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This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

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Maybe He Should Have Just Kept Smoking: Man Arrested in String of Nicotine Gum Thefts

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Quitting smoking isn't easy, but thankfully, once you put down the cancer sticks you can swap out your habit for a patch, one of those newfangled air cigs, or chew on some nicotine gum. Unfortunately for one Mission Viejo man, his gum habit was actually a shoplifting habit that has now found him arrested on multiple charges of theft, according to the OC Register.

37-year-old Nathan Sheridan is thought to be the gum-fiending mastermind behind at least five instances of the ol' five-fingered discount going down at an area Target store. Sheridan allegedly got himself a total of 10 boxes of nicotine gum, valued at $250, by "concealing the gum in his clothing and walking out of the store on at least five separate occasions since November." None of the merchandise was recovered.

Sheridan was arrested in late April after store surveillance logged in his license plate number. Records show he has a prior record that involves "three years of probation, restitution, and participation in several court-ordered recovery programs."

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