Some people will do anything to get their recommended serving of vitamin D.

On Sept. 16 New Haven resident Larry Rogers, 41, was walking down Park Street when he spotted a police car driving alongside him, Yale Police Lt. Michael Patten said.

Evidently spooked, Rogers removed the backpack he was wearing, slid it under a parked car, and fled.

An officer in the car, who had noticed Rogers even before he attempted to run, left his vehicle and caught up with the running Rogers before he could get very far.

After Rogers was in his possession, the officer retrieved the backpack, police said. Inside, he found three 15-pound bricks of American cheese, valued at a total of $45.

Eventually, the cheese was identified as belonging to the Branford College dining hall and Rogers was charged with sixth-degree larceny.

Leave a message after the beep

That same afternoon, John Powers, 47, strolled into the Yale Bookstore for a day of heavy shopping. The only problem was that he did not pay for anything.

Patten said Powers, a New Haven resident of no fixed address, plucked three answering machines from the shelves of the store’s lower level and also snagged an air filter. He placed these in a backpack he lifted from a nearby sales rack and tried to make his way to the exit undetected with his stash of small appliances.

But it was not meant to be.

After Powers started for the door, he was stopped by a security officer who inspected the backpack and found the filter and answering machines.

Yale police were immediately called to the scene and arrested Powers on a charge of sixth-degree larceny, Patten said.