LEOMINSTER — On Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, Officer Mackenson Adescar of the Leominster Police Department was dispatched to the CVS at 246 Mill Street following a report of a shoplifting incident.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Mackenson Adescar and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“The staff reported a white male, Derek, wearing a Nike beanie and carrying a large reusable bag full of merchandise, walking toward the motel,” Officer Adescar said.
Officer Adescar said that when he arrived on scene, he checked the area for the male suspect but was unable to locate him.
“I then went to CVS to gather more information about the individual,” Officer Adescar said. “At the store, I spoke with Michelle [last name redacted], who informed me that two males had entered the store, taken several items, and left without paying.”
Michelle told Officer Adescar that she recognized one of the suspects, Derek Titus, from a prior shoplifting incident at the same CVS on Mill Street on Oct. 17, after which he was trespassed from the store.
According to police, Derek C. Titus, 41, is a resident of Fitchburg, MA.
“Michelle showed me surveillance footage in which I observed Derek, accompanied by another male, James Smith, leaving the store with a bag of items and passing all points of sale without paying,” Officer Adescar said. “Michelle mentioned that she believed Derek was currently residing at Motel 6.”
Officer Adescar said he and Officer Marjus Zylyftari, who also responded to the scene, proceeded to the Motel 6, where they located Titus and his accomplice, Smith, in Room 267.
“When questioned, both Derek and James denied stealing anything from the store, despite my informing them that I had seen the footage,” Officer Adescar said. “James claimed they did not take anything; however, shortly after, Officer Zylyftari discovered a Market Basket reusable bag containing approximately 10 items valued at around $50, according to Michelle.”
At this time, Officer Adescar said that dispatch informed him that Titus had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for a previous shoplifting incident.
Officer Adescar then placed Titus under arrest for the warrant. He was then transported to the station for booking.
In addition to the warrant, Derek Titus, 41, of Fitchburg was arrested and charged with:
- Shoplifting by Asportation, 3rd Offense
- Trespass
Titus was arraigned in Leominster District Court on Dec. 29, 2025. Following his arraignment, Titus was released on personal recognizance under the condition that he stay away from the CVS on Mill Street. Titus’ next court date is a pretrial conference hearing scheduled for Feb. 10, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the arrest in this story took place in December, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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