Caught in Middletown: Police Say Same 70-Year-Old Shoplifting Suspect Arrested 30 Times

MIDDLETOWN, RI—Herbert L. Golder, 70, of Cranston, was taken into custody Jan. 12 at 1:45 p.m. at the Providence Police Station. He is charged with shoplifting and with being a habitual offender, police said.

But it may be a while before he faces a Rhode Island judge. Golder, it turns out, is a fugitive from justice in Massachusetts. The Kingston, Mass., police want him for armed robbery.

According to the arrest report, Golder has been arrested more than 30 times in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Ohio.The charges include larceny, shoplifting, breaking and entering, possession of burglary tools and receiving stolen goods.

Police said Barnes & Noble on Aug. 7 called about a shoplifter inside the store. A plain clothes officer went into the building and saw Golder leave without any merchandise. He drove away in a green Camry.

The store manager told police that Golder had been in the store twice that week. On Aug. 3, he was allegedly caught on camera while he moved stacks of music CDs into empty rows. Then he came back with a white bag, filled it with about 100 CDs worth $1,400, and left the store with the merchandise.

According to police, he was also suspected of stealing music CDs from the Barnes & Noble in Hyannis, Mass.

In Rhode Island, past convictions include felony shoplifting in 1994 in Warwick; receiving stolen goods on Feb. 12, 2001, when the state police arrested him; and felony shoplifting in 2001 in Providence. He was given suspended sentences combined with probation for all three.

He was last arrested in 2014 in Auburn, Mass., for two counts of receiving stolen goods over $250.

The Providence police picked him up on the Middletown warrant and turned him over to Middletown police.