Westborough police chief found ‘hammered drunk’ in parking lot

Police officers were responding to a wellness check at a liquor store parking lot Friday afternoon when they found Westborough police Chief Todd Minardi in his unmarked cruiser beside empty bottles of vodka, Shrewsbury police said.

Police believe Minardi, who according to officers had glassy eyes and slurred words, spent more than 24 hours in the parking lot until a passerby called 911. Minardi wore civilian clothes and did not have his service weapon with him, police wrote in an incident report.

The Town of Westborough placed Minardi on administrative leave Saturday and plans to use an outside investigator to look into the incident, town officials said previously. Deputy Chief Steve Tompkins assumed the duties of chief in the meantime.

“Where this is an ongoing personnel matter that is under active review, the Town will not be commenting further on this matter at this time,” Westborough officials said in a statement.

A local shop owner noticed the vehicle had been in the Star Liquors parking lot overnight. He peeked in the window to find a man with his head down and a red face, police said. The passerby thought the man could be dead or suffering a medical emergency, so he called 911 just after 12 p.m. Friday, according to the police report.

Shrewsbury officers arrived, they noted the man, later identified as Minardi, was “hammered drunk,” according to the police report. Mindardi held one 750 ml bottle of partially drunk Tito’s vodka in one hand, with an empty bottle beside him, according to the police report.

Minardi’s eyes were bloodshot, and he smelled of alcohol, police said. His responses were slow, and he answered questions like “how many quarters make a dollar?” incorrectly, police wrote. His wife said he had been missing for two days, according to the report.

A medic then took Minardi to a hospital, police wrote in the report.

Using security camera footage from the liquor store, officers determined that Minardi arrived at the store just after 8 a.m. Wednesday to purchase a lottery ticket and a bottle of vodka. On Thursday, just after 9 a.m., he returned to the store to purchase another bottle of vodka, according to the police report.

Police determined Minardi did not leave his gray Ford Explorer at the 507 Boston Turnpike parking lot until police responded the following morning, based on security footage from a store across the highway. 

Police did not charge Minardi with any crime, but they did issue a citation for an open container of alcohol, according to the police report.

Minardi joined the Westborough Police Department in 1993 before his promotion to chief in 2023, according to MetroWest Daily News. In September, he received the 2026 Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association Community Policing Award.