BUSTED: This week in police reports: Thursday, Jan. 15

+ So Fresh, So Clean

9:59 a.m., Jan. 11 / 1900 block of Fruitville Rd.

Petit Theft

A store manager called to report than an unknown bearded man with a sloppy afro and a teardrop tattoo came into the store and took two 150 oz. bottles of Tide Laundry Detergent and walked out of the store. The man has committed thefts in the past from the store, the manager said, and that it's becoming a regular thing. The suspect's license plate came back with no record, and the officer received a DVD of store security footage.

+ Slat of hand

9:54 a.m., Jan. 9. / 1500 block of Blvd. of the Arts.

Dispute

A complainant advised that a bearded transient was causing a disturbance, and that other transients had been hanging on his fence and knocking down the wooden slats. The officer said he didn't see any transients in the area, as he was there at the time of the call, to which the complainant replied he'd waited 10 minutes to make the call. The officer told the man thee was nothing he could do if there was nobody currently in the area, and the man became upset. The officer told him to stay away from the area.

+ Know When to Fold 'Em

8:04 p.m., Jan. 11. / 5000 block of Old Bradenton Road

Suspicious Incident

A man directing a $30,000-prize poker tournament called to report that at the end of the first game, several chips, totaling 55,000 units, were missing at chip count. He had narrowed down a list of four suspects, including one woman, who had returned to play on the date of the complaint. After reviewing security tapes, the woman was seen removing chips from her pocket to play them. The organizer wished to have the woman trespassed and prosecuted for fraud. The woman admitted to taking the chips, but that this was the first time she'd ever done anything like this in a poker game.

+ A Tall Order

7:26 p.m., Jan. 11. / 1400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way

Counterfeit Currency

A man called to report that a woman tried to purchase a can of beer with a fake $100 bill. The woman claimed she found the bill in the parking lot, and she believed it was real. The man believed her story and did not wish to prosecute. The officer seized the bill for evidence.