Friday, Sept. 25
—Tight squeeze
—9:44 a.m.
—Officer Andrew Van Dyke responded to Harbourside Drive for a report of property damage. The security manager said a vehicle struck property near the Moorings Marina at the Longboat Key Club at about 11 a.m. the day before. Video showed a white Chevy pickup making a tight left turn out of the marina, and the black trailer it was towing hit a yellow barrier pole, the concrete slab beneath it and a light fixture on the gate access pole. Damage was estimated at $1,500. The truck carried a company name on its side, so the officer called the business, and the receptionist said the owner would be told and the matter would be handled civilly. The plate could not be read, and the officer could not determine whether the driver knew about the collision. It did not appear intentional and no crime occurred. The security manager wanted the incident documented for insurance. Case clear.
—Saturday, Sept. 26
—Pulled from the current
—11:14 a.m.
—Officer James Barrett, on marine patrol, saw a woman struggling in the current just south of the Jewfish Key sandbar. He helped her into the police boat and returned her to her family in good health. Case clear.
—Sunday, Sept. 27
—Never on Sunday
—11:15 a.m.
Officer Albert Miano was sent to the 300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive on a complaint of construction noise. He found workers using a lift machine near one of the buildings and told them that town ordinance allows no construction work at any time on Sundays. The workers said they would stop and would have the homeowners association handle it in the future. They halted work while the officer was there. Case clear.
—A ruff day at the beach
—2:45 p.m.
—Officer Miano was sent to the beach in the 3900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for a man with two dogs. He found the man near the water with two leashed black-and-white pit terriers and told him that dogs are prohibited on Longboat Key beaches. The man said he had not known, apologized, packed up his belongings and left the beach with the dogs. Case clear.
—A turn for the worse
—10:20 p.m.
Officer Dexter Nazareno was southbound in the 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive when he saw a silver Dodge Caravan make an improper right turn and fail to stop for the flashing red signal at Gulf of Mexico Drive and Longboat Club Road. He stopped the van in the 100 block. The driver said he does not have a Florida driver’s license and has never been issued one. A check for wants and warrants came back negative. The driver was cited for an improper right turn and for operating a vehicle with no valid driver’s license, with a court date of Oct. 21. The registered owner, who has a valid license, removed the van. Case clear.
—Monday, Sept. 28
—A burning question
—5:26 p.m.
—Officer Simon Maple was sent to the 7100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive, where a resident was concerned that her condominium community had placed a gas grill next to a parking area and dry grass. She believed a grill should not sit within 10 feet of anything combustible. The officer explained that the grill was on private property, that its placement was not against the law and that her dispute was with the homeowners association. She agreed, and said she had wanted to talk to the fire department in the first place but dispatch sent the police. She planned to take her safety concerns to the fire department. Case clear.
Tuesday, Sept. 29
—Raising the roof
—5:07 p.m.
—Officer Maple was sent to the 700 block of St. Judes Drive North on a noise complaint about a roofing company working after 5 p.m. The foreman, speaking through an interpreter, said the crew was cleaning up and needed a few more minutes to get a tarp over the bare spots of the roof because of possible rain overnight. The officer spoke with the person who complained, who appreciated the effort and was fine with that plan. The crew was given a verbal warning, and the officer went over construction hours in detail. Case clear.
—Thursday, Oct. 1
—What a drag
—7:15 a.m.
—Officer Dallas Troyer was sent to the waterway at the Linley Street boat ramp after a caller reported two boats tied together dragging anchor and drifting close to the Mar Vista restaurant dock. The caller only wanted police to be aware. The officer told him it was an ongoing issue and that the two sailboats were known derelict vessels. From the dock, the officer saw the boats were very close and about to make contact with it. They were in a different spot than they had been recently, never appear to be occupied, and both registrations were long expired. One had fiberglass damage on the starboard side and sat low in the bow, as if taking on water. The officer photographed the boats. He called one owner several times and received only a text message reading “Hello,” with no reply after he explained the reason for the calls. He found no phone number for the other owner. Each owner was issued two boating citations, for anchoring on public waterways with an expired registration and for having an at-risk derelict vessel. The citations were left with police records to be served by certified mail. Case clear.
—No vacancy
—1:27 p.m.
—Officer Nazareno was sent to a condominium in the 400 block of Longboat Club Road after a unit owner, who was out of state, heard from his cleaners that the front desk had given a key to an unauthorized guest. The building manager said a front desk employee had mistakenly handed the key and door code to a woman who showed a confirmation receipt for a one-week rental of the unit, without checking with the owner. The manager confirmed the unit was not rented to anyone and is listed for sale. The woman later returned and was told the unit is not for rent. She said she had booked it through Booking.com on Sept. 17 from her home in Colorado and was charged $2,600 for the week. She turned the keys over to the manager and was advised to file a fraud report with her local police department. Case clear.
—A few after work
—8:56 p.m.
—Officer Miano was southbound on Gulf of Mexico Drive when he saw a black GMC fail to stay in a single lane and noticed its passenger-side brake light was out. He stopped the vehicle in the 1900 block. The officer reported a strong odor of alcohol from the driver, slurred speech and unsteadiness as he stepped out. The driver said he had had a few drinks after work. He showed multiple signs of impairment on field sobriety exercises and was taken into custody at 9:32 p.m. A search turned up a foil bag in his front pocket holding 1.6 grams of marijuana, which field-tested positive for THC. He was taken to the Sarasota County Jail, where breath samples measured .123 and .124. He was charged with driving under the influence and possession of marijuana, along with the traffic violations. Case clear.
