HAVERHILL — Police said the man suspected of robbing a Haverhill bank and several others in the Merrimack Valley also had a history of shoplifting baby formula from local stores.

"He graduated from stealing baby formula to robbing banks to feed his drug habit,'' police Capt. Alan Ratte said of Erik Hill, 29.

Ratte said Haverhill police were able to use store security videos in the cases where baby formula was shoplifted to help identify Hill, eventually leading to his arrest at his Lawrence home this week.

Ratte said in addition to the bank robbery charges, Hill was wanted on six warrants for shoplifting baby formula. Ratte said investigators are attempting to learn where the baby formula went, but that it was likely being sold at a reduced rate to small markets for resale.

He credited Detectives Glenn Fogarty, John Spero and Joe Benedetti with doing most of the investigative work that led to Hill's arrest.

Hill was arrested on seven warrants from Haverhill — one in the robbery of a bank and six in shoplifting incidents. He was also arrested on a warrant from Newburyport in the robbery of a bank there.

Hill was on probation for heroin distribution when he allegedly robbed banks in Beverly, Haverhill, Lawrence and Newburyport this month.

Court records indicate Hill had served one year of a 2 1âÑ2-year sentence and was placed on probation for two years. The probationary part of the sentence was to end in June 2009.

Hill was arrested on warrants from Haverhill and Newburyport at his 179 Abbott St. home Wednesday afternoon, and confessed to the robberies when questioned by investigators, police said.

He told detectives he had a substance abuse problem, Lawrence police Chief John Romero said Wednesday afternoon.

Hill allegedly robbed $4,000 from a Sovereign Bank at Stadium Plaza in Lawrence during which he passed a note to a teller on which was written: "Sorry, give me money." He became known to police as the "apologetic" bank robber.

Yesterday at Hill's arraignment in Lawrence District Court, Judge Thomas Brennan ordered him held overnight without bail and to return to court today for the appointment of a defense lawyer.

Hill also was served with a probation surrender notice for violating the terms of his probation by allegedly committing the bank robberies.