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Scott Laclair, 40, of Springfield

(Springfield Police Department)

SPRINGFIELD -- Before being named Springfield's most wanted criminal this month, Scott Laclair was already one of CVS's most unwanted customers.

In a one-month spree, Laclair allegedly shoplifted more than $1,400 worth of merchandise, including $1,052 in condoms, from two CVS stores in Springfield, according to police and court records.

On seven occasions, he allegedly walked into a store, filled a basket with merchandise and walked out. On six occasions, no one stopped him, records show.

Laclair, 40, is being held on $50,000 bail after allegedly knocking down a 79-year-old man and stealing $400 from him. He was arrested Dec. 14 after his photo appeared on the Springfield Police Department's Facebook page, with a note from Sgt. John Delaney: "Let's get this guy before he robs again."

In addition to assault and robbery charges, Laclair is facing four shoplifting cases from earlier this year. No stranger to the court system, he has picked up convictions for armed robbery, heroin distribution, receiving stolen property, shoplifting and other charges during a 25-year criminal career, records show.

He was allegedly shoplifting from Kohl's department store in West Springfield at the time of his latest arrest. Captured after a chase along the Connecticut River, Laclair was wearing three pairs of sweatpants -- two of them stolen from Kohl's, police said. He was also carrying a pair of wire cutters used to remove security tags from merchandise, police said.

Laclair needed no tools while targeting CVS stores on Belmont Avenue and State Street earlier this year, according to court records. Between April 5 and April 27, he allegedly stole $1,490 in merchandise by filling up one or two shopping baskets and carrying them out the front door, the records show.

On April 17, for example, he walked into the Belmont Avenue CVS at 7:28 a.m. and headed for the family planning section; there, he picked up five boxes of Trojan Magnum extra-large condoms, at $28.49 each, and 10 boxes of other condoms, at $15.79 each, and then walked out, according to a statement given by CVS to police.

The total loss was $305.35, including the cost of the plastic basket, the statement said.

Three days later, he returned to the Belmont Avenue store at 7:30 a.m. and took two plastic baskets. He went to the oral care section, picking up eight boxes of Crest 3D whitening toothpaste, before moving on to family planning, where he took four packs of Trojan Magnum condoms, at $27.49 each, and four packs of other condoms, at $15.79 each, the records show.

The total loss was $320.96, including two plastic baskets, CVS said.

He also visited the grocery sections at both stores.

On April 5, he left the Belmont Avenue CVS with five large packages of beef jerky, at $11.99 each, five smaller packages, at $6.99 each, and 20 boxes of assorted "movie-sized candy" at $1.77 each. The total loss, including the basket, was $140.77, CVS said.

Four days later, he walked out of the State Street store with 12 large packages of beef jerky, at $2.85 each, and 20 boxes of movie-sized candy, at $1.77 each, for a total loss, including the basket, of $129.28, records show.

Not every trip ended so well for Laclair, however.

On April 21, a manager at the Belmont Avenue store stopped him walking out with 45 boxes of Colgate toothpaste in two baskets, records show. "He admitted to the theft and handed over the baskets full of product," an employee wrote in statement to police.

Laclair's luck was better on April 27. He left the State Street store with $332.75 in condoms, his largest haul of the month, records show.

The alleged thefts from CVS during April represent just one of the four shoplifting cases pending against Laclair in Springfield.

Eventually, CVS obtained a no-trespassing order against Laclair, who lives within walking distance of the Belmont Avenue store. But the order did not prevent him from allegedly walking out with another basket of condoms last month, records show.

"He has been trespassed by CVS and is on store security video for the second time in less than a week," an employee noted in a loss report from Nov. 15.

Laclair is due back in Springfield District Court for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 13.