ROCKLAND, Mass. — A man accused of breaking and entering homes in Rockland had just been released from prison after serving a four-year sentence for the same crime, according to court documents.
Records show Bradford Jones was released from Souza Baranowski Correctional Facility just a month before Rockland Police arrested him for breaking and entering.
Mike Sweeney was at work, but his wife and daughter came home from a shopping trip to find an uninvited guest rummaging through their Rockland home.
“The place was trashed and ransacked,” Sweeney said. “She opened the door and realized the back slider was open and she heard a crash and ran back and headed toward the car, at the same time the robber ran out the back door.”
Sweeney said the robber got away with jewelry, DVD players and a couple of TVs, but he left behind some crucial evidence.
“He dropped the TV. When he dropped the TV, I guess, he left some fingerprints on there,” said Sweeney.
According to court documents, Rockland investigators connected the dots to Jones, a 48-year-old who lives in Brockton.
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Police say they've also linked him to another break in on Union Street after they found the stolen jewelry at a pawn shop.
Jones just got out of jail last month and was living just three homes down from Sweeneys.
“He just happened to come to this neighborhood and got right back into what he was doing before he went to prison,” said Sweeney.
He said his wife was shaken up and as a result of the break in, they bought a security system. He doesn't know if Jones was armed, but he's glad his wife wasn't hurt.
“[It’s] pretty scary. It could’ve been a different story and I like the outcome,” he said. “I don’t mind giving up a few of the things we lost just to have someone like that out of the neighborhood and back where he belongs.”
Jones has been held on $10,000 cash bail and has a court date next month. In the meantime, investigators are working on several other house breaks in town he might be connected to.
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