WORCESTER – A Southbridge man was placed on probation with a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty Monday to breaking into 29 vehicles and stealing loose change and other items to support his drug addiction.
Tommielee J. Goddard, 31, formerly of 115 High St., Apt. 1, Southbridge, entered guilty pleas in Worcester Superior Court to 29 counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony and 18 counts of larceny of property valued at less than $1,200.
Assistant District Attorney Michael D. McHugh said the crimes occurred on various dates from June 25 to Aug. 18, 2018, in Southbridge, and that many of the vehicles that were broken into had been left unlocked. The prosecutor said items stolen included cash, sunglasses, jewelry, and, in one case, a gift card with about $500 remaining on it.
McHugh said Goddard admitted breaking into more than 20 vehicles after his arrest. Documents on file in Dudley District Court, where Goddard had previously been charged, indicated that police were aware that he had a “severe addiction to heroin” prior to being taken into custody.
Judge William J. Ritter sentenced Goddard to 29 concurrent sentences of 2½ years in the House of Correction on the breaking and entering charges, but suspended those sentences for 2 years with probation. The judge imposed 18 concurrent 2-year terms of probation on the larceny charges.
As conditions of probation, Goddard was ordered to undergo a substance abuse evaluation and any related treatment recommended by the Probation Department, to remain drug-and-alcohol-free with random screens and to stay away from the victims.
That sentence was recommended by Goddard’s lawyer, James J. Kaeding, who said his client entered and successfully completed Project Turnabout, a residential drug treatment program in Weymouth, after being released from custody to do so and had since been living in a sober house and working as a cook. Kaeding said Goddard’s crimes were fueled by his drug addiction and that he had since taken steps to deal with his substance abuse issues.
“He is engaged in his recovery and is very serious about it,” the defense lawyer said.
McHugh had recommended that Goddard be sentenced to 2 to 4 years in state prison with 3 years of probation to begin upon his release. He said his sentencing recommendation was based on the “sheer volume of breaks,” adding that most of Goddard’s victims were in agreement with his proposed sentence.
Ritter said he was going along with the defense recommendation because of Goddard’s successful completion of the treatment program.
