Newly released body camera video shows Shrewsbury police officers finding Westborough Police Chief Todd Minardi in his unmarked department vehicle outside a liquor store on October 23, 2026, holding an open bottle of Tito’s vodka, NBC10 Boston and Boston 25 News reported on November 5. The vehicle had been parked in the same spot since the morning before, according to NBC10.
Minardi was cited for having an open container of alcohol. He was not charged with operating under the influence. Westborough placed him on administrative leave and said it would hire an outside investigator. He has not been charged with a crime, and the town has not announced any findings.
What the video and reports show
According to NBC10, which obtained the footage, and Boston 25, which obtained dispatch records:
- A business owner called for a well-being check after noticing the vehicle had been parked outside Star Liquors on Boston Turnpike (Route 9) since the previous morning, October 22. “I worried that he was dead. That was my main concern,” the caller told officers, NBC10 reported.
- An officer opened the door and found Minardi in the driver’s seat, in civilian clothes, holding an open bottle of vodka. The officer radioed for a supervisor and focused on whether the chief had his department firearm. A lieutenant later determined he was unarmed, NBC10 reported.
- “Chief, keep them on the steering wheel. We’re treating you with respect,” an officer said. Minardi told officers he was “fine” and repeatedly apologized. “I’m sorry to put you in this position,” he said, according to NBC10.
- Asked how long he had been there, he answered “hours.” Surveillance video showed he made a purchase on the morning of October 22 and the vehicle did not move until officers arrived the next afternoon, NBC10 reported.
- The incident report described two bottles, one empty and one “mostly empty,” Boston 25 reported. NBC10 earlier reported that an officer’s report described him as “hammered drunk,” and that his wife told a first responder he had been “missing for two days.”
He was taken to UMass Memorial, Boston 25 reported. Minardi did not return NBC10’s call seeking comment, and the town manager did not respond to its request for an update.
Why there was no OUI charge
Boston 25 reported that officers said they could not charge Minardi with operating under the influence because the vehicle was not running when they arrived. NBC10 reported that the car was off and that Minardi told officers the keys had not been in the ignition.
That tracks the statute. G.L. c. 90, § 24(1)(a)(1), which we read at malegislature.gov, applies to a person who “operates a motor vehicle” on a public way or a place the public can access while under the influence. Being drunk in a parked car is not, by itself, the offense.
The Supreme Judicial Court defines “operates” broadly, but it still requires an act. A person operates a vehicle “when, in the vehicle, he intentionally does any act or makes use of any mechanical or electrical agency which alone or in sequence will set in motion the motive power of that vehicle,” the court said in Commonwealth v. Uski, 263 Mass. 22, 24 (1928), quoted in Commonwealth v. Ginnetti, 400 Mass. 181, 183 (1987). In plainer terms, Ginnetti said, a person operates a vehicle “by starting its engine or by making use of the power provided by its engine.” We verified both cases on CourtListener. Starting the engine can be enough even if the car never moves. Sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine off and the keys out of the ignition usually is not.
The open container citation
The citation falls under G.L. c. 90, § 24I, also read at malegislature.gov. It covers anyone who, on a public way or in a place the public can access, “possesses an open container of alcoholic beverage in the passenger area of any motor vehicle.” A liquor store parking lot is a place the public can access. The penalty is “a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500.” The statute also says the driver of any motor vehicle “shall not possess an open container of alcoholic beverage.” Unlike an OUI, it does not require that the vehicle be running.
| OUI, c. 90, § 24 | Open container, c. 90, § 24I | |
|---|---|---|
| Must the person operate the vehicle? | Yes | No; possession in the passenger area is enough |
| Where it applies | Public ways and places the public can access | Same |
| Penalty, first offense | Fine of $500 to $5,000, up to 2.5 years in jail, or both | Fine of $100 to $500 |
What happens next
The open question now is employment, not criminal. Deputy Chief Steve Tompkins is running the department, Boston 25 and MassLive reported. Westborough said in October that, because this is “an ongoing personnel matter under active review,” it would not comment further, MassLive reported. The town has not said when the outside investigation will finish. Minardi has been chief for three years and joined the department as a reserve officer in 1994, according to MassLive.
How a town can discipline or remove a chief depends on his contract and on whether the position is covered by civil service, which the town has not addressed publicly. How Middleton ended its police chief’s contract.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get an OUI in Massachusetts while sitting in a parked car?
Only if you “operate” it. The SJC has said that includes starting the engine or using the engine’s power, even if the car does not move. Sitting in a car that is off, with the keys out of the ignition, generally is not operating.
What is the fine for an open container in a car in Massachusetts?
$100 to $500 under G.L. c. 90, § 24I. It applies on public ways and in places the public can access, such as parking lots.
Was the Westborough police chief arrested?
No. He was cited for an open container, taken to the hospital and placed on administrative leave by the town, according to Boston 25 and NBC10.
Who is running the Westborough Police Department?
Deputy Chief Steve Tompkins, the town said.
Sources: NBC10 Boston, October 25, October 27 and November 5, 2026 (body camera video, incident report); Boston 25 News, October 25, October 27 and November 5, 2026 (dispatch records, video); MassLive, October 25, 2026. G.L. c. 90, §§ 24 and 24I, read at malegislature.gov. Commonwealth v. Ginnetti, 400 Mass. 181 (1987), and Commonwealth v. Uski, 263 Mass. 22 (1928), verified on CourtListener. General information, not legal advice.