Massachusetts police officer pays for shoplifting suspects’ holiday dinner
![ASSOCIATED PRESS
This undated photo provided by the Somerset Police Department shows Officer Matt Lima in Somerset, Mass. He is being praised for using his own money to purchase $250 gift cards for two women accused of trying to steal groceries last month. The women said they wanted to provide a Christmas meal for their children.](https://staradvertiser.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/web1_20210102_WEB_-Officer-Matt-Lima-.jpg)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This undated photo provided by the Somerset Police Department shows Officer Matt Lima in Somerset, Mass. He is being praised for using his own money to purchase $250 gift cards for two women accused of trying to steal groceries last month. The women said they wanted to provide a Christmas meal for their children.
SOMERSET, Mass. >> A Massachusetts police officer declined to charge two women accused of trying to steal groceries for the children — and instead bought them Christmas dinner.
Somerset Officer Matt Lima responded to a report of shoplifting Dec. 20 at Stop & Shop, where two women with two young children were accused of putting groceries into bags at a self-checkout kiosk without scanning them.
The women said they had fallen on hard times and were trying to provide a Christmas dinner for the children.
Lima says he was reminded of his own children and used his own money to buy $250 in grocery gift cards.
“His actions exemplify what it means to protect and serve the members of our community,” Chief George McNeil said on the department’s website.