The following are actual police reports as written by Longboat Key Police Officers. They are edited for length, punctuation and to protect privacy.
Jan. 3
Suspicious person
6:11 p.m.
Officer Mathis was dispatched to 5300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a suspicious person. An elderly woman was at the restaurant asking staff where her family was located. Upon his arrival, Officer Mathis discovered that the elderly woman and her family and left the restaurant. Staff advised they had contacted 911 and then canceled the request and told police everything was fine. Case clear.
Jan. 4
Fire
2:52 a.m.
Officer Mathis responded to Old Compass Road in reference to a transformer on fire and popping. Upon his arrival, Officer Mathis noticed the ground around the transformer was actively arcing and on fire. Longboat Key Fire Department arrived shortly thereafter and advised no further police assistance was needed and FPL was on the way. Case clear.
Theft
12:33 p.m.
Officer Van Dyke responded to the 4600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a theft. Upon further investigation, the case was updated to an Officer’s Assistance call for service. Upon arrival, Officer Van Dyke met with the resident who advised that sometime between Hurricanes Milton/Helene, contractors took items within the residence. It should be noted that renovation contractor was responsible for all ground level renovation work on the property. On Dec. 27, it was discovered that the plastic had been removed from floor cabinets in the main bedroom, and locked cabinets were presumably opened with force. According to the complainant, clothes were strewn about the room, although miscellaneous clothes were stored away in packing cubes, they are now missing. Per the complainant, items missing include 10 pair of shorts, five bathing suits, 10 t-shirts, five collared shirts, one pair jeans, 10 pair underwear, 10 pair socks with an estimated value of $350 and replacement cost of $1,600. According to the General Manager, the contractor had full access to the residences on property including the permission to move whatever is needed in order to restore the drywall and complete the assigned job. The complainant advised that she simply wanted the incident reported. The complainant was told that due to the circumstance, the incident will not be reported as a theft, but rather for documentation purposes. Based on the information, no further investigation is necessary. Case clear.
Marijuana
10:37 p.m.
Officer Troyer while on patrol, observed a gray Hyundai driving northbound in the 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive with a defective headlight. Officer Troyer conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Upon speaking with the driver, Officer Troyer smelled the odor of suspected marijuana which emitted from the vehicle as the driver’s side front window was rolled down. Officer Troyer asked the driver if she had any marijuana inside of the vehicle, to which she opened the center console and revealed a partially smoked marijuana cigarette with a green leafy substance inside. The green leafy substance appeared to be consistent with marijuana. Officer Troyer had the woman exit the vehicle and Officer Troyer conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle which revealed another container which contained more loose green leafy substance consistent with marijuana. Officer Troyer also located a metal tin which had two more partially smoked suspected marijuana cigarettes with a green leafy substance inside of them. Officer Troyer also located a white container inside of a white bag which had a THC label on the container. Inside of the container, Officer Troyer located seven yellow gummies, which appeared to be a common substance known as edibles. Officer Troyer also located a black circular container which had a brown substance inside. The label had “Cannabis Oil.” The container appeared to be a THC vape pen. Based on the items located in the vehicle, Officer Troyer detained the driver by placing her into hand restraints. Officer Troyer searched the driver and placed her into the back seat of his Police vehicle. Officer Troyer field tested the green leafy substance which showed a purple color as a results of the field test. This indicated to Officer Troyer and the liquid in the vape pen. The gummies and vape pen were