Vincent Reda, the longtime chairman of the Rockland County Republican Party, was arrested for shoplifting over the weekend at the Nanuet Mall, police say.

Police say Reda, 76, stuffed a $198 pea coat into a plastic bag and tried to leave the Macy?s department store with it.

But Reda says the whole incident was a ?misunderstanding? that will be cleared up by his lawyer. He says he was trying to return the pea coat and a security tag that hadn?t been removed set off a front-door gate.

Reda, of New City, has chaired the Rockland County GOP since 1992. Before that, he led the Clarkstown Republican Committee for 14 years.

He is due in court on Jan. 12 to face charges of petty larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail.