Savor, Don't Steal the Wine

WOBURN - Wine should be savored, not stolen.

That's the advice Burlington and Newton police might have given Tadd K. Higgins, 45, of Boston. Police allege that Higgins and a female accomplice targeted Wegman supermarkets in Burlington and Chestnut Hill to do some upscale shoplifting - not meat, milk or munchies - but thousands of dollars worth of fine wine.

In Woburn District Court on Wednesday, Higgins, of 68 Butler St., Unit B9, Boston, was sentenced to six months in jail, concurrent with a sentence he is now serving, after pleading guilty to five counts of larceny over $250 - one count for each stolen bottle of wine.

Burlington police allege in court documents that on Nov. 17, 2016, officers responded to Wegmans on 3rd Ave., in Burlington for a report of missing bottles of fine wine that were missing. totaling $5,379. The store's loss prevention had store video showing a man or a woman between Oct. 21, 2016 to Nov. 12, 2016 concealing bottles and walking out of the store.

But these were no average shoplifters. Police say the pair pulled expensive fine wine. The pair pilfered five bottles of wine totaling $5,379.

Police saw that they made their escape in a black Nissan Altima and got the license plate number. The car was registered to a Taunton woman and that led police to Higgins.

Whether Higgins is a connoisseur of fine wine it is unclear by the court files. If he drank the wine, he should have savored every sip, because there is no wine - fine or otherwise - in jail.

Photo of Tadd Krispin Higgins by Lisa Redmond/lisa.redmond@patch.com.