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03/25/2019 12:00 AMA serial shoplifter suspected in cigarette thefts in multiple towns has been arrested after his photo was posted on social media.
East Haven Police were called on Feb. 3, to Rite Aid, 588 Main Street, on the report that two cartons of cigarettes had been stolen. Upon arrival, store management told police that a male, later identified as Brian McLaughlin, 32, of Meriden, entered the store and asked for two cartons of cigarettes. The manager said an employee requested ID and McLaughlin exited the store to retrieve it. When he returned, McLaughlin grabbed the two cartons that had been put off to the side, and ran out of the store without paying.
After reviewing surveillance video from the incident, the suspect appeared to be the same suspect in shoplifting incidents in North Branford, Wallingford, North Haven, and Monroe. In each of those thefts, the suspect asked for cartons of cigarettes, distracted the employees somehow, and then fled with the merchandise without paying.
The East Haven Police Department posted photos of the suspect to its Facebook page and within an hour, McLaughlin's name began to surface. An investigation revealed that McLaughlin had four active arrest warrants for larcenies of varying degrees.
He was arrested by the Branford Police Department and turned over to the East Haven Police Department. McLaughlin was charged with larceny in the sixth degree and released on a $1,000 bond. He is scheduled to face a judge on April 3 in New Haven.
After being processed in East Haven, McLaughlin was turned over to the Fairfield Police Department for several active arrest warrants out of their jurisdiction.