By Jim Clark

Police officers were dispatched to the Home Depot store on Mystic Ave. last Thursday on reports of an alleged shoplifter being detained by loss prevention personnel.

Upon arrival, the officers were informed by radio that the female suspect, identified as Sondra Noonan, of Weymouth, was exiting the store through the contractor’s entrance.

As they pulled up, the officers located Noonan as she was walking out of the store carrying a reusable shopping bag. According to police, a common tactic of shoplifters is to use reusable shopping bags to conceal items, as they are durable and can be used multiple times.

As soon as the officers approached, Noonan reportedly lowered her head and handed them the shopping bag, telling them that everything she stole was in the bag.

Once inside the loss prevention office, the value of the stolen merchandise, consisting of five butane torches, two LED flashlights, two bolt cutters, and a butane gas refill canister, amounted to $168.70.

According to police, Noonan admitted that she was also going to take paint, but had left it in the shopping cart she had used in the store.

A loss prevention staffer commented that the items Noonan stole were very specific, and she reportedly told police that she was stealing them for her boyfriend, who is in construction. According to Noonan, he gave her a list of items to steal for him. A “shopping list” of items – another common tactic of shoplifters – that Noonan was supposed to steal was reportedly located on her person.

When asked, Noonan reportedly told the officers there may be needles inside a red glasses case in her possession, which belong to her boyfriend. When the glasses case was opened, police located two needles, one of which had a reddish-brown liquid substance inside of it, ready for use. A baggie, commonly used to hold “rocks” of narcotics, such as heroin, as well as a glass pipe containing a white, crystallized substance, typically used to smoke narcotics was also reportedly found in the glasses case.

While neither substance found was tested, based on their training and experience, the substance in the needle was most likely judged by the officers to be heroin.

Noonan was placed under arrest on charges of possession of a class A drug and shoplifting by concealing merchandise, and on warrant charges of shoplifting by asportation, furnishing a false name or Social Security number, operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor 2nd offense, reckless endangerment to a child, operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license, marked lanes violation, and alcohol from open container.