The following are actual police reports as written by Longboat Key Police Officers. They are edited for length, punctuation and to protect privacy.
Nov. 21
Boat
3:28 p.m.
Officer Mathis was dispatched to Marbury Lane in reference to a suspicious boat on the lift. Upon Officer Mathis’ arrival, he spoke with the property owner and he advised that a suspicious boat had been placed on his lift and he had no idea of who it belonged to. A check of the boat’s identification showed it belonged to a company. Officer Mathis called the owner’s phone number and it turns out the company delivered the boat to the wrong lift by accident after servicing it. The man apologized for the mix up and he said he would contact the homeowner to remove the boat from his lift. Case clear.
Nov. 22
Animal
12:40 a.m.
Officer Pescuma was dispatched to the 1900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a snake in an apartment. Upon arrival, Officer Ericsson and Officer Pescuma located a small corn snake located under a plastic container. The snake was removed and placed outside without incident. Case clear.
Nov. 23
Person
2:49 a.m.
Officer Pescuma was dispatched to the 2000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to someone walking up and down the sidewalk with what appears to be a long blade. The caller who wished to stay anonymous stated that the subject was a white male, six feet tall, and wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. Upon arrival, Sgt. Butler located the individual and identified him to be a resident nearby. The subject was wearing a multi-tool. No crime was committed. Case clear.
Incident
1:35 p.m.
Officer Troyer was dispatched to the 1600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference toa found property. The caller contacted the police to report that staff found a small white baggie with an unknown white substance inside at the pool. Upon arrival, Officer Troyer met with the caller who reported the resort staff member was working by the pool when she found the small clear baggie with the unknown white substance inside. The staff member gave the baggie to the manager who called police. The manager didn’t have any knowledge of whom the baggie belonged to either. Officer Troyer looked at the baggie and observed a brownish colored substance with small amounts of glitter. There was only remnants inside the baggie as well and not enough to even weigh. Through Officer Troyer’s experience, the substance did not appear to be cocaine or any related narcotic, it appeared to be beach sand. Officer Troyer did take custody of the baggie and tested the substance for cocaine at the Police Department to ensure the substance was not an illegal narcotic. The substance did not test positive using a presumptive test and there was no substance leftover after testing. The baggie was properly disposed of and the substance was presumed to be beach sand. Case clear.
Nov. 24
Vehicle
6:59 a.m.
Officer Maple and Officer Nazareno were dispatched to the 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for a suspicious vehicle call. The complainant stated a suspicious motorhome was parked in front of their building. Upon arrival, Officers made contact with the occupant of the motorhome, who stated he wanted to meet with anyone from the company as he was a huge supporter of their movement. The owner stated he arrived around midnight and was waiting until the businesses opened. He was recommended to visit by a local resident. It was explained to the owner that unannounced visits are not allowed and that he was staying on private property and was in possible violation of town ordinance for overnight camping. Motorhome was approximately 36 feet in length and had a Montana license plate. The owner was completely cooperative and departed the area without incident when the situation was explained by Officer Maple and the security who were also on scene. Case clear.
Citizen assist
5:30 p.m.
Officer Tillman responded to the 3200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive to meet with three juveniles on the beach, who the complainant stated were parked on private property. According to one woman, her parents own a condominium and they were visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday. Officer Tillman called the complainant back and explained the situation. The complainant stated that this is an ongoing issue with a neighboring condominium, who have been using their parking lot. The complainant also stated that gates are being installed Wednesday and this should remedy the problem. Case clear.
Nov. 25
Incident
4:28 p.m.
Officer Nazareno was dispatched to Halyard Lane for a suspicious incident call regarding a white boat dropping off a diver at the canal. Upon arrival, Officer Nazareno made contact with the caller who advised that the white boat had dropped off a diver in the canal and immediately left the area. Officer Nazareno checked the canal behind Halyard Lane but was unable to locate any divers in the water. The caller also advised that he is currently out of town. Case clear.
Nov. 26
Incident
8:00 a.m.
Officer Troyer was dispatched to the 1100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a suspicious incident. Upon arrival, Officer Troyer spoke with the complainant who said that on Nov. 21, she went to the post office on Bay Isles Road. When she left she observed a gray Mercury sedan parked on the roadway of Bay Isles Road. The following day, the complainant was near the intersection of Avenue of the Flowers and Bay Isles Parkway and observed the same Mercury sedan. On Nov. 26, the complainant observed the same Mercury near her residence in the 4900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. She did not think much of the vehicle and its whereabouts until she observed the vehicle near her residence and felt she was being followed. This morning, the complainant observed the vehicle again near the intersection of Avenue of the Flowers and Bay Isles Parkway again and decided to call. The complainant took a photograph of the license plate and showed Officer Troyer. The complainant described the driver as a white male, gray beard, glasses, 60-70 years old and he was playing on his cell phone. Prior to his arrival, Officer Troyer cleared the license plate through NCIC/FCIC which revealed the registered owner. The description the complainant provided to Officer Troyer appeared to match the description of the man. Officer Troyer asked the complainant throughout her experience of seeing the vehicle, if there was any aggravating circumstances where the driver threatened her or drove recklessly towards her, which she said there was not, and she just kept seeing the vehicle near her. Based upon Officer Troyer’s experience, the incident did not appear to be a stalking case and appeared as if the complainant was possibly being followed by a private investigator. The complainant agreed she would call back if she had any further contact or the situation escalated. A free internet search concluded the man was a licensed private investigator. Case clear.
Sand
12:58 p.m.
Officer Mathis was dispatched to Overlook Park in reference to illegal dumping. Prior to Officer Mathis’ arrival, he spoke with the complainant via telephone. The complainant wished to report contractors dumping sand and dirt in the park and spreading said materials onto the shoreline and beach. Upon his arrival, Officer Mathis spoke with Sgt. Montfort who had arrived to the incident location before. In sum, the FDOT project located in Overlook Park included relocation of sand and soil that was removed from the seawall project just south of the beach in Overlook Park. The FDOT contractor was instructed to redistribute the materials and fill in voids along the shoreline to be followed by large rock to control shoreline erosion. The complainant disagreed with the project and the effects on the local ecosystem. The Public Works Director arrived on scene and spoke with the complainant and FDOT contractors about the ongoing project. No further police action is needed. Case clear.
Nov. 27
Alarm
11:40 a.m.
Officer Mathis was dispatched to the 6400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to an alarm activation. Upon arrival, Officer Mathis met with Sgt. Montfort and they accessed the property through the front gate. Sgt. Montfort and Officer Mathis made their way around the exterior of the residence and observed a second story French door open. After announcing ‘Police’ several times, they made entry via the open door and cleared the residence. No people were located in or near the residence. It appeared the door was left unsecure and blown open by high winds. Officer Mathis spoke with the homeowner whom advised to secure the residence and he would let Sgt. Montfort and Officer Mathis out the garage door. Once the garage door was secure officers left the scene. Case clear.
