Panhandlers are still a big problem for area stores, and Portsmouth Police responded to the Kroger on Gay Street after witnesses reported some suspicious activity.
They said a man with long, shaggy hair accompanied by a woman was aggravating customers by asking for money and offering to load their groceries into their car.
Officers caught up with the pair in Tracy Park by the bathrooms and barred them from the store property.
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Later that afternoon, the store reported a shoplifter with a camo backpack had just left the premises and headed east on 11th. Officers could not locate the man.