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.