A Middletown Township police officer was accused of shoplifting from multiple locations of a discount department store chain.

Officials say Brenden Santiago, of Tinton Falls, “skip-scanned” items at the stores. This means he allegedly pretended to scan items before leaving the store without paying.

The thefts allegedly happened at six locations in December. Officials say Santiago was wearing his police uniform at the time of the thefts.

Santiago was caught on Jan. 9 when an employee “receipt checked” his purchases, officials say.

"The criminal conduct alleged in the complaints filed against Patrolman Santiago are deeply troubling and do not reflect the values of our agency. We firmly believe that trust and integrity are the essential cornerstones of policing, and we hold our employees to the highest professional and ethical standards. Santiago has been relieved of duty and suspended without pay pending the resolution of this matter,” Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber wrote in a statement.

Officials say Santiago stole more than $500 worth of items.