The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

There were five incidents reported, down from eight in July. School starting Aug. 18 may have had something to do with that. The lower numbers are more in keeping with the pattern for the last two years. Crime is definitely down. Here is a breakdown of the crime figures for Lake Sarasota. There were three thefts, one burglary, and one juvenile disturbance. There were no incidents of vandalism. The one burglary occurred Aug. 24 at 6311 Jarvis Road, reported at 2:52 p.m. The juvenile disturbance occurred Aug. 31 at 3983 Coleridge, reported at 2:11 p.m. The three thefts occurred on the following dates and locations: Aug. 11 at 6820 Jarvis Road, reported 10:36 a.m. Aug. 19 at 4039 Vana Drive, reported at 9:21 p.m. Aug. 30 at 4151 Palau Drive, reported at 10:13 a.m. The first two were thefts from autos. The third was unspecified. Four of the five incidents occurred in the latter half of August. Three were discovered and reported in early afternoon. One was reported in mid...

Ted sent the latest summary of the Sheriff's report for last month:  The July 2013 Crime Report for lake Sarasota is in.  6665 Brentford (Mon. July 15, reported 6:43 a.m.) 4172 Lancaster (Mon. July 15, reported 11:25 a.m.) 4184 Lancaster (Wed. July 24, reported 6:45 p.m.) 4069 Palau (Wed. July 31, reported 9:28 a.m.)  There were five incidents: four thefts, one burglary. There were no incidents of vandalism or juvenile disturbances.  The one burglary occurred at 4046 Ponea, in the eastern third of Lake Sarasota. It occurred Wednesday, July 30, and was reported at 8:04 a.m. The four thefts occurred at the following locations:  The thefts at 6665 Brentford, 4172 Lancaster, and 4069 Palau were items taken from autos. The articles stolen at 4184 Lancaster are unknown.  Lancaster Drive continues to be a targeted location for thieves. Most incidents happen in the morning hours. Most crime incidents occured in the eastern half of La...

For non-emergency situations: If you spot something in the neighborhood that looks suspicious, or poses a potential safety or security issue, you can let the Sheriff's Office know by calling 941-316-1201 . In emergencies of course call 911.

Ted sent this report: Here is the synopsis of the Sheriff's Dept. report for March.  There were a total of seven incidents as follows:  Vandalism: 4006 Hina Dr. (3/18, 7:19 p.m.) (Monday) 7316 Mauna Loa Dr. (3/24, 2:17 p.m.) (Sunday) Burglary: 6254 Kahana Dr. (3/8, 11:43 a.m.) (Friday) 7051 Jarvis Rd. (3/22, 11:58 a.m.) (Friday) Theft (all auto): 3967 Eton Pl. (3/1, 7:10 p.m.) (Friday) 4117 Lancaster Dr. (3/26, 8:30 a.m.) (Tuesday) 4117 Lancaster Dr. (3/27, 3:20 p.m.) (Wednesday) Analysis: Six incidents occurred in the east section of Lake Sarasota, centering on Middlesex Pl. One incident occurred in the west section, on Kahana Dr.  This coincides with previous incidents over past years--most incidents occur in a east central "corridor." Also, the pattern of dates holds--most incidents occur in the first week or last week of the month. Times reported also fit the pattern experienced over the past several years--noon to...

Here's Ted's breakdown of the October 2012 Sheriff's Dept. Crime report for Lake Sarasota: Vandalism-2; Burglary-5; Theft-6 By street:  Bikini             3 (thefts; 6407, 6408-2) Brentford       1 (burglary at 6920) Honolulu        1 (burglary at 4105) Java              1 (vandalism at 7214)  Lancaster      3 (1 vandalism at 4221, 2 burglaries at 4118, 4272) Lanai             1 (theft at 4203) Marlborough  1 (theft at 3916) Mauna Loa    1 (theft at 7271) Tarawa          1 (theft at 6585) By Day of Week                  By Date Monday - 2                           4 - 1 Tuesday - 3                 ...

The Sheriff's Dept. Crime Report for Sept., 2012 for Lake Sarasota. Here's Ted's analysis: The bad news is that crime is up--twelve incidents (three burglaries, eight thefts, and one juvenile disturbance). The breakdown by  street  is as follows: Allan Drive (2 incidents--2 thefts; 3915 and 3920) Honolulu Drive (1 theft; 4035) Lancaster Drive (3 incidents--1 burglary,                                2 thefts; 4117, 4051, and 4043)  Marlborough Drive (1 incident--theft; 3123) Middlesex Place (1 incident-- juvenile disturbance) Palau Drive (3 incidents--2 burglaries, one theft; 4198, 4193, 4103) Rangi Drive (1 incident--theft; 7234) By  day of the week  the breakdown is as follows: Mondays--  4 incidents Tuesdays-- 1 incident Fridays   --  3 incidents Saturdays-- 3 incidents Sundays  -- 1 incident ...

Man arrested in Sarasota home burglary Published: October 18, 2012 Yuller Martinez A Hialeah man has been arrested and a second man is being sought after a woman reported her home was broken into this morning, Sarasota County deputies said. Yuller Martinez, 21, has been charged with being a principle to burglary of an occupied dwelling, deputies said. According to an affidavit, Amber Neese, 30, called deputies to report someone had broken into her home in the 7100 block of Lago Way about 10:45 a.m. She told the 911 operator she had seen a man ringing the doorbell, and then called her father, who told her no one was expected at the house. She then saw the man looking through the front window, then heard glass breaking from the living room. Neese ran to the bedroom and pushed a dresser in front of the door, the affidavit said. She later heard noises that sounded like someone trying to enter through a rear sliding glass door. A deputy arrived at the home and saw a Ford Expl...

From the Sheriff : The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has arrested Jason Flores, DOB 1/9/92, 1812 6th Street, Sarasota, in connection with a string of vehicle burglaries yesterday morning. Deputies responded to a reported burglary in progress at a home on Middlesex Place after the resident saw someone on their back patio around 1:30 a.m. The subject fled but deputies found Flores hiding in a vehicle on nearby Hina Drive. Deputies determined that Flores burglarized four unlocked vehicles within 200 feet of each other. Deputies recovered numerous electronic devices and other items that had been taken from the vehicles and contacted the vehicle owners to confirm the property was theirs. Flores, who has a history of burglary arrests, is charged with four counts of Burglary. He is currently being held in the Sarasota County Jail on $22,000 bond. The Sheriff’s office reminds residents to lock vehicles at all times and remove items of value from plain sight to prevent these ...

This Sheriff's announcement about metal thieves and burglers, while not specifically about Lake Sarasota or east county, might be of interest nonetheless Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight today announced the results of “Operation Meltdown,” a two-week intensive effort to crack down on metal thefts and burglaries – a significant part of the total crime in Sarasota County. The effort focused on two primary crime patterns: the theft of large amounts of metals from air conditioners, light poles, home siding and more, that are taken to secondary recyclers in exchange for cash; and daytime burglaries where suspects break into homes and steal jewelry and items to be sold to either pawn shops or gold buyers. Operation Meltdown resulted in the following results: More here. . Note the advice: Practices like locking car doors, setting alarm systems and etching identifying characters on items that are a prime target for metal thieves and burglars can help minimize burglaries and th...

We are receiving unofficial reports of burglaries and attempted break-ins around 3 a.m. on two separate occasions recently. In one case, someone seems to have triggered an alarm when they entered through a partly open window in a garage. In the other, a male suspect allegedly made off with valuable items left in an unlocked truck parked in a driveway. Both instances took place at houses located at the far end of Mauna Loa Blvd. Anyone with any information should contact the Sheriff. Anyone interested in becoming actively involved in the neighborhood Citizens Patrol, contact Ted at 379-0758, or email him at TCover6161@aol.com There is discussion of stepping up Patrols and doing late-night rounds.

Two reports of burglar activity came in over the weekend. In one case, a man was spotted crawling into a garage that had its door open. The homeowner said: Just want to alert everyone that this happened - in the bright light of the day, while we were all home.  And, I have a window in my door from the house to the garage - which is probably why he was crawling.  My garage door will now stay shut.     I never saw his face, but from his size, body and clothing, my best guess is he appeared to be anywhere from 15-20 years old??  He was wearing tan colored shorts (to about his knees) and a white tank top and sneakers. In the second report, the burglar(s) came through a small window (cutting the screen) on the screened porch facing the street, and seems to have had plenty of time to go through the home, leaving no fingerprints. The owner says: It was such a beautiful day to open the windows and let that great breeze in yesterday.I do not share this story with you to scare you as I will n...