Did man steal $11K in smokes?

BANTAM —A New Hartford man who allegedly stole more than $11,000 in cigarettes was arraigned in Bantam Superior Court Wednesday.
Robert Cockcroft, 20, 26 Bel Air Drive, was ordered held on $15,000 bond by Judge Daniel Shaban and scheduled to appear in Litchfield Superior Court on Nov. 17.
Cockcroft was arrested by New Milford police on Tuesday and charged with third-degree burglary and first-degree larceny.
A New Milford woman told police she thought it was odd that her friend Thomas Collier had 15 packs of cigarettes when she knew he didn’t smoke. He reportedly admitted to her that he climbed through the window on Oct. 22 with Cockcroft and took the items. He said no one would recognize him because he wore a hoodie and a bandana on his face but when he found out police wanted to talk to him, he left the state, according to the arrest warrant. New Milford police said a video camera recorded a man entering the store wearing similar clothing. Cockcroft may not have entered the store, but was also trying to sell packs of cigarettes on the green in New Milford for $5 a pack. “‘I do what I gotta do to get money’,” Cockcroft told one of his customers.
The owner of the store told police the burglar stole 11 cartons of Marlboro Ultra Lights, 85 cartons of Newport, 60 cartons of Marlboro, two cartons B&H deluxe king, four cartons of Parliament, two cartons of Dunhill, four cartons of American Spirit, five cartons of Virgina Slims, four cartons of Kool, a smoking hookah, 40 Dutch Masters cigars, 25 Green Game cigars. The total retail value of the stolen items is approximately $11,403, police said.