LEOMINSTER — On Thursday, July 30, 2026, Officer Nicholas Rice was dispatched to the Target at 86 Orchard Hill Park Drive following a report of a shoplifter.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Nicholas Rice and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
When Officer Rice arrived on scene, he spoke with a loss prevention employee at Target.
“[The loss prevention employee] stated that the female shoplifter in her office, later identified as Tammy Sovine, had concealed $363.62 worth of merchandise on her person,” Officer Rice said.
According to police, Tammy Sovine, 51, is a resident of Ayer, MA.
The loss prevention employee said that Sovine had been involved in multiple other shoplifting incidents at Target.
“The total of the other incidents is $1,072.82,” Officer Rice said. “This brings the total amount to $1,436.44. Tammy went past all points of sale without rendering payment with intent to permanently deprive the store of its goods.”
Officer Rice said Sovine had her daughter with her. Sovine said she did not know anyone in the area who could pick up her daughter. Officer Rice then received permission from Sergeant Richard Woodward to bring Sovine’s daughter to the station until she could get a ride.
“When I relayed that info to Tammy, she stated that her neighbor was on the way to come get [her daughter] shortly,” Officer Rice said. “I placed Tammy under arrest.”
Officer Rice said he secured Sovine with two sets of handcuffs linked together to accommodate a reported back injury. He then checked the handcuffs for tightness and double-locked them.
Officer Rice then escorted Sovine to his cruiser.
“Tammy was wearing a dress with no pockets,” Office Rice said. “I did observe a lighter in her bra. Due to her alleged back injury and the fact that she was in handcuffs, I felt as though it was safe to leave it where it was and retrieve it at the station.”
Officer Rice then transported Sovine to the Leominster Police Department, where she was booked by Lieutenant Thomas Wade.
“Although Tammy was shoplifting with her daughter present, I do not believe that [her daughter] was aware of what was going on,” Officer Rice said. “We also spared [Sovine’s daughter] the sight of seeing Tammy being walked out in handcuffs. I do not believe there was any abuse or neglect.”
Tammy Sovine, 51, of Ayer, was arrested and charged with the following:
- Larceny over $1200
Sovine was arraigned in Leominster District Court on July 31, 2026. Following her arraignment, she was released on personal recognizance under the condition that she stay away from the Leominster Target.
Sovine’s next court date is a pretrial conference hearing scheduled for Sept. 17, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in July, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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