March 13
—12:49 p.m.
—Officer Mathis was dispatched to Harbourside Drive in reference to property damage. A complainant had reported that a vehicle had knocked down a gate arm while driving through. Upon Officer Mathis’s arrival, he met with a representative of the Longboat Key Club. The employee advised that a blue Mercedes sedan knocked down the gate arm while traveling through the gate after another vehicle had opened it. The employee shoed the officer the video from his mobile phone which showed the blue Mercedes knocked down the gate arm while traveling through the gate after another vehicle had opened it. As the gate arm came down, it struck the Mercedes and caused damage to the gate arm and wiring which attaches to the arm to control the LED lights on said arm. The employee then advised that he only needs a report to document the incident and no other action. The employee further advised that he would send the video to add to this report once he returned to his office since he cannot send it from his phone. Officer Mathis canvassed the area in an attempt to locate the vehicle and make contact with the driver. According to gate security, the driver of the vehicle identified herself. Officer Mathis’s efforts to locate the vehicle and driver were fruitless. Upon leaving the area, the employee had already repaired the gate arm and advised it functioned as it should. Case clear.
—March 14
—Driver
2:12 a.m.
—Officer Troyer while on patrol in the 1200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive, observed a gray Toyota Camry parked along the right of way in the grass facing northbound. Officer Troyer made contact with the vehicle due to the town ordinance that prohibits vehicles parking along the right of way. Officer Troyer activated his emergency lights and made contact with the vehicle. Upon walking up to the vehicle and observed the vehicle was occupied by two men and the vehicle had apparent steam flowing out of the hood. This was an indication to Officer Troyer the vehicle was not illegally parked; however, the vehicle was disabled along the right of way. Officer Troyer made contact with the driver and asked him about his vehicle being disabled along the right of way. The driver told Officer Troyer he was trying to get home and the vehicle broke down. Officer Troyer observed the vehicle’s keys were in the ignition; all the dash lights were on as well. While speaking with the driver, Officer Troyer observed the strong odor of alcoholic beverage which emitted from the vehicle. Officer Troyer also observed that the driver had bloodshot and glassy eyes, a strong thick tongued and slurred speech, and a flushed face. Officer Troyer observed that he had slow hand movements as well. Based on his observations, Officer Troyer had reasonable suspicion to believe the driver was driving while under the influence of an unknown alcoholic beverage. Officer Troyer asked the driver to exit the vehicle which he complied with. Upon the driver exiting the vehicle, he used the vehicle for support when standing up. Officer Troyer instructed him to move behind his vehicle, which he observed the driver had a staggered walk; he also observed the odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting form his person in an open aired environment. Officer Troyer asked the driver if he would be willing to conduct a Standardized Field Sobriety Test. When doing so, the driver didn’t seem to comprehend what the officer was asking of him, and he had to repeat the questions. The driver eventually refused to complete the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. Based upon his training and experience of Driving While Under the Influence Cases, and the indications of impairment exhibited by the driver, Officer Troyer developed probable cause to believe the driver was operating a motor vehicle upon public roadways while impaired. Officer Troyer placed the driver under arrest, double locked and checked the handcuff for proper fitment then transported the driver to the Sarasota County Jail. Once at the Sarasota County Jail, Officer Troyer asked the driver if he would be willing to voluntarily provide a sample of his breath for the blood alcohol content. The driver refused to voluntarily provide a sample of his breath for the purposes of determining the blood alcohol content. Officer Troyer read the driver his constitutional rights and the driver refused to speak with him. Based on his investigation, Officer Troyer found probable cause to believe the driver was in violation of Driving While Under the Influence, and Refusal to Submit to Testing. Case clear.
—Citizen assist
—1:29 p.m.
—Officer Van Dyke responded to Hibiscus Way in reference to a citizen assist call. The caller didn’t wish to meet but stated they were a neighbor that observed unknown individuals catching undersized fish at the mentioned location. Upon arrival, Officer Van Dyke observed several elderly subjects both men and women, fishing on the residential pier. Ultimately Officer Van Dyke spoke with one of the subjects who said that the homeowners had recently left. He left no undersized fish being caught. Officer Van Dyke didn’t observe any indication of a crime. Therefore, no further investigation was necessary. Case clear.
—Marine Rescue
—2:57 p.m.
—Officer Pescuma responded to the 3300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to three swimmers possibly caught in a rip current in the Gulf. Upon arrival, the caller stated that there were only two swimmers, and they both made it back to shore safely. Officer Pescuma made contact with the caller who confirmed that it was only two swimmers and both were okay. The caller said they attempted to cancel the call with dispatch prior to the Fire Department arriving on scene. Case clear.
—Animal
—11:55 p.m.
—Officer Mathis was dispatched to the 300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to an animal problem. The caller advised that there was a baby racoon on her patio and requested assistance removing it. Upon his arrival, Officer Mathis met with the caller who directed him to the baby raccoon. Officer Mathis checked the area for the rest of the raccoon family but was unsuccessful. Using a towel, Officer Mathis gently picked up the baby raccoon and returned to his patrol unit. Sgt. Montfort advised the Wildlife Inc. That they would meet at the Coquina Beach Access to take possession of the baby raccoon. Once at the beach, the baby raccoon was turned over to the Wildlife Inc. Staff. Case clear.
—March 15
—Hotel assist
—1:09 p.m.
—Officer Pescuma was dispatched to the 4600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a disturbance involving a man arguing with hotel staff regarding the confiscation of a possible fraudulent identification belonging to the subject’s son who is under 21 years old. Upon arrival, hotel staff stated they wished to cancel the call for service stating the matter would be handled internally by hotel management. Upon arrival, Officer Pescuma was told that the father a 50-year-old man who had been arguing with staff was no longer on scene. Hotel management advised they didn’t wish to pursue police involvement regarding the incident and indicated they would address the matter internally. No further law enforcement assistance was requested. Case clear.
—March 16
—Property
—3:14 p.m.
—Officer Miklos was dispatched to the 4500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a possible hit and run traffic crash. Sarasota Sheriff’s Office dispatch advised via CAD notes that the caller was not sure when the damage occurred. Upon arrival, Officer Miklos came into contact with the caller who advised he picked the vehicle up from a rental car agency at the Sarasota Airport. The man said he had several pictures of the vehicle at the airport, however, none of the pictures showed the damaged area. The damage did not appear to be recent. The damage was located on the passenger side of the front bumper and hood near the headlight. It should be noted that no panel was damaged or out of line consistent with a vehicle strike. Officer Miklos spoke to the man and advised that he was unable to determine that the damaged occurred at this location. The man said he stopped at a restaurant and grocery store after the airport. The man advised he didn’t leave the vehicle while stopped at the grocery store. The man spoke to customer service who advised the vehicle didn’t have any reported damage prior to his reservation and wasn’t sent in for service. While on scene, Officer Miklos didn’t observe any surveillance cameras pointed in the vehicle direction. Additionally, Officer Miklos didn’t observe any surveillance cameras pointed in the vehicle direction. Additionally, Officer Miklos did not observe any broken plastic or glass pieces or any tire tracks that lead to the parked vehicle. Due to the lack of evidence, including no cameras, witnesses, suspects or complete confidence that the damage occurred in the parking lot, Officer Miklos updated the call to a property damage report. The man was provided a case number and business card. Pictures of the damage were uploaded to the case file. Case clear.
—March 20
Transceiver
—2:22 p.m.
—Officer Zunz responded to the Police Department front desk for a turned in radio a woman had just found at the 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. The radio, an Icom IC-M3A marine transceiver, had either fallen out of the window of a black van as it turned onto Gulf of Mexico Drive, or it was already laying in the street against the curb. She was unsure of what happened. The radio appears to be undamaged and in good condition physically, though it did not power on. Officer Zunz placed the radio into a locker for safe keeping. Case clear.
