Mass. police put the squeeze on toothpaste thief

[April 11, 2012]  EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. (AP) -- Police using surveillance video have put the squeeze on a man suspected of trying to steal a shopping cart full of toothpaste from a western Massachusetts grocery store.

Police arrested 23-year old Timmy John Laflamme on Monday after spotting him sitting in a car across the street from the Stop & Shop supermarket in East Longmeadow he was accused of trying to rob last week.

Laflamme, of Chicopee, pleaded not guilty to shoplifting and was ordered held without bail because of pending cases in Springfield.

Police tell The Republican (http://bit.ly/HYpr8d) that Laflamme tried leaving the store with the toothpaste on April 4 but fled when he was stopped by store employees.

Police say shoplifting toothpaste and other toiletries is common. Thieves try to resell the items to small convenience stores.

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Information from: The Springfield Republican, http://www.masslive.com/news/

[Associated Press]

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