A local police department in the US state of Georgia went viral after announcing the arrest and charging of a 40-year-old man seemingly named for the world-famous cartoon character.

Gonzalez allegedly stole over $20,000 worth of goods from a number of supermarkets by placing items inside a cheap container and only paying for the container, the New York Post reports.

Police believe he stole from Walmarts across northern Georgia more than 20 times, targeting high-priced but smaller items like nicotine gum and diabetic test strips.

He would “pick out an item from the shelf, such as a trash can – in one instance, it was a mailbox – then take all those items, stick it into the box with the larger item, and then take that, pay for it, and walk out of the store”, a police official said.