Skyler Smith, 35, of 283 Norton St., 3rd Floor, New Haven, Connecticut

MERRIMACK – Officers called late last week to the Merrimack Premium Outlets Mall by a Polo Ralph Lauren employee who reported witnessing the theft of merchandise from the store promptly located the suspect and took him into custody.

The employee, described by police as a loss prevention employee, told officers he or she “observed a male conceal merchandise under his clothing and exit the store without paying for it,” according to police.

Upon arrival, officers located the man suspected of committing the alleged theft, and identified him as Skyler Smith, 35, of 283 Norton St. in New Haven, Connecticut.

After reviewing images captured by Polo Ralph Lauren’s security cameras, officers “confirmed that Smith (allegedly) did in fact conceal merchandise and leave without paying for it,” at which point they took him into custody without incident, police said.

But in the process of arresting Smith, police said officers discovered he allegedly had in his possession two items of clothing from another MPO store.

Then, upon further investigation, police said, the officers would allegedly turn up “merchandise from numerous other (MPO) stores” in the trunk of Smith’s car.

While police charged Smith with one count each of theft and receiving stolen property, they said the discovery of the items in Smith’s car “will likely result in additional charges, pending further investigation and follow-up (with) the stores in question.”

Smith was later booked on the two charges and released on personal recognizance bail pending arraignment, which police said is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Jan. 26 in Merrimack district court.

According to the website of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, a regional newspaper based in Northampton, Massachusetts, a Skyler Smith, then age 31, of New Haven, Connecticut, was one of two men arrested in 2016 in Northampton on charges of larceny greater than $250 and unlawful removal or possession of a theft-detection device, for allegedly “ripping two iPhones from their mounted displays” in a Northampton Verizon store.

Smith and the other suspect allegedly fled but were caught a short time later and taken into custody, according to the Gazette.

And The Day, a New London, Connecticut newspaper, reported in July 2015 that a Skyler Smith of New Haven, then age 29, was arrested and charged with third-degree larceny.

No further details were available on either case, and the status or outcome is also not known.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.