State police trooper suspended amid charges he stole from Central Mass. Target stores
A second-year state trooper is facing criminal charges after Target caught him shoplifting more than $1,000 worth of merchandise, including golf balls, throughout 2024 from stores in Millbury and Worcester, police say.
Zachariah F. Kent, 30, of Sutton, has been suspended without pay, state police confirmed to the Telegram & Gazette, after police said he was caught on video stealing more than dozen times.
Kent utilized the “skip scan” method – where a person pays for some items at self-checkout, while failing to pay for others – for months undetected, according to documents filed Friday in Central District Court. More: Judge orders suspended state trooper to stay away from Target stores
He was caught red-handed by Target loss-prevention employees around 10 a.m. on Sept. 24, wrote Millbury police Sgt. Chris Polselli, who responded to the 70 Providence Turnpike store while Kent had been detained.
Loss prevention told Polselli that Kent was suspected of shoplifting from Target at least 23 times in multiple “jurisdictions,” including 11 prior times in Millbury, before being detained.
Polselli said Kent was captured on video stealing nearly $850 by “skip scanning” items from Millbury throughout 2024, including in January, February, April, May, July and September.
Kent’s biggest alleged haul – worth $218.45 – came on July 8, Polselli wrote, while the smallest amount stolen was $24.99 on May 28.
Polselli’s report does not identify the items that were stolen; however, Worcester police, in a separate case in which charges also issued Friday, reported Kent stole exclusively golf balls from the Target at 529 Lincoln St.
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According to a statement of facts filed by Worcester Sgt. Michael Capabbianca, that Target called Worcester police Oct. 22 after identifying Kent on prior video also stealing from their store.
Capabbianca said the Target in Worcester learned of Kent’s identity after he was detained at the Millbury store, and provided officers with video of him “skip scanning” golf balls in Worcester twice in April, and once in June.
According to Capabbianca, Kent stole about $205 in golf balls between the outings. The first time, he allegedly scanned and paid for one pack of balls while stealing two others. The second time, he allegedly placed a $55 pack of golf balls in a paper bag at self-checkout and left without paying for anything. The third time, he allegedly selected “numerous” items he paid for at self-checkout, with the exception of a $40 pack of golf balls.
Kent was not arrested in Millbury, but instead summoned into Central District Court court on criminal charges from Millbury, and later Worcester, with a clerk magistrate finding probable cause on both cases following a 17-minute hearing this week.
As is typical in Massachusetts, such hearings are closed to the public by default, and the application for charges only becomes public after the clerk-magistrate finds legal justification, called probable cause, to support them.
Kent is not listed as a state trooper in court documents. State police, in a statement to the T&G, confirmed he graduated from the state police academy in October 2022, and said he was placed on unpaid suspension Oct. 1.
“The Massachusetts State Police does not tolerate theft or dishonesty, and we hold our members accountable to the highest professional standards,” state police spokesman Timothy McGuirk wrote. “When these troubling allegations came to our attention, the Department immediately relieved the accused trooper of duty, opened an internal affairs investigation, and suspended him without pay following his duty status hearing.
“We remain fully committed to cooperating with investigators as we await the result of the criminal process.”
State police said Kent, who is listed in online state records as having been paid about $119,000 this year, has no prior disciplinary history.
Kent is scheduled for arraignment on four misdemeanor charges – larceny under $1,200 by single scheme, and three counts of shoplifting – Feb. 13.
Kent’s lawyer, Fernando Figueroa of the Worcester firm Eden Rafferty, which often defends troopers, declined to comment Monday.
According to paperwork on file in court, an initial November court hearing where a clerk-magistrate was set to consider police requests for charges was delayed because Kent was attending a “residential treatment program” in Florida.
Police officer caught red handed stealing snacks from Lidl
Published November 27, 2024 10:22pm Updated November 28, 2024 6:55amComments
An off-duty police officer was caught on camera stealing a rucksack of snacks from Lidl.
Christopher Spence, 44, walked around the supermarket stuffing £30 worth of nuts, cheese, drink and treats into his bag before leaving after paying for just one item at the self-checkout on February 12.
Staff recognised him from a previous visit to the store on Clovelly Road, in Bideford, Devon, in his role as a uniformed police officer.
In fact, he was supposed to be cracking down on shoplifting himself, he had told them before.
Feleena Grosvenor, prosecuting, told Exeter Crown Court: ‘On the day of this theft he was due back in the store in relation to an assault on staff, so his relationship with them was very much entwined.’
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Initially Mr Spence denied the charge of theft, instead claiming he had left the stolen goods in a basket at the store when he realised he didn’t have the right bank card.
But CCTV had caught him in the act and he later changed his plea to guilty.
Mr Spence, of Abbotsham, Devon, has now been handed an 18-month community order, requiring him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
He must pay £300 towards prosecution costs within 12 months, a victim surcharge and £30 compensation to the store.
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The police officer, who has been suspended from duty since his arrest, also faces misconduct proceedings within the force.
Judge Stephen Climie said the ‘moment of madness’ would end Mr Spence’s police career.
Defending the father of three, Warren Robinson said: ‘It’s a tragedy of his own making. He has thrown himself under the bus.’
After sentencing, Superintendent Toby Davies, Commander in North and West Devon, said:
‘We are deeply disappointed by the actions of Chris Spence, particularly given his neighbourhood role within the community.
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‘First and foremost, I want to assure our community that the action of one individual does not reflect the values or integrity of our local officers.
‘We are committed to maintaining the highest levels of trust and confidence in the community we serve, and I would like to assure the public that such incidents are rare.
‘This behaviour undermines all those officers who behave to the highest standards day in, day out, keeping our area safe.
‘As we move forwards, we will continue to be open and transparent, and hold ourselves accountable, and we will work hard to ensure that the actions of one individual does not undermine the confidence and trust we have worked so hard to build.’
