A State police trooper has been suspended without pay for allegedly trying to steal golf balls, among other items, the MSP confirmed to the Herald.
Zachariah Kent had already pulled down $118,777 this year and $123,000 in 2023, according to state payroll records. The trooper was relieved of duty Oct. 1, the state police added.
“The Massachusetts State Police does not tolerate theft or dishonesty, and we hold our members accountable to the highest professional standards,” the State Police said in a statement Monday.
“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,” the spokesman added.
The 30-year-old second-year trooper from Sutton is accused of shoplifting more than $1,000 worth of merchandise, including golf balls, throughout 2024 from stores in Millbury and Worcester, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. The paper first reported the trooper’s arrest using court records.
The paper added Kent was suspected of shoplifting from Target at least 23 times in multiple “jurisdictions.”
Kent is due back in court Feb. 13. His Worcester lawyer, Fernando Figueroa, did not respond to a call left at his office Monday.
The Telegram & Gazette added court records state the trooper is accused of “skip scanning” — where a customer deliberately avoids scanning items at self-checkout to shoplift from a store.
This is a developing story …