—Oct. 30
—Hook, Line and Citation
—12:49 a.m.
—Sgt. Butler while on patrol on Broadway observed three men on the dock located behind the restaurant. Sgt. Butler noted that there has been several complaints by staff of unauthorized persons fishing on their docks after closing without authority or permission. Using the department vehicles overhead spotlight and speaker, Sgt. Butler alerted the individuals to his presence and ordered them to leave the premises. They complied without incident and returned to their vehicle which was parked illegally and had an obscured tag. Sgt. Butler conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle at Broadway and issued a traffic citation for the obscured tag, parked illegally and an expired Florida temporary tag/registration. Case clear.
—Suspended Animation
—8:38 a.m.
—Officer Castro while on patrol in the 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive received a notification from the license plate reader regarding a vehicle whose registered owner had a suspended driver’s license. The vehicle was a white Volkswagen Tiguan traveling north on Gulf of Mexico Drive. Upon contact, Officer Castro confirmed that the driver was the registered owner. The owner stated that he didn’t have his driver’s license in his possession because it had recently been seized by law enforcement during a previous traffic stop. He acknowledged that he was aware of the suspension and believed it was due to a parking violation issued by the Longboat Police. Officer Castro confirmed that the suspension was related to a separate traffic citation. A citation was issued to the driver for knowingly operating a motor vehicle while his license was suspended. The man is scheduled to appear in Sarasota County Court on Nov. 25. The driver contacted a coworker who arrived on scene with a valid driver’s license to take custody of the vehicle and drive it from the location. Case clear.
—Identity Crisis
—11:33 a.m.
—Officer Castro responded to the scene of a vehicle crash at the intersection of Buttonwood and Gulf of Mexico Drive. Upon arrival, Officer Castro made contact with a driver involved in a rear-end vehicle collision while operating a gray Honda Civic. The driver didn’t have a driver’s license and initially identified himself. The crash investigation determined he was not at fault and that he was the vehicle’s sole occupant. During the crash investigation, Officer Castro requested his driver’s license and he stated that he didn’t possess a Florida driver’s license and had never been issued one. He could not provide any form of identification, either physical or digital and further stated that he didn’t have a passport but was in the process of obtaining one. Due to his inability to properly identify the driver and his admission that he had never been issued a driver’s license, Officer Castro informed him that he was not free to leave. The driver was subsequently arrested, handcuffed and transported to the Sarasota County Jail for violating the Florida Statute operating a motor vehicle without ever having been issued a driver’s license. While at the jail, the driver was fingerprinted and it was confirmed that his true identity was another person. The man was subsequently charged with violating Florida Statute for providing false identification to a law enforcement officer. The man was also found to have an outstanding arrest warrant from Pinellas County on a charge of obstruction. Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office booking personnel confirmed the warrant and handled all required paperwork. Officer Castro completed a Probable Cause Affidavit which was provided to booking personnel. The man’s custody was transferred to Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office intake deputies without incident. Case clear.
—Plate Tectonics
—4:11 p.m.
—Officer Castro was dispatched to Harbourside Drive regarding a report of lost property. The complainant contacted police to report that the license plate for his boat trailer was missing. The complainant stated that his boat trailer was transported from Massachusetts on Oct. 27 by a shipping company and arrived today. Upon receipt of the boat and trailer, he observed that the Florida license plate assigned to the trailer was missing. The complainant further stated that he believed the license plate was attached to the trailer while it was in Massachusetts, the day before it was picked up by the company for transport to Florida. The complainant wished to report the lost Florida license plate in the event it was stolen. Officer Castro provided him with a case number and notification was sent to Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office dispatch. Case clear.
—Nov. 1
—Forgot Password
—10:22 a.m.
—Officer Castro while on patrol in the 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive, received an alert from a license plate reader indicating the registered owner of a Ford Bronco had a suspended driver’s license. As the vehicle was traveling northbound on Gulf of Mexico Drive, Officer Castro conducted a traffic stop. Officer Castro informed the driver the reason for the traffic stop and the driver said he was unaware that his driver’s license was suspended or the reason for the suspension. Records indicated that the driver’s license was suspended on Oct. 29, and further investigation revealed that there was no proof of valid vehicle insurance on file. The driver stated that his insurance information was available on his phone and that the vehicle was insured, however, he was unable to access his account to provide proof of insurance. A citation was issued to the driver for unknowingly operating a motor vehicle while his license was suspended. An additional citation was issued for failure to provide proof of insurance. Officer Castro seized the man’s driver’s license and placed it in a secured locker in the police department and evidence room for proper disposal. Officer Castro secured the man’s vehicle at the property where the driver was attending an event. Case clear.
—Reverse Charges
—8:48 p.m.
—Officer Miklos was dispatched to a hit and run crash at Bayou Sound Road. Dispatch advised that the caller was an FPL employee and stated the other vehicle was unknown. Upon arrival, Officer Castro came into contact with the caller who stated that his FPL truck was not damaged, however the red cover of a tail light cover was located on the ground. The caller advised he was just looking to have the incident documented for informational purposes instead of a traffic crash as the FPL vehicle was not damaged. Officer Miklos walked across the street and met with the owner of the residence. The female resident advised her friend had just dropped her off. She caller her friend and requested she return to her residence due to the accident. Upon the woman’s arrival, she advised she thought she had hit something while backing out of the driveway but had her husband check the vehicle. The caller woman stated her husband did not see any dent or damage and thought she did not hit anything. Due to her vehicle being the only damaged vehicle, the woman requested that an informational report be completed and she will buy a new taillight on her own. Officer Miklos advised the caller that an informational report would be completed in lieu of a traffic crash. The estimated damage to the tail light is approximately $500. Case clear.
—Nov. 3
—Hot Tub Time Out
—1:05 a.m.
—Officer Van Dyke responded to Sands Point Road in reference to a disturbance. Upon arrival, Officer Van Dyke spoke with the husband and wife at their residence and the husband advised that he was on a work trip with his wife. Officer Van Dyke was also advised that the husband is an attorney and they have children although they weren’t present. It should be noted that both subjects stated they were intoxicated, but the husband was displaying indicators such as sluggish speech and an inability to balance without leaning. It was clear that the wife had the capacity to care for her husband going forward. According to the husband he wanted to take advantage of the night and continue swimming in either the hot tub or the ocean. The wife stated that she was merely worried for his safety because she didn’t want him to drown or fall from the balcony. Both subjects stated that no physical contact occurred during the dispute and no visible injuries were observed. Additionally, the husband stated that he initially called police because he was upset that his wife was standing in the doorway pleading with him to go to sleep. It was determined that no crime had occurred. Case clear.
—Nov. 5
—Paved With Good Intentions
—3:34 p.m.
—Officer Castro responded to General Harris Street regarding an incident that occurred on Nov. 4. The Director of Public Works spoke with Officer Castro to report a man was observed yelling at the town employees from the street. The Director stated that the individual was a worker involved in constructing a new parking lot for the church. According to the Director, the individual became upset because a delivery truck servicing Public Works had driven through the newly paved parking lot. The individual reportedly attributed responsibility for this incident to Public Works. Officer Castro interviewed a Public Works employee who stated that he was outside operating a forklift when the man engaged in an aggressive verbal exchange and threatened physical harm. The employee stated that he waited for the man to calm down and informed him that he was not aware of the situation. The employee advised that he didn’t feel threatened by the man and was not in fear. It was determined that the disturbance resulted from a misunderstanding and that no criminal offense had occurred. Case clear.
—Cutting Out the Middleman
—4:08 p.m.
—Officer Martinson and Officer Castro were dispatched to Bogey Lane for a citizen assist. Upon arrival, officers observed a Hispanic man and woman loading a white box truck with tools from the garage as reported by complainant. The man said he was told by his boss to use the garage door opener to retrieve his tools and leave the garage door opener with the homeowner. The complainant stated the persons inside the garage might be a recently fired construction crew. The complainant was 10 minutes out and the persons of interest were questioned until his arrival. Upon arrival of the complainant, he spoke to the man and agreed that no crime was committed but he was upset with the boss that he felt owes him money for work not being performed. The complainant and the man agreed to discuss work related items and possibly come to an agreement to continue the project without the boss. The complainant again said no crime was committed and he was satisfied with the response. Case clear.
