7/18-Robbery with Firearm
The two victims were sitting in their car when a man came to their window and asked if they wanted some marijuana. The man then abruptly pushed his arm against one of the victim’s faces, pointed a handgun at them, and requested that they give him money. After receiving $90, the subject turned the gun towards the second victim and commanded she give him her purse. After refusing to do so, the victims escaped and recounted the story to a nearby deputy in his marked police vehicle. They had seen the subject enter a black BMW, driven by another man, after they fled. The vehicle was soon stopped and both subjects were arrested.
7/23-Possession of Marijuana
Two officers were at a traffic stop when one of them noticed a vehicle driving without headlights. After pulling them over and requiring their license, the officer caught a strong smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The defendant said he did not have his driver’s license on him, and the officer asked if there was anything illegal inside the vehicle based on the smell he identified. The defendant stated that all he had was a partially smoked marijuana cigarette, and he did not have a medical marijuana card. When conducting a search of the vehicle, the officer discovered a vacuum-sealed bag that smelled like and strongly resembled marijuana. He also found the partially-smoked marijuana cigarette. The defendant indicated that he had bought the bag of marijuana earlier in the day and had been smoking it for the past several hours. A field test confirmed the substance was marijuana and weighed 109.6 grams. The defendant was then arrested on the scene for possession of marijuana over 20 grams.
7/26-Theft
The complainant, an employee at a nearby resort, stated that she left her phone on the counter while she was checking people into the resort. When she was done with check-in, she threw her belongings in her bag and didn’t realize her phone was missing until she couldn’t find it on the drive home. She then returned to work, thinking she had left it there. After being unable to locate the phone, she used the “Find My iPhone” feature on her computer and saw that her phone was showing up at Higel Ave and Ocean Blvd. The victim went to the location to investigate and found her phone in a bush, then went back to work and called 911. The case remains open.
7/29-Theft
The victim stated that he was at the beach and had placed his pocket knife, car keys, and two fishing poles down while he swam in the ocean. While in the water, he saw the suspect take his keys and knife, but after he approached the suspect, she gave the items back. After the suspect left, she was found by police and questioned. She claimed that she had picked up the items because they were on top of a scuba mask that belonged to her, and that she was just moving the items. The victim waived all charges.
8/1-Stolen Vehicle
The victim told an officer that the prior night he had been intoxicated and unable to drive. He asked a man he had just met to drive him home and gave him his keys. The victim recalled the last place he was before he blacked out was Gilligan’s Bar & Grill, and then he woke the next morning unsure how he had gotten home. He also could not find his vehicle. He reported it stolen, but there were no cameras or security footage that gave any information to the case. The vehicle was logged as stolen, and the case remains open.
8/4-Burglary
The victim, while in Canada, was contacted by her neighbor and informed that two kayaks she stored under the clubhouse were missing. The neighbor reviewed security footage from the nearby area and saw two unknown males take the kayaks, paddles, and life preservers from under the clubhouse on Sunday, 8/2. The video showed them taking the items north up the intercoastal waterway. The case remains open.
8/4-Theft
Both victims were at Siesta public beach, swimming in the ocean, when they returned to their area and found that their phones, keys, backpacks, wallet, credit card, and cash had been stolen. The stolen phones were tracked and found at a nearby Shell gas station, along with all of the stolen items except the wallet, cash, and credit cards. One victim was notified that his card had been used to pay for gas at that same station, and immediately canceled both credit cards. The gas station security footage showed a black pickup truck at the pump at the time the stolen card was used. Investigation continues.
Author: Siesta Sand
- Tags: Sheriff