieved that the officer said he didn’t see any pictures or videos of her on the man’s phone, although she still believes he was filming her and not just taking pictures of the glass like he claimed. The complainant stated that since she is alone at the property and does not know if she is safe with the workers next door, that she might go spend the next few days at her sister’s house. Case clear.
He is giving out my phone number…
3:42 p.m.
Officer Tillman responded to the 3700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for a suspicious incident. Upon arrival, Officer Tillman spoke with the complainant who stated that she is having issues with a man giving out her phone number without her permission. The complainant stated that the previous night her and a friend were at a hotel in Sarasota and the man again gave her number to another person. This is an ongoing issue with the man. There has not been a past relationship as the two have only been friends. Officer Tillman called the number she had for the man and advised him of the situation. There have been no threats or violence between the two. The report is on file as a matter of record and for future reference. Case clear.
Aug. 10
Vehicle
1:02 a.m.
Officer Maple while conducting traffic enforcement at the 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive received a license plate reader camera regarding a northbound BMW with a driver who had no driver’s license. Shortly after receiving the camera notification, Officer Maple located the northbound vehicle at the 6100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Officer Maple initiated a traffic stop with the vehicle and approached the driver who resides in Sarasota and informed him that the reason for the stop was due to the license plate reader returning information about no valid driver’s license or identification for the vehicle’s owner. The driver spoke minimal English and utilized his girlfriend for translation services. Through the translation, the driver stated he was from Spain and was unable to obtain a driver’s license. He further explained that he was working with lawyers to obtain a driver’s license. His girlfriend stated she was not feeling well and did not want to drive despite knowing the driver did not have a driver’s license. Officer Maple checked the driver through FCIC/NCIC and received a hit indicating no driver’s license. The database also showed a June conviction for an expired tag six months or less. After obtaining the information, Officer Maple reapproached the driver to clarify the status of his driver’s license, noting that he had recently been stopped. The driver confirmed that he did not have a driver’s license and had never been issued one. He produced a Spanish identification card during the interaction. Based on the facts presented, Officer Maple determined that the driver was in violation of operating a vehicle without ever having been issued a driver’s license. Officer Maple issued a criminal citation for the violation. Case clear.
Aug. 11
Door ajar
6:30 p.m.
Officer Mathis was dispatched to Evergreen Way in reference to an alarm activation. Upon Officer Mathis’ arrival to the incident location and met with the caller who advised he is overseeing the property and advised that the cleaners must have left the door slightly ajar and the alarm activated. The caller spoke with the alarm company and provided the proper passcode. Officer Troyer and Officer Mathis then checked the residence with the caller to verify no criminal activity had taken place. The caller advised everything looked fine and nothing was out of place. The caller then reset the alarm and secured the residence. Case clear.
Aug. 12
Citizen assist
2:18 p.m.
Officer Ericsson and Officer Pescuma was dispatched to Bayou Sound on a public service call regarding a broken water line. Officer Ericsson responded to the scene and Officer Pescuma and he contacted a contract crew working for FPL conducting horizontal underground boring. Officers observed a large amount of water coming from the ground next to the driveway. The worker advised they were boring under a water valve and struck the line. They advised Longboat Key Public Works had been contacted, but were not yet on-scene. Officer Ericsson called the Public Works who stated they were aware of the incident and were enroute as they were speaking. At 2:42 p.m. Public Works arrived and advised and were no longer needed. Case clear.
Aug. 13
Suspicious boat
1:04 p.m.
Officer Miklos was dispatched to 3800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a barge that had washed up into the private dock. Upon arrival, Officer Miklos located the vessel in the northeast corner of the property. Officer Miklos was unable to observe the registration due to the damaged dock area. Officer Miklos observed the vessel to be tied off to the damaged dock. Officer Miklos made contact with the complainant who stated the vessel washed ashore at an unknown time on Aug. 12. The complainant advised no one knows who the vessel belongs to and the construction company the complex had hired advised it did not belong to them. The complainant provided the vessel’s registration. Officer Miklos conducted a search of the vessel and it returned to the seawall company. The registration on the vessel had expired in June. Officer Miklos performed a Google search and returned with two phone numbers and attempted to contact the company, however, both phone numbers went straight to voicemail. Officer Miklos checked the review and discovered a low rating with several comments saying the owner took their money and won’t return hone calls or complete the work. The complainant was also unsuccessful at reaching the seawall company. At the time, Officer Miklos contacted Officer Pescuma and advised him of the call. Officer Pescuma advised to have the complainant report it to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Officer Miklos provided the FWC dispatch number and provided the case number. The complainant advised that the FWC would be having an Officer reach out to her in regards to the derelict vessel. Case clear.
Aug. 14
Citizen assist
9:15 a.m.
Officer Martinson while on patrol when he observed a mobile coffee stand trailer set up in the parking lot in front of the swim store. Officer Martinson stopped in the parking lot and made contact with the owner of the coffee business. The owner stated she had been invited by the owner of the swim store and the owner of the property building to set up her trailer and sell coffee. The owner stated she had been in contact with both the Police Department and Code Enforcement and believed she was in compliance with all of the town’s ordinances and codes. While the owner and Officer Martinson were speaking the Code Enforcement officer pulled up into the parking lot. The Code Enforcement Officer stated he had received emails from the owner about the coffee stand and saw the police officer there so he figured he should stop to assist. The Code Enforcement was concerned, the owner was compliant with all the town’s requirements except she did not have a permit which is issued by the Police Department. The owner stated according tot he ordinance, the owner had been invited and given permission to set up her coffee trailer by the business owner was on private property and had correct signage. The owner stated she had reached out to the Police Department about a permit but had been redirected back to Code Enforcement. Officer Martinson told the owner and code enforcement officer that he could not issue the permit but would go to the police station to inquire about how she could get one. When Officer Martinson arrived at the police station none of the command staff was present because they were still at rifle and handgun training. Officer Martinson spoke to Officer Zunz who advised that Captain Bourque stated they would not be issuing the owner a permit because of accreditation standards in that they can’t accept money or run a criminal background without a valid reason or non criminal matters. Officer Martinson then made contact with Captain Bourque over the telephone and he confirmed that the town ordinance is outdated because they can’t accept money or run criminal background checks on people without reason. Captain Bourque stated he brought this matter to the attention of the head of Code Enforcement who reached out to the town attorney to revise the ordinance. Captain Bourque stated that since the Police Department cannot issue a permit it would be up to Code Enforcment to decide if the owner can sell coffee from her mobile trainer or not. Captain Bourque said that Officer Martinson should not shut her business down and let code enforcement make the decision if she can sell coffee without a permit. Officer Martinson then drove down to Town Hall and again spoke with the employee from Code Enforcement. The owner stated he would speak with the Planning and Zoning Director and then reach out to the property owners. Officer Martinson then returned to the owner and advised her about the situation. Officer Martinson told the owner for the time being, she can continue to sell her coffee from her trainer and that Code Enforcement will be getting in contact with her int he near future. Case clear.
