The following are actual police reports as written by Longboat Key Police Officers. They are edited for length, punctuation and to protect privacy.
Sept. 5
Trespassing
8:28 p.m.
Sgt. Smith while on patrol, observed three adult men tying their vessel to the private dock belonging to someone who had previously lodged multiple complaints regarding trespassing incidents at the location. Sgt. Smith made contact with the subjects who advised they were seeking temporary shelter due to an approaching storm coming from the south. Sgt. Smith informed them they could not remain tied to the dock and directed them to alternative options including beaching and seeking shelter under the bridge or continuing south through the channel to the Shore or Mar Vista docks. Due to the need to expedite their departure ahead of the storm. Sgt. Smith did not obtain identifying information on the individuals or their vessel. The storm ultimately passed without impacting Longboat Key. The subjects departed the area without further incident.
Sept. 6
Suspicious
3:09 a.m.
Officer Nazareno was dispatched to Rountree Drive for a suspicious incident call. Upon arrival, Sgt. Smith met with the complainant who advised that as she woke up in her bedroom, she thought she saw an intruder crouching in the corner of the bedroom with the lights off. Patrol units cleared all rooms, garage and lanai area which were all found to be secured. No signs of attempted forced entry were observed. Nothing seemed out of place in the residence and an area canvass of all the side streets was conducted with negative results. All entry points were secured prior to leaving the residence. Case clear.
Suspicious
5:00 p.m.
Officer Miklos was dispatched to the 1600 Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a traffic crash with injuries reported by an iPhone crash notification. Upon arrival, Officer Miklos didn’t observe any vehicles involved in a crash. Officer Miklos located a damaged phone on SOS crash notification in the turn lane of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Officer Miklos was able to speak to an emergency contact who provided their names. The man advised he was a neighbor in New York. Officer Miklos made contact with one of the people who stated they were staying at the 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Officer Miklos was able to turn the phone over to the woman without further incident. Case clear.
Dog
8:11 p.m.
Officer Nazareno was dispatched to North Shore for an animal problem call regarding a dog left in a black Ford Bronco with the windows open after sunset. Upon arrival, Officer Nazareno made contact with the caller and the owner of the vehicle who returned to the vehicle at the time of the officer’s arrival. The dog was not in distress and was in good health. The owner stated that he had left the dog in the vehicle to take photographs at the beach for a few minutes. Case clear.
Sept. 7
Civil
3:14 p.m.
Officer Tillman responded to St. Judes Drive in reference to a civil disturbance. Officer Tillman contacted the complainant by phone and she said that she was not available to come to the residence and was out of state. Complainant stated that she needed to file a report in case of future incidents that may arise. The complainant stated that she hired a painting contractor to do some work on the residence and was not satisfied with the work completed. The complainant fired the contractor two days ago and paid all debt owed. The complainant stated that she now wants the case documented in case the contractor comes back to the residence. Officer Tillman also spoke to the contractor by phone and stated that he is still owed some money and will pass the information on to his lawyer. The contractor stated that there is a slight language barrier and he has no intentions of contacting the complainant. Case clear.
Suspicious
5:29 p.m.
Officer Tillman responded to the 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive for a report of a woman around age 60 years old approached the complainants who were fishing from the pier. They said that the woman appeared to be under the influence and was stating that if she were a lot younger she would teach them a few things. The complainants were not in fear or intimidated, they were only concerned for the woman’s intoxication level. The woman was seen leaving the area going south over the bridge prior to the officer’s arrival. Case clear.
Sept. 8
Property
10:02 a.m.
Officer Van Dyke responded to the 5400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a property damage. Upon further investigation, the incident appears to have occurred near Harbour Sound Drive at the intersection with Harbour Side Drive. Upon arrival, Officer Van Dyke spoke with Bay Isles Harbor HOA President. He advised that a white truck owned by a contractor, struck the intercom system of the gate which grants access to the private community. Although the intercom is still operable, the audio no longer functions. The intercom is an estimated $3,000-$4,000 in value. The HOA President merely wanted the incident reported for documentation purposes, he’s unsure whether he will file an insurance claim. Case clear.
Sept. 9
Suspicious
10:06 p.m.
Sgt. Montfort was dispatched for a report of fisherman fishing in between the signs on the Longboat Key Bridge. It was further reported by the bridge tender that he requested the subjects to move and they subsequently refused. Sgt. Montfort arrived on scene within a short time, and observed several juveniles fishing in between the signs. The juveniles moved upon request and Sgt. Montfort departed the area to return to service. Case clear.
Sept. 10
Suspicious
7:58 p.m.
Officer Maple and Officer Nazareno were dispatched to the 2600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive at the hotel. A marine rescue call came regarding two kayakers that were 500 feet from shore, with darkness approaching, and the caller believed they were in distress. The call was later updated to a call due to the personnel not returning to shore right away with law enforcement presence int he area and not displaying any lights or acting as a prudent mariner. Upon his arrival, Officer Maple met with the Longboat Key Fire Department personnel who stated they had a boat enroute from the marina. The Fire Department identified their response vessel as Marine rescue one. The paddleboarders were spotted from shore by utilizing a handheld search light, since it had made it to shore safely. Officer Maple questioned the kayakers about their situation and circumstances. The kayakers were not in distress and had just gone offshore to watch the sunset. The individuals were approximately twenty years old and were not involved in any criminal activity. Officer Maple reminded the kayakers of the rules for paddleboarding int he area. Fire Department personnel stood down from their rescue operations. Case clear.
Property
6:00 p.m.
Officer Miklos, Officer Tillman and Officer Martinson were dispatched to the 6700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a property damage report. Upon arrival, Officers made contact with the complainant and a witness in the parking lot of the complex near a burgundy Ford. The complainant stated that at approximately 6 p.m. he was leaving the parking lot in the F150 and the vehicle was new to him and he was having difficulty adjusting to a new vehicle’s gas and brake pedal causing him to squeal his tires. The complainant stated that as he drove away, a piece of wood struck his passenger door and windshield. The piece of wood caused a dent above the passenger door handle and shattered the windshield in two places. The windshield had a strike mark approximately one foot into the window from the A pillar and heavy damage where the window meets the A pillar. The A pillar and passenger window was not damaged by the wood. Officers attempted to gain further information on the wood strike. The witness stated the piece of wood was thrown over a fence onto the vehicle as it drove away. The witness stated he heard the man yell “scumbag!” as the vehicle drove away. The witness advised he was standing int he parking lot by the maintenance shed. Officer Martinson made contact with the woman in the unit. She advised that she was unsure what occurred last night. The woman advised she was inside when she heard loud squealing from a vehicle’s tires as it drove past her unit. The woman stated the vehicle’s tires continued to squeal as it exited the parking lot onto Glf of Mexico Drive. The woman said she didn’t have any surveillance cameras in the area. Officer Martinson advised that he would be completing a property damage report for the incident and provided the case number. The complainant was told by Officer Tillman that he could not prove criminal intent and that he would complete a property damage report. Case clear.
