Couple Sentenced For Burglary Spree
Sonora, CA — Two people have been sentenced to state prison for carrying out what the Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office calls one of the county’s most prolific burglary rings.
Sean Timothy O’Connor has been sentenced to 28 years behind bars and his wife, Lisa Nicole O’Connor, to nearly 13 years. Sean was charged with 20 counts of first degree burglary, several counts of second degree commercial burglary, five counts of identity theft and several counts of possession and sale of heroin. His wife was only tied to one residential burglary, but convicted on four counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of possession and sale of heroin, and one count of identity theft.
The D.A.’s Office reports that the burglaries occurred in Columbia, Sonora and Twain Harte between late 2011 and mid-2012. Homeowners reported that their residences were forcibly entered, and items typically stolen included jewelry, watches, coins and flatware.
The D.A.’s Office says that on several occasions in early 2012, the O’Connor’s were arrested for an assortment of charges, including the sale of heroin.
At the locations they were arrested, authorities would often find items that had earlier been reported stolen. The D.A.’s Office started comparing items located in the O’Connor’s possession, with those that there were reported stolen from the residential burglaries.
There was a break in the case when Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office Evidence Clerk Jennifer Dillon found a coin book that had been at a pawn shop in Oakdale. The dealer was contacted, and he provided a list of items pawned by the O’Connor’s, as well as a log showing when they were brought into the shop.
It is noted that in several of the burglary cases, witnesses reported seeing a man matching Sean’s description.
The two were convicted, and the sentencing was handed down yesterday in Tuolumne County Superior Court.
