Police officer pays for shoplifting suspects’ holiday dinner

SOMERSET, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts police officer is winning praise for providing Christmas dinner for two women accused of trying to steal groceries for their children.

Officer Matt Lima responded to a report of shoplifting Dec. 20 at Stop & Shop. Two women with two young children were accused of bagging groceries at a self-checkout kiosk without scanning them. The women said they had fallen upon hard times and wanted to provide a Christmas dinner for the children.

Lima says he was reminded of his own children and decided not to charge them. Instead, he used his own money to buy $250 in grocery gift cards.