Woman Arrested for String of AC Unit House Break-ins

A 33-year-old Plymouth woman has been charged with stealing from several homes in Braintree over the last few weeks.

Police arrested Teressa L. Viola at her home in Plymouth on Wednesday after a search turned up two iPads and a pocketbook that were identified as being stolen from different homes on South Steet and Hoover Avenue in Braintree.

Viola was charged with five counts of breaking and entering and five counts of larceny over $250, though police are still investigating to see if she was involved in additional break-ins, Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said in a statement.

Air conditioning units were pushed in to gain entry in four of the five incidents, Jenkins said. He added that police believe Viola pawned much of the jewelry she allegedly stole at a pawn shop on the North Shore.

"Our detectives received valuable information from neighbors of some of the victims, as well as assistance from police officers and detectives in Peabody and Plymouth in identifying Viola as a suspect,” Jenkins said.

The five break-ins were identified as:

Birch Street, Oct 1. – AC unit used, jewelry taken

Two homes on South Street, Sept. 24 – AC unit used, jewelry and small electronics taken

Cherry Street, Sept. 19 – AC unit used, jewelry taken

Hoover Avenue, Sept. 19 – No AC unit used, jewelry and cash taken