Police in Louisville arrested a man known as the “Nicotine Bandit” after he allegedly burglarized a Family Dollar store in the Portland neighborhood several times.
According to the Louisville Metro Police Department, 37-year-old Michael Belton stole packs of cigarettes from the store early Monday morning before it opened.
Investigators said he had taken “a ton of cigarettes” from the Family Dollar on multiple occasions.
Officers reviewed surveillance footage and later spotted Belton walking nearby in the same clothing seen on camera.
When officers approached him, Belton ran, triggering a brief foot chase before police took him into custody.
Detectives said Belton later admitted he recognized himself in surveillance images previously shared on social media and knew he would eventually be caught.
Belton now faces several charges, including five counts of first-degree burglary, along with trespassing and fleeing police.
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