Published: October 19, 2009 08:51 pm      

Charlestown man accused as Marlboro thief in Floyd, Harrison counties

Police received tips after media reports of thefts

Floyd County police have arrested a Charlestown man for allegedly stealing cartons of cigarettes from several area stores.

Patrick T. Nichols, 26, was charged with two counts of class D felony theft in Floyd County and one count of theft in Harrison County.

Police were searching for the suspect they dubbed the “Marlboro Man” after he allegedly went into Jacobi’s Food Mart along Ind. 64 in Georgetown on Oct. 11 and asked for two cartons of that brand of cigarettes. He then reportedly asked for another item, and when the clerk turned around, he picked up the cartons and ran out of the store, Floyd County Detective Capt. Jeff Topping said.

The suspect reportedly did the same thing the next morning at the Walgreens at Highlander Point in Floyds Knobs. The suspect was caught on surveillance video at both locations.

Topping said information leading to Nichols’ arrest came from a reader who saw the suspect’s photograph in The Tribune and recognized Nichols. The reader called police and told them Nichols’ name and where he worked.

That came after employees at Cowboy Food Stores in Corydon saw a television report of the thefts and contacted Floyd County police that the same crime had occurred at their store. They provided police with the suspect’s license plate number.

Nichols was arrested at work Friday and released on bond that day. He is awaiting an initial hearing in Floyd County Circuit Court. He faces one to six years in prison if convicted of both Floyd County charges.