Former Hanson Police Chief Edward F. Savage III and his wife Christine of Plympton will be arraigned in Hingham District Court on Monday, April 2, on shoplifting charges stemming from an incident in April 2017 when they were allegedly seen concealing more than $400 worth of clothing in a shopping cart and leaving a store without paying.
In a televised investigative report by WCVB-TV, Investigative Reporter Mike Beaudet on “5 Investigates” last week, showed a video of the Savages shoplifting inside Kohl’s Department Store at 100 Derby St., Hingham, as well as audio from the show cause hearing at Hingham District Court. Beaudet reported that his investigation yielded a court order to obtain the shoplifting video and audio from the closed-door show cause hearing.
In the video, the Savages were visible shopping throughout the Kohl’s Department Store when Christine entered the dressing room with the cart full of clothing. Former Chief Savage took a seat outside the dressing room.
After Christine came out of the dressing room, the clothing was not visible in the cart but was apparently in a plastic Kohl’s bag. The couple can be seen after a short pause with Christine pushing the cart as Edward appeared to be looking briefly toward the register.
The pair was then stopped outside the store by Kohl’s security officers with merchandise which had not been paid for.
Sgt. Steven Dearth of Hingham Police, who said he could not confirm the names of the Savages, issued a redacted police report after the incident had already aired online and appeared in the Boston Globe.
Then Hingham Clerk Magistrate Joseph Ligotti who retired in January said in the audio broadcast that he did not believe the Savages’ story of forgetting their wallet and going to retrieve it from the car. He questioned why the couple had not been arrested on scene by the Hingham police with the overwhelming evidence on the Kohl’s security tape.
Ligotti agreed to drop the charges in February if the ex-chief and his wife issued a letter of apology to Kohl’s and to the Hingham police.
The case was continued for final disposition on Feb. 28, 2018. When Beaudet reviewed the case, he reported that Clerk Magistrate Andrew P. Quigley, who saw the conditions in place by Ligotti, stated those conditions had not been met.
When contacted by Express Newspapers, Attorney Daniel Webster, lawyer for the Savages, declined comment at this time.
Former Chief Savage resigned from the Hanson police in 2012 after approximately 10 years in service. He was under review for allegedly inflating his criminal statistics to augment his stature as chief.