SHREWSBURY — On Friday, April 17, 2026, at approximately 1:49 p.m., Officer Timothy Charland of the Shrewsbury Police Department was on Boston Turnpike when he overheard dispatch put out a BOLO, or “be on the lookout” alert, for a shoplifting incident that had just occurred at Whole Foods, located at 193 Boston Turnpike.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Statement of Facts of Officer Timothy Charland and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Dispatch advised Officer Charland that the suspects were fleeing in a black four-door Honda with black wheels.
“I immediately observed a black Honda Accord with black wheels bearing Massachusetts registration [# redacted] stopped in heavy traffic on Boston Turnpike just west of Whole Foods,” Officer Charland said.
According to Officer Charland, the vehicle fled from him before he later stopped it in the city of Worcester.
“Ms. Cassandra Powell of Taunton was the front right passenger and match the description from the store manager as the shoplifting suspect,” Officer Charland said.
According to police, Cassandra T. Powell, 31, is a resident of Taunton, MA.
“Ms. Powell did admit to stealing items on scene and when asked what and where, she stated, ‘You’ll see,’” Officer Charland said.
Officer Charland said the manager of Whole Foods was shown a photo of the suspect and confirmed that she had spoken with the suspect before she fled the store with two large bags containing merchandise valued at $1,033.33.
“A second suspect was also identified as a co-shoplifter with Ms. Powell at that time,” Officer Charland said. “Located within the vehicle she was inside was the $1,033.33 worth of stolen merchandise within Whole Foods bags.”
Officer Charland said Powell is being charged with shoplifting by asportation over $250 and conspiracy for allegedly agreeing to pay the driver with narcotics to drive her to Whole Foods.
While Powell was being placed in the rear of a patrol vehicle for transport to the house of correction, Officer Charland said Officer Waleed Belgou observed a glassine baggie containing a blue-tinted powdery substance on the garage floor near where Powell was seated.
“Surveillance footage was reviewed and confirmed this came from Ms. Powell,” Officer Charland said. “The substance is suspected to be counterfeit oxycodone laced with fentanyl commonly known as ‘blues.’ Ms. Powell was additionally charged with possession of Class A substance.”
Cassandra T. Powell, 31, of Taunton was charged with the following:
- Conspiracy
- Possess Class A Drug
- Shoplifting by Asportation
Powell was arraigned in Westborough District Court on April 21, 2026, where she pleaded not guilty. Following her arraignment, she was released on $650 cash bail under the condition that she stay away from Whole Foods.
On May 12, 2026, when Powell had a pretrial hearing scheduled, she failed to appear and a default warrant was issued for her arrest.
On May 15, 2026, Powell appeared for the pretrial hearing, which was continued to a later date.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in April, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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