Mass state trooper Zachariah Kent waits for his arraignment at Worcester District Court on Feb. 13.

A state trooper placed on probation earlier this year following charges of shoplifting golf balls from Target is no longer certified to be a police officer in Massachusetts.

The state certification for Zachariah Kent, who police alleged stole more than $1,000 in merchandise, is considered expired, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission confirmed Dec. 1.

The spokesperson said the commission, which certifies and decertifies officers’ licenses, has not received a submission for certification renewal for Kent, whose license expired in October.

His certification “is now categorized as expired barring any further correspondence from him or the Massachusetts State Police regarding [its] status,” spokesperson Beth Wolfsen wrote in an email.

State police have yet to report to POST the results of their internal affairs investigation, and Kent remains suspended without pay, a spokesperson said.

Kent was placed on probation for nine months in May after admitting sufficient facts existed for a finding of guilty.

The move, called an Alford plea, results in charges being dropped upon successful fulfillment of probation.

Terms of the second-year trooper’s probation include that he pay restitution, stay away from all Targets and attend therapy and Gamblers Anonymous.

Kent’s lawyer, Fernando Figueroa, declined to comment on Dec. 1.

Kent has been suspended without pay since the allegations surfaced in fall 2024, when authorities said he had been caught on video stealing more than a dozen times from Target stores in Millbury, Worcester, Westborough and Milford.

Kent, who earned $119,000 in 2024 prior to his suspension, allegedly used the “skip scan” method – where a person pays for some items at self-checkout, while failing to pay for others – for months undetected.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: State trooper charged with stealing golf balls no longer certified to be a cop

Reporting by Brad Petrishen, Worcester Telegram & Gazette / Telegram & Gazette

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