BY
JIM DEVINE
A Massachusetts man was
arrested Wednesday, May 14,
after falsely telling Hannaford
Supermarket employees he
was soliciting contributions for
a nonprofit athletic group.
Jamie Simard, 32, of Lowell,
Mass., was arrested on charges
of attempted theft by deception,
possession of controlled drugs
and giving false information
to an officer after he allegedly
lied to store employees, saying
he was collecting donations for
the Amateur Athletic Union of
the United States.
Police said Simard approached
the store on Tuesday,
May 13, representing himself
as a member of the group looking
for donations.
Suspicious of the request,
store employees asked Simard
to return the following day.
Meanwhile, they contacted
Pelham police to confirm if he
was connected to the AAU.
Upon contacting the organization,
police learned Simard
was not an employee, nor was
he authorized to collect money
for them.
When Simard returned the
following day, the store called
police, who then confronted
and arrested him for misdemeanor
attempted theft by deception.
When Simard asked for
belongings in his car after he
was arrested, police removed
a backpack in the car containing
several needles of what is
believed to be heroin.
Police added misdemeanor
false information charges to
the felony drug charge after
they found out that Simard had
lied about his identity.