SHREWSBURY โ On Thursday, January 22, 2026, at approximately 3:26 p.m., Shrewsbury police officers were dispatched to Total Wine & More at 87 Boston Turnpike following a report of a shoplifting incident in progress.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Statement of Facts of Officer Noah Juaire and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
โThe store manager at the business stated that a male party had just concealed the storeโs merchandise in a Target bag and exited the business, bypassing all points of sale, without attempting to pay for the alcohol,โ Officer Juaire said. โThe suspect was described as a white male, roughly 5’6″, 130lbs, wearing a tan coat, black sweatshirt, and had a Target shopping bag with him. Officers located the male party in a nearby parking lot. He was identified as Shawn Michael.โ
According to police, Shawn G. Michael, 40, is a resident of Worcester, MA.
โDispatch confirmed Michael had an active felony default warrant for his arrest,โ Officer Juaire said. According to police, the warrant was for a charge of assault and battery on a family/household member originating from Worcester District Court.
In Michaelโs Target bag, police located a 750ml bottle of Suavecito Extra Aรฑejo tequila, valued at $134.99.
โAt this point, Michael was notified he was under arrest,โ Officer Juaire said. Later adding, โMichael was also trespassed from the business for one year.โ
Shawn Michael, 40, of Worcester, was charged with:
- Shoplifting by Concealing Merchandise
- Warrant Arrest
Michael was arraigned in Westborough District Court on Jan. 23, 2026, where he pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance.
Michaelsโ next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for March 5, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the arrest in this story took place in January, thatโs because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
To learn more about News Link Liveโs unique business model, please read the following:
An online business model that could replace local newspapers
Why The Leominster Champion Failed
The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan
The Ego and the ID by Sigmund Freud