Denton police are investigating a theft complaint after a loss prevention officer at a large store in the 1800 block of South Loop 288 reported that a recently fired employee apparently had been stealing from the store.

According to a police report, the officer learned that since January, the woman was taking gift cards and redeeming them for cash at different registers around the store. The report detailed more than $3,000 worth of fraudulent transactions the wo­man was believed to have made.

When confronted with the scheme, the woman confessed and was terminated, ac­cording to the report. The store wants to pursue criminal charges.

Other reports

4100 block of Interstate 35 — Detectives talking to a man and woman who were acting suspiciously in a car in a motel parking lot Tuesday afternoon became curious when the man started chew­ing something.

They asked the man what he was chewing, and he said “gum” and began chewing more vigorously. They asked him several times with the same response and accelerated chewing.

Finally, the detectives physically forced the man to spit out the item, which turned out to be a small plastic bag usually known to contain narcotics. It held only residue at that point.

The man had fresh needle “tracks” on his arm, according to the report and the detectives found used syringes and meth­amphetamine pipes in the car. He was arrested for tampering with evidence.

2200 block of South Interstate 35E — A man reported he was in a video about 10 p.m. Monday and left his laptop computer in a bag be­side a video game while he walked across the hall for something to eat. He returned about 20 minutes later and discovered his computer missing.

Roundup

From 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday:

* Denton police responded to 130 calls for service and officer-initiated calls, including 10 thefts, seven vehicle burglaries, one credit card abuse, one case of tampering with evidence, one case of retaliation, one case of escape, one suicidal person, one case of possession of a controlled substance, three cases of possession of drug paraphernalia, one criminal mischief, one assault, one criminal trespass and one case of evading arrest.

* Denton County sheriff’s dispatchers handled 204 calls for service and officer-initiated calls for the agencies they serve. Thir­ty-four people were booked into county jail. Deputies took reports of one assault on a public servant, one assault, one harassment, one burglary, one debit card abuse, one case of possession of drug paraphernalia and one theft.

* Denton firefighters responded to three traffic accidents, 12 medical calls, one alarm, one re­quest to assist an invalid and one car fire.

Sanger firefighters responded to one traffic accident and two medical calls.

Argyle firefighters responded to two fires.

Oak Point firefighters responded to one vehicle unlock.

Corinth firefighters responded to one fire and one medical call.

Aubrey firefighters responded to two medical calls and one alarm.

Krum firefighters responded to one request for mutual aid.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .

Denton County Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in these or other crimes. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477).