Plymouth police believe they have cracked the case of the brazen thief who repeatedly made her way into the locked Redbrook mailhouse and stole packages meant for residents of the South Plymouth neighborhood.
Sunny Lynn McDonough, 45, is charged with five counts of breaking and entering to commit a felony and five counts of larceny. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment in Plymouth District Court Tuesday and was released on personal recognizance. She is due back in court on Oct. 14
The East Bridgewater woman has a long history of arrests for similar crimes, police said.
Plymouth Detective Robert Shaw called McDonough a “threat to private property/goods” with “no concern for the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
McDonough couldn’t be reached for comment. Her lawyer, William P. Franzese, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Police from Plymouth, Westford, and East Bridgewater searched McDonough’s home Tuesday, according to Plymouth Chief Dana Flynn, turning up several stolen items. He didn’t say what the items were.
McDonough is also under investigation in Westford and East Bridgewater, police said.
“This was a great case worked by multiple jurisdictions,” Flynn said.
The Redbrook thefts, which occurred during the day and at night, unnerved residents, who feared that one of their neighbors may have aided the thief.
To get into the building, residents must use an individualized FOB assigned to them.
The couple issued the FOB allegedly used by McDonough told police they were on vacation when their daughter apparently lost it. The device may have been dropped in or near the mailhouse, but they didn’t report it missing.
In a lengthy report, Plymouth police detailed how they traced the alleged thefts back to McDonough, aided by authorities in Wareham, East Bridgewater, and Westford.
After Redbrook posted surveillance photos online, Plymouth police received a tip from a Wareham probation officer, who identified McDonough, the police report said.
She told police she was “100 percent sure” the woman in the photos was McDonough, who was on probation for a similar criminal act in Middleborough and had multiple cases, including those out of Wrentham and Concord district courts, police said.
In some of the incidents, she allegedly had an accomplice, Christine Nicholson. Video surveillance footage from Redbrook appears to show two different women, but only McDonough has been charged by Plymouth police.
Westford police contacted Plymouth officers on Sept. 7 to say that they, too, were investigating the theft of packages by a woman who illegally entered a mailroom.
Video surveillance captured images of the car the woman was driving — an Infiniti SUV. The car was traced back to McDonough, the police report said.
Plymouth Detective Robert Shaw then contacted East Bridgewater police, who told him that department was investigating allegations that McDonough was selling new items online — with tags still attached.
East Bridgewater police conducted a “trash pull” on Sept. 9, looking for evidence of crimes in her garbage.
They found a package with the address blacked out, a new glucose monitoring system in a box, and a new whole-house water filtration system, the police report said.
The East Bridgewater officer, Detective Ceclilia Cacciatore, also confirmed that McDonough has a “Flower & Tribal” tattoo on her lower back — the same tattoo that could be seen on a Redbrook surveillance photo.
In their report, Plymouth police also detailed the multiple reports of thefts they received from Redbrook residents in July and August. Missing items included designer sunglasses, bathing suits, medication, and a blender.
According to police, the surveillance footage was turned over to police by Redbrook developer A.D. Makepeace on Aug. 18. Several residents asked why it took so long.
They also wondered why the key FOB wasn’t deactivated as soon as the first theft was reported.
In an email, Makepeace spokeswoman Linda Burke did not address those concerns.
“We appreciate the diligent efforts of the Plymouth Police Department,” she said, “and we were interested to learn that Redbrook was not the only target of this thief.”
Some Redbrook residents received replacement items by reporting to retailers that they hadn’t received the goods they ordered.
Others held out hope their packages would reappear or they would somehow be made whole.
The police report doesn’t say whether police have recovered any of the goods stolen from Redbrook.
“I am grateful that the person responsible has been caught,” said Cynthia LeTourneau, who ordered a pair of $250 sunglasses she never received.
“Not only did I have a package stolen from the mailroom and the annoyance it caused, but it was frightening to lose a sense of security in our neighborhood.”
“I am doubtful that I will ever get my sunglasses back,” she said. “They were delivered on July 27. Now that over six weeks have passed, I am not holding out much hope.”
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.