LEICESTER — On Saturday, May 23, 2026 at approximately 5:28 P.M., Detective Robert Noone of the Leicester Police Department was dispatched to the Walmart Supercenter, located at 20 Soojian Drive, following a report that a man who had previously been trespassed from the store was shoplifting.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Detective Robert Noone and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Upon my arrival, I was met by Walmart asset protection staff, who directed my attention to a male party they were actively surveilling who was wearing red-and-black athletic shorts, a white-and-black flannel-check long-sleeve shirt, and white t-shirt,” Detective Noone said.
Detective Noone said the man was shoplifting by concealing merchandise, removing tags from clothing and shoes, and wearing other merchandise, including shoes.
“He was also observed, by store staff, placing a pair of old shoes he changed for new shoes and hiding the old under a clothing display,” Detective Noone said.
While awaiting the man’s exit, asset protection staff told Detective Noone that they wished to enforce the trespass violation.
“Staff also explained that the suspect entered the store on surveillance footage with an empty Walmart store bag, which was now full of stolen merchandise,” Detective Noone said.
At around this time, Officer Nicholas Wilson arrived on scene to assist.
Approximately 10 to 15 minutes after Detective Noone arrived on scene, the suspect, later identified as Kristopher Curnin of Worcester, exited through the main pharmacy entrance.
According to police, Kristopher A. Curnin, 43, is a resident of Country Club Boulevard, Worcester, MA.
Detective Noone said that while Curnin was in between the inner and outer automatic sliding doors, a Walmart asset protection employee approached him and told him that he needed to come back to the office with her for shoplifting.
“He refused, placed the items in the bag down, while still wearing a pair of shoplifted shoes, and walked away from her,” Detective Noone said. “I grabbed his left wrist to begin to stop and cuff him, at this time he pulled away from me. I then pulled him back inside the building and placed him against the interior wall to be handcuffed with the assistance of Officer Wilson. During the course of the arrest, I injured my left elbow and tore my shirt sleeve.”
Detective Noone said that Curnin eventually calmed down, apologized for his behavior, and became compliant.
“He was then brought into the asset protection office for completion of another trespass, which he signed,” Detective Noone said. “During this time, he also acknowledged the previous trespasses from Walmart stores. Walmart asset protection staff advised that it was, in fact, all locations and he confirmed he understood in the presence of myself and Officer Wilson.”
The asset protection employees then collected and totaled the stolen merchandise. Detective Noone said the items ranged from electronics-department merchandise to clothing and had a total value of $384.42. The employees generated a training receipt and provided it to police.
“Asset protection staff also printed a record of a previous all-Walmart trespass dated and signed by Kristopher dated January 28, 2023,” Detective Noone said.
Officer Wilson subsequently transported Curnin to the Leicester Police Department for booking.
Kristopher Curnin, 43, of Worcester, was charged with the following:
- Shoplifting $250+ by Concealing Merchandise
- Trespass
After he was booked, Curnin was released on personal recognizance at around 8:00 p.m.
Curnin was arraigned in East Brookfield District Court on May 26, 2026. During his arraignment, Curnin pleaded guilty to the shoplifting charge and was found guilty for the charge by the court. Although Curnin also pleaded guilty to the trespassing charge, that charge was dismissed by order of the court.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in May, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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