A New Castle man stole more than $3,000 worth of cigarettes from several stores in Butler County, and even more throughout the surrounding region, according to state police.

Troopers were able to connect Troy D. Hockenberry, 42, to at least four break-ins in 2022, saying he’d break the windows of stores and use the same white laundry basket to gather his loot.

Police charged Hockenberry in two separate cases with felonies burglary, theft, trespassing and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

The first burglary in Butler County happened after 5 a.m. on June 28, 2022, at the Dollar General in Portersville, according to documents. When troopers arrived on scene they discovered a glass door was smashed and $1,000 worth of Newport 100s cigarettes had been taken.

Surveillance footage showed a suspect dressed in red shoes with white soles, a left-handed black glove and a right-handed tan glove approaching the store and breaking the door using a rock. The suspect loaded cigarettes into a white laundry basket and fled the scene, police said.

Police said a burglary had been conducted in a similar manner two days earlier at the Last Minit Mart in New Wilmington, Lawrence County.

According to documents, the suspect was wearing a similar outfit to the Dollar General burglar, used a rock to break a door and a laundry basket to carry the stolen cigarettes.

Police said the suspect drove a red Kia Optima away from the scene, concealing the registration plate with a cloth. Franklin Township police later identified the red Kia as belonging to Hockenberry, documents showed.

When the Kia was later searched, police discovered the mismatched gloves seen in surveillance footage.

Another burglary occurred Sept. 4, 2022 at a Tic Toc Food Mart in Lawrence County, according to police. The suspect again smashed a glass door, removed cigarettes and placed them in a plastic container, police said.

On Sept. 6, 2022, police responded to the Last Minit Mart in Muddy Creek Township for a similar break-in. Police said the glass front door was smashed and a trail of cigarettes led out the door and into the parking lot. A black trash bag was also found on scene.

Surveillance footage showed two suspects being dropped off at the gas station in a Dodge Ram truck, which was later seen by police traveling through Mahoning Township, Lawrence County. A trooper pulled the truck over and discovered Hockenberry to be a passenger in the vehicle.

Documents showed a search of the truck yielded a black trash bag similar to what was found at the Sept. 6 scene, and other items worn by the burglars.

Police said a search of Hockenberry’s residence was conducted Sept. 7, 2022, and yielded a white laundry basket, red sneakers with white soles, and other clothing he was seen wearing in surveillance footage.

In total, police estimated Hockenberry stole $1,000 worth of cigarettes from Dollar General and $2,609 worth of cigarettes from Last Minit Mart in Muddy Creek Township.

The damage for the glass doors and cigarette cases in the Butler County thefts was an estimated $1,705, police said.

Hockenberry’s preliminary hearings have not yet been scheduled.