Cops corner 11.10.16

WINTER GARDEN

Oct. 25, 900 block of Ninth Street: At 9:48 p.m., a police officer performed a traffic stop on a male bicyclist who did not have a rear red light on his bike. At one point during the traffic stop, the bicyclist sat down on the ground as the officer ran his information through the system. During this process, a second assisting officer noticed the bicyclist sliding his left hand out of his cargo pants pocket and digging around in the dirt as if he was trying to quickly bury something. The officer then found a small, clear tied-up bag with a white granular substance inside the hole the bicyclist attempted to dig in the dirt. A police field test kit proved the substance was meth.

Oct. 27, 13200 block of West Colonial Drive: At 2:08 p.m., an officer responded to a call from a Seacoast Bank employee about a man trying to cash a fraudulent check. The bank employee was certain the check was fraudulent because she personally knew the signing party for 10 years and was aware the signing party always hand-signed checks. The man trying to cash the check was then taken into custody and interviewed about the incident at the police department where he claimed he got the check from his construction job. He refused to provide the name, location or description of his employer. When officers attempted to transport the man to Orange County Jail, he became violent and resisted arrest. During transport, the man repeatedly kicked the interior of the police vehicle and used his head to strike the side and center windows, causing $500 in damage.

OCOEE

Oct. 29, 9401 W. Colonial Drive: At 1:40 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a Sprint kiosk inside West Oaks Mall after the department received a call about two men trying to use fake identification cards to purchase a total of eight iPhone 7s. As a Sprint employee performed a credit check on one the IDs provided by the two men, who pretended not to know each other, the ID was rejected. A routine check to confirm the authenticity of the ID card proved the card lacked the hidden picture at the bottom right, which is only visible under black light. The black light test results were the same for the ID card provided by the second male. Upon running the ID cards' information in the police system, an officer discovered different pictures were displayed. The officer returned to the scene and arrested the two men, who later admitted they knew each other, for criminal use of personal identification.

Oct. 31, 1720 block of East Silver Star Road: Around 7 p.m., an officer received a call about a female shoplifter. The female in question was observed selecting a bag of Reese’s candy amounting to $10.99 and a bag of shrimp amounting to $20.99. The female then proceeded to grab other items and place them in her shopping cart, but she concealed the Reese’s candy and shrimp in her purse. She paid for the remaining items but tried exiting the Publix without paying for the shrimp or candy. 

OAKLAND

Oct. 30, Intersection of West Colonial Drive and Motamassek Road. At 11:45 p.m., an officer pulled over a white sedan he clocked traveling at 59 mph in a zone with a 45 mph speed limit. The driver and passenger were brother and sister who claimed to be returning from a concert. While obtaining their information, the officer noticed a distinct smell of cannabis emanating from the vehicle and asked them to shut off the car and step out. When asked about the source of the smell, the siblings responded it might be from the concert they just left. When asked again, the brother admitted he had smoked some. At his answer, the sister then mumbled under her breath, “If you get into trouble, I will never associate with you again. Do you hear me?” The officer’s search produced various glass pipes and a green substance that tested positive for THC. 

Oct. 28, 17900 block of State Road 438: At 10:51 a.m., an officer chose to run the license plate tag number of a red Oldsmobile which had the yellow registration sticker in the incorrect location. The results displayed the tag was valid but assigned to a white Ford pickup. The driver said he did not have any paperwork for the vehicle or his driver’s license on him. The driver then provided a name, date of birth and Social Security number that turned out to have no associated records. The tag was found to belong to a male in Orlando, and the red Oldsmobile was registered to a couple in Seminole County. When the officer shared this information, the driver claimed he had just purchased the vehicle and he has the title at his house. When asked for his information a third time, the driver, growing agitated, produced a Florida ID card with a completely different name. When the new information was verified through an electronic system, the officer discovered the man’s license was suspended 10 times, revoked eight times, and canceled and expired since December 1991. He also has had 13 prior convictions for driving with a suspended license.

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Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected]