FILE – In this Tuesday, July 16, 2011 photo, a customer leaves a Target store in Los Angeles. In the latest effort to beat Amazon.com at its game, Target says that for the first time it will match prices that customers find on identical products at select online competitors this holiday season. Target Corp.’s CEO Gregg Steinhafel on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012 told about 80 reporters at a company media conference that the retailers include Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Bestbuy.com, Toysrus.com and babiesrus.com. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
A Massachusetts State Police trooper has been suspended without pay after he allegedly stole from local Target stores on over 20 occasions.
The Boston Globe, citing authorities and court paperwork, said Zachariah Kent, 30, of Sutton, was caught by Target loss-prevention employees in Millbury on Sept. 24 and is accused in 23 separate shoplifting incidents at Target stores, 11 of them in Millbury . The thefts were reportedly captured on security camera.
He is accused of stealing over $800 worth of merchandise from the Millbury Target, and golf balls worth over $200 from a Target store in Worcester, according to the Telegram & Gazette. He reportedly used a practice known as "skip scanning," where he paid for some items at self-checkout stations while failing to pay for others.
Kent was issued a court summons and is scheduled to appear in court in February of 2025. It was not immediately known if he had an attorney.
A state police spokesperson said Monday that Kent was relieved of duty and suspended without pay Oct. 1, as soon as they became aware of the theft allegations. They said an internal affairs investigation has also been opened.
"The Massachusetts State Police does not tolerate theft or dishonesty, and we hold our members accountable to the highest professional standards," the statement said. "We remain fully committed to cooperating with investigators as we await the result of the criminal process.”
Kent graduated from the State Police Academy in October of 2022 and has no previous disciplinary history, according to state police.
