Clinton man accused of using pudding barcode taped around finger to steal $40 of groceries

CLINTON — On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, around 5:24 p.m., Officer Gerald Guerra said Clinton police were dispatched to the Hannaford Supermarket on Brook Street after the loss prevention manager reported that she had a shoplifter in her office.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Gerald Guerra, and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“Patrolman Kristopher Vazquez, Patrolman Shane Gilman and I arrived on scene and directed our attention to the office where the manager was located,” Officer Guerra said. “Inside the office was also a male party sitting on a chair. He was later identified as Thomas Sayward.”

According to police, Thomas R. Sayward, 68, resides on Pearl Street in Clinton, MA.

“I spoke with the manager who provided me with two separate receipts along with a barcode that was rolled up and had tape on it,” Officer Guerra said. “The manager informed me that Mr. Sayward was inside the store, had the barcode around his finger, like a ring, and scanned it numerous times at the register, but was shoplifting other items. He did not scan those other items, but instead put them in a shopping bag he had with him.”

The loss prevention manager said Sayward left the store with the stolen items, at which point she approached him, escorted him back to her office, and called the police.

“The manager told me that the barcode belongs to a Hannaford’s brand chocolate pudding mix priced at ninety-nine cents ($.99),” Officer Guerra added. “The second receipt the manager provided me with was the items that Mr. Sayward didn’t pay for. She retrieved the items from Mr. Sayward which totaled $39.64.”

Officer Guerra said the loss prevention manager gave Sayward a verbal no-trespass order while police were in her office.

“I then walked over to Mr. Sayward and asked if he wanted to speak to me and give me his side of the story, which he declined,” Officer Guerra said. “I asked if he could walk outside with Patrolman Vazquez, Patrolman Gilman and I which he agreed to.

While outside, Officer Guerra said he directed Sayward to Officer Vazquez’s cruiser, where he placed him under arrest, handcuffed him, and secured him in the back seat for transport to the Clinton Police Department for booking.

“During the inventory of his property, Mr. Sayward had over $300 in cash and a check for the amount of over $2,000 written to him,” Officer Guerra said.  Later adding, “Mr. Sayward was placed in a male holding cell.”

Sayward was charged with the following:

• Shoplifting by Asportation

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place earlier this month, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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