The following are actual police reports as written by Longboat Key Police Officers. They are edited for length, punctuation and to protect privacy.
July 12
Traffic citation
9:58 a.m.
Officer Nazareno while on patrol, observed a red Nissan pickup truck traveling northbound, fail to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk with lights activated at the 5700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Officer Nazareno then conducted a vehicle stop at the 5800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive and made contact with the registered owner/driver and advised him for the reason of the stop. The complainant presented the officer with a state ID card, registration and proof of insurance. He further advised that he is in the process of getting his Florida Driver’s License. FCIC/NCIC check for wants and warrants were negative. FCIC records showed that the driver from the location. Uniform traffic citation was issued for violating a driver’s license suspended, cancelled or revoked with knowledge with a court date. A written warning was issued for violating a failure to yield right of way to a pedestrian at a crosswalk with signage. The man said he was in the process of getting his Florida Driver’s license and presented an ID card. Case clear.
July 13
Construction
1:54 p.m.
Officer Nazareno was dispatched to the 1600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for a citizen assist call regarding woodchips left by the pier area by the seawall company. The caller was concerned that the seabirds would eat the wood chips. Upon arrival, Officer Nazareno made contact with the superintendent who advised he had instructed the seawall employees to rake the wood chips the previous day at the site. The supervisor also checked the area to make sure that no wood chips were left in the pier area. The caller did not want to be seen or contacted. Case clear.
July 14
Boat
2:45 p.m.
Officer Barrett while on marine patrol, observed a man operating his pontoon boat with a sign on the side of the vessel, ‘JJ Coasters Hot Dogs.’ The man was selling hot dogs and other food items. Officer Barrett asked him for the boat registration and his business license. The man did not have any form of licensing for operating a business or selling food products. The man said he would take the sign off his vessel immediately and stop operating his business. The man was advised that this stop would be documented and warned that doing business without the proper licensing could result in future civil and criminal violations. Case clear.
July 15
Driver’s license
9:30 a.m.
Officer Butler received an alert for a vehicle with a suspended license. An FCIC/NCIC query was performed and the registered owner was suspended and had a warrant. The vehicle was observed traveling northbound and turned east onto Bay Isles Parkway which in turn triggered a second alert at 9:35 a.m. Officer Butler observed the vehicle parked at the Publix shopping center. Officer Butler canvassed the parking lot and inside of Publix but did not locate the owner. A short time later, the man was seen walking to the vehicle. He entered the vehicle and drove to Bay Isles Parkway when the vehicle abruptly turned into another parking spot. Officer Butler approached the driver and advised him who he was and the reason for the stop. He acknowledged that his license was suspended and stated he was driving to get to work. Moreover, Officer Butler requested Officer Ramsaier to respond to the scene due to the warrant. Officer Ramsaier arrived on scene, the warrant was confirmed as being active and the driver was taken into custody for the Manatee County warrant. The man was transported to Sarasota County Jail and issued a criminal citation for driving with suspended license with knowledge. Case clear.
Bird
1:45 p.m.
Officer Ramsaier was dispatched to the 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for an animal problem. The complainant said he struck a duck on Gulf of Mexico Drive while driving and pulled over and then was standing by the injured animal. The Sarasota Cunty Animal Control Officer dispatched and was on scene. The duck was removed and taken to Mote Marine SOS. Case clear.
Cat in ceiling
11:21 p.m.
Officer Maple, Officer Mathis and Sgt. Montfort were dispatched to Russell Street for a cat stuck. Upon the officers’ arrival, he met with the daughter of the complainant who stated her cat was stuck in the newly constructed ceiling of their back porch. Officers located the cat in a small crack in the ceiling with a paw sticking out trying to free itself. With permission of parents on phone, Officer Maple removed a small section of the overhead ceilng and freed cat. Case clear.
July 16
Automobile
8:52 a.m.
Officer Pescuma was dispatched to St. Judes Drive South in reference to a broken water line. Upon arriving on scene, Officer Pescuma met with the complainant who said that comcast was about one week ago and installed equipment in the ground. The man said that comcast allegedly struck a waterline. Additionally, the man said that the waterline is not owned by the town of Longboat Key and the HOA President had sent an email to Comcast advising of the alleged property damage. No further action.
Boat
12:22 p.m.
Officer Ramsaier was dispatched to Yawl Lane for a citizen’s assist. The complainant stated her neighbor docked their boat too close to her property lane. Officer Ramsaier made contact with the neighbor who said that they would move the boat back from the property line. Case clear.
Shark
1:14 p.m.
Officer Ramsaier responded to the 100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for a call of an animal assist. More Marine requested the police and marine patrol for a dead bull shark that had washed ashore. Upon arrival, Officer Ramsaier met with Mote Marine personnel. Longboat Key Marine patrol arrived shortly after, and shark was removed from the area and brought back out to the Gulf of Mexico by Longboat Key Marine patrol, who towed the dead shark. The shark was found with a hook in its mouth and is believed to have been caught and the line cut by the fisherman.
July 17
Boat on beach
2:11 p.m.
Officer Miklos responded to the 6600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a boat stuck on the beach. While en route, Officer Miklos made contact with the caller who advised his boat was stuck on the beach and he needed assistance. Officer Mathis was on scene and advised that the Police Department was not going to be able to assist him due to the water level. Officer Mathis referred the man to a call of a marine towing company. Case clear.
July 18
Fishing
10:49 a.m.
Officer Nazareno was dispatched to the 4800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for a citizen assist call. The caller said that he was concerned that a man was fishing at the beach near the swimmers. The caller was advised that fishing is permitted on public beaches in the State of Florida. Case clear.
Fraud
2:06 p.m.
Officer Miklos was dispatched to the 2000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a possible text message scam. Upon arrival, Officer Miklos came into contact with the complainant who advised she received a message from an unknown number. The message advised that her USPS package had arrived at the warehouse and could not be delivered. The message provided a link for the complainant to click on to proceed. The woman said she did not click on the link or provide anyone of her private information. At this time, Officer Miklos advised her that he had also received that message on his cell phone on numerous occasions and that she should just delete the message. Case clear.
8:08 p.m.
Officer Smith was dispatched to Longboat Club Road for a report of a woman and four children using beach chairs that belong to a condominium and they were not residents. Upon arrival, the complainant yelled down to Officer Smith and pointed to the subjects out on the beach. Officer Smith made contact with the woman and as he was gathering her information, a resident from another unit approached the officer and indicated that she lives in a unit at the condominium and that the children and woman were her guests. Officer Smith informed the caller of the information received. Case clear.
