BRADFORD, Vt. — Police have arrested a suspect in two burglaries involving 20 firearms and hundreds of dollars worth of coins from a residence on Cobblestone Alley.
Last week, police arrested 39-year-old Thomasina Howard, of Bradford, on a warrant for a failure to appear in court on drug charges from last April, according to a news release from Bradford Police.
Police located Howard on Feb. 4, an hour and a half following the second burglary on Cobblestone Alley, at Hannaford supermarket where a witness allegedly observed her turning in $450 worth of loose change to a Coinstar machine.
The person who reported her told police they saw Howard pouring change out of her backpack, but did not know who she was. The witness was, however, aware of recent thefts.
The firearms and a collection of coins were stolen from a 61-year-old Cobblestone Alley resident on two separate occasions, Jan. 26 and Feb. 4.
During the first burglary, 20 firearms belonging to the male resident were taken between 5 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. while he was not home, Bradford Police Sgt. David Shaffer said.
Just over a week later, the victim’s home was broken into a second time and a large collection of coins was taken from the residence.
Howard is suspected to have been involved in both of these burglaries, Shaffer said.
“Certainly charges for her are forthcoming,” he said.
She already faces two felony charges of fentanyl trafficking and cocaine possession, plus a misdemeanor charge for sale of a regulated drug in a dwelling, stemming from an April arrest. These crimes are alleged to have occurred at 94 S Main Street Apt. 3 in Bradford, which is listed as Howard’s address in the probable cause affidavit.
At a May 29 arraignment, Howard pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
She failed to appear in court for a status conference on the drug charges, so on Jan. 7 the Orange County Superior Court issued a $2,500 warrant for her arrest.
“She was wanted at the time of both burglaries actually,” said Shaffer.
Howard’s attorney, Debby Pakbaz, did not respond by deadline to a Thursday morning phone message left to her office.
During Howard’s Feb. 4 arrest at the Hannaford, police deployed a K-9 unit to help locate stolen items. The K-9 led police just 200 yards away to 64 South Pleasant Street in Bradford.
“We know of it being an ongoing drug trafficking location,” Shaffer said of the South Pleasant Street address.
The K-9 located several items belonging to the Cobblestone Alley victim, but not the firearms. Police also located mail belonging to Bradford residents who had reported it stolen.
The investigation is ongoing.
Despite having multiple persons of interest relating to this case, there has been difficulty locating them, said Shaffer. He declined to share the number of current suspects.
Bradford Police are working to track down the stolen firearms, though they were likely traded for other property or drugs, and possibly scattered across different locations, said Shaffer. Still, police are determined to locate all the firearms they can.
“We don’t want firearms in the hands of folks that may be using them for illegal purposes; violent purposes,” said Shaffer.
As of Wednesday, Howard remains in police custody at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington. Her next scheduled court appearance is a status conference on April 8.
Bradford Police encourage residents to secure their homes and install anti-theft devices if possible.
Those with information regarding the burglaries are urged to contact Shaffer at DShaffer@Bradfordvt.gov or 802-222-4727 ext. 216.