—Aug. 21
—Slow-Motion Getaway
—11:24 p.m.
—Officer Castro while on patrol at Broadway Street when he observed a gray Toyota traveling westbound without operational license plate lights. Officer Castro initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. As Officer Castro was about to exit his vehicle, the driver began to drive away at a low rate of speed. Believing he might be repositioning his car, Officer Castro continued to follow at 25 mph. However, the vehicle continued northbound over the Longboat Pass Bridge. Realizing the driver appeared to be refusing to stop, Officer Castro notified Sarasota Sheriff’s Office dispatch and immediately turned off his emergency lights, terminating the attempted second traffic stop. When the vehicle passed in front of the officer, he noticed a male in the driver’s seat. Officer Castro was unable to confirm if the driver was the registered owner. If it is confirmed that the man was the driver, an arrest warrant will be requested. Manatee County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the man’s home address in Bradenton. Case clear.
—Aug. 22
—Canine Confrontation
—9:28 p.m.
—Officer Castro was dispatched to the 3700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for a report of a civil disturbance. The complainant contacted the police department to report a verbal argument initiated by a man. The complainant stated that while she was walking her dog with a friend on the sidewalk near the intersection of Buttonwood and Gulf of Mexico Drive, a man she knew began yelling and cursing at them, claiming that dogs were not allowed on the beach. The complainant reported that the man appeared intoxicated but no physical altercation occurred. The complainant advised she believed the man lives in a specific unit. Officer Castro went to the unit where he made contact with the man who was identified by his Florida Driver’s license. The man stated he was upset because the complainant was walking her dog on the beach which he believed was not allowed. Officer Castro advised the man to contact the police if he sees dogs on the beach in the future so that they can enforce the town ordinances. Officer Castro also informed him that service dogs were permitted on the beach and that police can verify this with the dog owner if needed. Case clear.
—Aug. 23
—Midnight Matinee
—2:36 a.m.
—Officer Maple while on patrol on Gulfside Drive saw a Jeep Wrangler parked at the beach access. Officer Maple canvassed the beach and located the driver and passenger asleep on the beach. After awakening the pair, both said they had arrived at the beach around 11 p.m. to watch a movie on their iPad, which was located next to them and had fallen asleep. Furthermore, they said they were unaware of town ordinance in regards to hours allowed on the beach. FCIC/NCIC checks conducted with negative results. Both subjects were issued a warning for the beach violation and departed the area without incident.
—Aug. 25
—Luxury Left Behind
1:11 p.m.
Officer Zunz responded to the police department lobby for a complainant who wanted to turn in a Louis Vuitton handbag that he advised he’d just found while walking his dog along Russell Street. The bag is a two-compartment brown leather handbag and inside is a set of ear pods, lighter, and chewing gum. The purse was placed into a locker for safe keeping. Case clear.
—Speeding and Smirnoff
—8:32 p.m.
—Officer Troyer while on patrol at the south end of Longboat Key bridge observed a vehicle approaching at a high rate of speed. Officer Troyer utilized the speed laser which measured the vehicle’s speed at 48 mph in a 35 mph zone. Officer Troyer conducted a traffic stop and spoke to the driver. Officer Troyer noticed the odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle. He also observed in plain view, a clear glass bottle sticking out from under the passenger seat on the floorboard with a liquid substance which appeared to have spilled on the floorboard carpet. Officer Troyer asked the defendant to hand him the bottle, which he did. The bottle was identified as a Smirnoff Ice Screwdriver. The driver was only 18 years of age and informed Officer Troyer that his friends were drinking in the vehicle although the driver was the only occupant of the vehicle. Officer Troyer had the driver exit the vehicle due to the odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle and observed a slight slurred speech coming from the defendant early on in the stop. The driver exited the vehicle normally, however Officer Troyer still noticed the alcohol emitting from his person. Officer Troyer asked the defendant if he would be willing to submit to voluntary standardized field sobriety exercises, however he refused. The driver also denied any alcohol consumption. Officer Troyer did not observe any other indicators of impairment where he believed the defendant was operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, therefore he was unable to proceed with a DUI investigation. However, Officer Troyer developed probable cause to search the vehicle based on the alcohol container in plain view and the odor of an unknown alcohol beverage emitting from the vehicle and given the defendant’s age. Officer Troyer observed a brown duffle bag located int he driver side back seat. The duffle bag was unzipped as well. Officer Troyer searched the bag and observed a sealed bottle of Smirnoff Ice Screwdriver. Based on his investigation, Officer Troyer developed probable cause to believe the driver was in violation of possession of alcoholic beverages by persons under age 21. Officer Troyer issued the driver a Notice to Appear citation. Case clear.
—Aug. 26
Hammering After Hours
—5:52 p.m.
—Officer Castro was dispatched to Buttonwood Drive for a noise complaint. Upon arrival, Officer Castro did not hear any noise coming from the construction site. However, several workers exited the site and indicated they had been working prior to his arrival. Officer Castro informed the construction worker of the town’s noise ordinances and provided him with a noise ordinance packet. The man was issued a warning and advised that future violations after 5 p.m. would result in a citation. Case clear.
