Friday, Oct. 16
Flat-out stuck
3:44 p.m.
Officer Simon Maple was on patrol in the 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive when he saw a black Toyota car on the side of the road with its hazard lights on and a woman inside. The driver told him she had a flat tire, was stuck in the bike lane and was uncomfortably close to passing traffic. She was physically unable to make the emergency repairs needed to move the car out of the bike lane, and her tow request was more than an hour and a half away. Officer Maple determined the car was in an unsafe spot for the driver, the vehicle and passing traffic, so he helped her repair the tire and move the car out of the area without incident. Case clear.
Saturday, Oct. 17
Lights out
2:40 p.m.
Officer Maple was on patrol in the 5700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive when he saw a gray Toyota SUV driving in the rain without its headlights on. He stopped the SUV, and the driver said he did not have a valid Florida driver’s license and handed over a Florida ID card. The driver said he knew he was not allowed to drive, but his girlfriend, who was in the passenger seat, was unable to drive herself, and he had no other options and had to get her to an urgent care facility. A records check showed his license had been revoked in 2025 for being a habitual traffic violator. He was also on probation for shoplifting but was not in direct violation of it, and Officer Maple tried to contact his probation officer. The man said he was due to get his license back next month and had received a letter from the state explaining that. He was issued a criminal citation for knowingly driving with a revoked license, with a Manatee County court date of Nov. 24, and a warning for the headlight violation. Officer Maple gave the couple a courtesy ride to Ringling Boulevard in Sarasota so she could be evaluated. The stop was recorded on the in-car camera. Case clear.
Sunday, Oct. 18
HOA, no
8:44 a.m.
Officer Dallas Troyer was sent to the 2400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive on a disturbance that had already happened. The complainant had called the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center to report that his homeowners association president had threatened to batter him. He told the officer he had been having continuing problems with the HOA president, whom he knew, and that the trouble began when he confronted the man about his hurricane cleanup efforts in 2024. Since then, he said, the man had been giving him trouble and threatening to beat him up. About a year ago, the man got in his face and threatened to beat him up, and another board member had to step in and break it up. The latest episode came the previous Wednesday, when the complainant, who said he was in a good mood, smiled at the man as he passed him in the parking lot while the man was walking to his vehicle. The complainant said he heard the man say, “What are you looking at? I’ll kick your a–.” He said the man did not clench his fists or come toward him. Based on his statement, the threat was not coupled with an apparent ability to carry it out, so the incident did not appear to be criminal. The complainant said he wanted it documented because he is tired of the man threatening him and walking around like a tough guy. Officer Troyer explained the applicable Florida laws and advised him not to engage with the man. Case clear.
License to find
10:19 a.m.
Officer Jorge Castro Agis was on patrol in the area of Longboat Drive North when a resident flagged him down and said he had found a driver’s license while walking on the Longboat Pass Bridge that day. The officer told him the license would be secured in the police department’s property and evidence room. Case clear.
My brother’s keeper
8:24 p.m.
Officer Gregory Tillman was sent to Marbury Lane after a woman told dispatch she was worried about her brother drinking alcohol and had no one in town to check on him. The man answered the front door within seconds of the officers’ knock and said he had been drinking and was fine. He was advised to call his sister, and Officer Tillman also called her and reached her voicemail. Case clear.
Monday, Oct. 19
Dock of the bay
10:39 a.m.
Officer James Barrett responded to Buttonwood Cove on a report of an abandoned vessel. A resident had reported what might be a piece of dock that had broken loose and a possibly submerged abandoned boat in the waterway north of her home. Officer Barrett found a floating dock, securely anchored, with a small boat secured on top of it and a sign reading “Private property, no trespassing.” The dock did not appear to violate any state laws or town ordinances, and Officer Barrett let the resident know what he found. Case clear.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Scam I am
11:09 a.m.
Officer Maple was sent to the 5400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive on a possible fraud. A man said he had been receiving texts telling him to take care of a situation, and that the caller cursed at him and hung up. No money changed hands, and he gave no personal or financial information to the scammer. At Officer Maple’s suggestion, the man looked up the scam online to verify it, and the officer also told him to call the courthouse at its published number to confirm. The man was not a victim, and the report was filed for information only. Case clear.
Return to sender
11:57 a.m.
Officer Castro Agis responded to Yawl Lane on a property damage report. A resident said that as she was pulling out of her driveway, she saw a moving company truck using her driveway to turn around, and the driver struck her mailbox, causing minor damage to its side. She said the driver and passenger got out and told her to contact the company to file a complaint. While the officer was there, she called the company and spoke with the owner, who accepted responsibility for the damage and gave her the information she needed. She then declined to pursue a formal police report and agreed to let the company pay for the mailbox repairs. Case clear.
