LEICESTER – On Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, at approximately 11:16 a.m., Leicester Police Officer Paul Pepin was dispatched to the Walmart Supercenter at 20 Soojian Drive following a report of a shoplifting incident that had just occurred.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Paul Pepin and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
When Officer Pepin arrived on scene, he spoke with an asset protection employee who reported that a man in a red shirt with a blue backpack who was walking with a woman had just left Walmart and was walking eastbound on Main Street.
“They were last seen near Wendy’s Located at 1603 Main Street,” Officer Pepin said. “I was able to locate both the male and female party walking eastbound in the area of 1548 Main Street. Dispatch was notified of the same.”
Officer Pepin said he exited his cruiser, identified himself to both individuals and explained why police had been called.
“Both male and the female were carrying Walmart reusable shopping bags which contained merchandise such as protein powders,” Officer Pepin said. “The male admitted to stealing the items.”
Officer Pepin said the man was identified as Jose Rivera and the woman was identified as Jennifer Wilson.
According to police, Jennifer Wilson, 50, and Jose Rivera, 44, are both residents of Worcester, MA.
At around this time, Officer Pepin said Lieutenant Matthew Brady, Officer Scot Brooks, and Officer Stephen Kustigian arrived on scene to assist.
Officer Pepin said he then queried Wilson and Rivera’s information through the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) database, including a review of their Board of Probation (BOP) records.
Officer Pepin said Rivera’s Board of Probation record showed eight prior shoplifting convictions in Worcester District Court between 2018 through 2024.
“Ms. Wilson did not have any shoplifting related offenses on her BOP,” Officer Pepin said. Adding, “Both Mr. Rivera and Ms. Wilson were subsequently placed under arrest.”
Officer Pepin said Rivera and Wilson were handcuffed behind their backs and searched.
“I escorted Mr. Rivera to the right-rear passenger seat of my cruiser where he was seat-belted and secured,” Officer Pepin said. “Officer Kustigian escorted Ms. Wilson to the right-rear passenger seat of his cruiser.”
Officer Brooks then responded to Walmart and met with their asset protection officers.
“It was reported that the total value of the stolen Walmart merchandise was $642.23,” Officer Brooks said. “Both Mr. Rivera and Ms. Wilson were transported to Leicester Police Department where they were booked in accordance with departmental policy. They were both photographed and fingerprinted.”
Officer Pepin reported that during booking, a Suboxone strip and two glass pipes with burnt residue were found in Wilson’s personal property during an inventory of her belongings.
“The glass pipes will be submitted for destruction,” Officer Pepin said. “Criminal charges will be filed for the single Suboxone strip.”
Jose Rivera, 44, of Worcester, was charged with the following:
- Shoplifting by Asportation, 3rd Offense
- Conspiracy
Jennifer Wilson, 50, of Worcester, was charged with the following:
- Shoplifting $250+ by Asportation
- Larceny Under $1,200
- Conspiracy
- Possess Class B Drug (Suboxone)
Officer Pepin said that following booking, Rivera and Wilson were transported to East Brookfield District Court for their arraignments.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in September, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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