CHARLESTON, W. Va. — An attempted armed robbery ended in nothing more than the purchase of a soft drink and an arrest.

Shawn Thomas, 33, told the cashier of a convenience store in Charleston, W. Va. that he was armed before demanding the money in the cash register.

When another customer entered the store, Thomas became flustered. The cashier asked for Thomas to pay for his soft drink, and he did so, using his debit card.

Signing the receipt “John Doe,” Thomas left the store without any money. Police were able to trace Thomas from his debit card transaction, though Thomas claimed that the episode had been “a joke.”

He was charged with armed robbery.

TEXAS — The mayor of a small town in Texas broke into an apartment in an attempt to save a sunbathing dog.

Concerned by reports of a dog stranded on a balcony, Mayor Pat Ahumada contacted emergency responders then went to the location with a ladder and proceeded to enter the apartment.

The unidentified owner was displeased to find the mayor in his kitchen, claiming that the 14-year-old dog is very well cared for, though it suffers from impaired mobility. Sunning itself on the balcony is one of its favorite pastimes.

Ahumada responded that the dog appeared to be stuck and that he didn’t know the dog’s condition or whether or not the building was abandoned.

This is not Ahumada’s first problem borne from his love of dogs: in 2007, the city cited him for owning twice the legal number of dogs per household. The same year, Ahumada found a home for a dog he assumed was a stray. When the original family asked for the dog back, the dog’s new family refused to return him, and the conflict went to court.

Ahumada has also been charged with theft after removing dogs from the Brownsville Animal Shelter due to concerns of neglect.

PLYMOUTH, U.K. — A property developer suffering from the credit crunch has found an interesting way of turning aluminum beer cans into a lucrative venture worth £10,000.

David Philips composes landscapes by pasting strips of aluminum cans onto a canvas.

Each work requires about 100 beer and bitters cans. Already an amateur painter, Philips believes he is the first artist to employ this technique. His love for beer and painting ocean scenery came together during a beach barbeque. Ever since friends suggested he take his new landscapes to an art dealer, Philip’s landscapes have been a big hit.

Mike Hocking, of the Masa Fine Art Gallery, calls the works “very special.”

LINCOLN, U.K. — In response to a misguided act of pet care, a man who stuffed his girlfriend’s cat into a homemade marijuana pipe is now defending his actions.

The six-month-old cat, Shadow, frequently caused Acea Shomaker and his girlfriend troubles with biting and scratching. Not wanting to discipline Shadow by spraying it with water or hitting it, Shomaker was also concerned that taking the cat to an animal shelter would lead to it being put down.

Hearing anecdotal accounts of pet owners blowing marijuana smoke into their pets’ faces to calm them, Shomaker put Shadow in the 12-by-6-inch acrylic base of his makeshift pipe.

This is allegedly the third time Shomaker has attempted to calm Shadow in this manner.

“Every time we took her out she would pretty much just lay down and proceed to clean herself and act like a stoned person,’ Schomaker said.

He also said that he isn’t the first to do this — rather, he is the first to be caught.

Schomaker said that law enforcement and animal specialists lectured him about how he was being cruel to Shadow, and he claims to have learned from his mistake.

Reach columnist Matt Jackson at news@dailyuw.com.