A man tried several tactics before using the standard approach to robbing a Denton motel early Wednesday, according to a police report.

A clerk said she was behind the desk at the motel in the 600 block of South Interstate 35E at about 4:14 a.m. when a man walked in carrying a map. The man said he was looking for “287” and asked her to show him where it was on the map. She told him she didn’t know but he could inquire at the gas station across the street.

The man left, and a few minutes later the telephone rang. The caller claimed to be a guest in Room 220 and asked for fresh towels. The woman recognized the voice of the man who had just been in the lobby and told him there was no one occupying Room 220, according to the report.

Shorty afterward, the same man walked back into the lobby.

“You’re a smart girl,” he said, and then told her to not be stupid. He kept a hand in the pocket of his jacket as though he had a weapon. He told her it was a robbery, the report stated.

She asked to see his gun.

Instead, he jumped over the counter and demanded that she unlock the cash register.

The man grabbed the cash from the register, jumped back over the counter and ran from the lobby, the report states. She called 911, but police could not find a suspect.

Other reports

2400 block of Louise Street — A university student reported to police Monday that her best friend has been stealing from her without her realizing it.

She said that her mother wires money into her bank account for tuition and expenses, and she rarely checks her account balance. She has noticed lately that she can’t find her debit card, but then it turns up again, she said.

She recently received a notice from the bank that her account is overdrawn, and she realized that someone had taken $1,460 from it with her bank card.

She talked to her friend about the problem, saying she didn’t know how it could have happened. She received a letter from the friend confessing that she had been taking her card and draining her account, according to the police report.

1000 block of Mack Drive — A man reported Sunday that he was out drinking with friends Saturday night and they dropped him off at his home at about 1 a.m. He ate a sandwich and then went to bed, he said.

He awoke Sunday morning and found his bedroom door that opens into the backyard was ajar.

There were two $5 bills on his floor. He realized someone had come into his bedroom, walked past the bed where he was sleeping, and taken cash from a can in a cabinet. The intruder also took a .38-caliber revolver, according to a police report. He lost more than $4,000 in the burglary.

Roundup

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

• Denton police responded to 383 service and officer-initiated calls, including reports of six frauds, nine thefts, two burglaries, three vehicle burglaries, one criminal mischief, one injury to a disabled person, one assault, two charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, one robbery and one harassment.

• Denton County sheriff’s dispatchers handled 211 service and officer-initiated calls for the agencies they serve. Thirty-three people were booked into county jail. Deputies took reports of one criminal solicitation of a minor for sex, one criminal mischief, two reports of debit card abuse and one abandoned vehicle.

• Denton firefighters responded to 16 medical calls, two traffic accidents and three alarms.

Argyle firefighters responded to one traffic accident and one hazardous materials incident.

Lake Cities firefighters responded to one traffic accident and five medical calls.

Aubrey firefighters responded to one request to assist a citizen and two medical calls.

Pilot Point firefighters responded to one medical call and one request to unlock a vehicle.

Sanger firefighters responded to one medical call and one suicidal person.

Ponder firefighters responded to one vehicle fire and one medical call.

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). Reach the Denton police narcotics tip line at 940-565-5801.