SPRINGFIELD - Before admitting to a shoplifting charge Monday, Alfredo Rodriguez-Diaz wanted to set the record straight.

He never attempted to steal 32 packages of salami by stuffing them down his pants and walking out of the Price Rite supermarket in West Springfield.

The correct number was 10 packages of salami and 20 packages of fish, he said.

Rodriguez-Diaz, 38, of Springfield was arrested Monday morning after store security stopped him walking out with the hidden groceries; four hours later, he walked into Springfield District Court, handcuffed and shackled.



After speaking with an interpreter and his court-appointed lawyer, Rodriguez-Diaz agreed to plead to a decriminalized shoplifting charge and pay the standard $300 fine.

Judge William Boyle appeared ready to accept the plea. But after reviewing paperwork in the case, the judge had a question.

"Is it true what it says here - that you had 32 packages of salami in your pants?" Boyle asked.

As the interpreter relayed the question to the defendant, Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski spoke up.

"Yes, your honor - and he had fish (packages) as well," she said.

Moments later, the defense lawyer objected, saying that only 30 packages - 10 salami, 20 fish - were found on his client.

The products were Goya Salami and Buena Ventura Pollock; the total value was $182.47, according to the arrest report. The number of packages is not mentioned in the report, which states only that the defendant hid them in his jacket.



Boyle eventually accepted the plea and gave the defendant until April 14 to pay the fine. He also warned that future offenses would be punished by higher fines or jail terms.

Because the salami and fish packages were recovered, Rodriguez-Diaz was not required to pay restitution.