The New Jersey State Police had issued an arrest warrant for Michael J. Smith, 25, following a July 18 hold-up in Wrightstown.
TRENTON -- The recent prison parolee suspected of committing five recent robberies in Trenton is charged with holding up the 7-Eleven in Wrightstown just three days after he was released from state prison, officials said.
The New Jersey State Police had issued an arrest warrant for Michael J. Smith, 25, following the July 18 armed stick-up at the convenience store on Ft. Dix Street, just outside the main gate of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
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Michael J. SmithRecords show Smith was paroled from the New Jersey state prison system on July 15 after serving nearly six years for a robbery in Burlington County.
State police spokesman Sgt. Gregory Williams said trooper detectives conducted interviews and searched a residence in Wrightstown where Smith was living after getting out of prison.
Smith allegedly stole $268 during the Wrightstown robbery after ordering a clerk to hand over cash, Williams said. Brandishing a handgun, Smith allegedly growled he would "empty the entire clip" of the gun if the clerk did not hurry up.
The state police could not find Smith until his arrest Thursday in Trenton.
On Thursday, at about 9:45 a.m., Smith allegedly robbed a Boost Mobile store on Hamilton Avenue near Chambers Street, police said.
Trenton police had sent extra officers into the area in the past weeks due to a series of robberies they suspected were the work of the same person.
Trenton police linked Smith to five robberies in the past two weeks, including armed hold-ups at the Boost Mobile, and a Metro PCS store last Friday and similar robberies at a Rite-Aid pharmacy and Lukoil gasoline station - all in Trenton.
He is being held on multiple robbery and weapon counts in Mercer County, officials said.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
