Stoughton Police are asking for the public's help identifying someone involved in a larceny at the Target store on 1 Hawes Way that happened on August 26. Investigators released photos of the individual in hopes that someone in the community can put a name to the face.
The department made the request in a Facebook post published Tuesday evening, according to the Stoughton Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at (781) 344-2424 or send a private message through its Facebook page. As is standard practice, police noted that the individual sought is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
This isn't the first time this month that Stoughton police have turned to the public for help solving a theft at that same Target. Just weeks earlier, on August 9, police sought help identifying a different suspect connected to a separate larceny at the same 1 Hawes Way location, as reported by Patch. Two incidents at one retail location within less than three weeks of each other suggest the store has drawn repeated attention from would-be thieves this summer.
A Busy Month for Retail Theft Investigations
The Target case is also part of a broader wave of retail theft appeals from Stoughton police this August. The department separately asked for public assistance identifying two people connected to multiple larcenies at the TJ Maxx on Park Street that occurred on August 11, according to Patch's reporting on that investigation. Police released surveillance photos across those cases as well, underscoring how frequently local retailers have been targeted recently.
The Target store at 1 Hawes Way functions as a major regional retail hub off Route 139, complete with an internal CVS Pharmacy and Target Optical, drawing shoppers from across Norfolk County. Its size and steady foot traffic make it a frequent site for theft complaints even as police work multiple open cases simultaneously.
What Massachusetts Law Says About the Stakes
How seriously any eventual charge could be treated depends heavily on the dollar value of what was taken. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 266, Section 30, larceny of property valued over $1,200 is a felony punishable by up to five years in state prison, while theft of $1,200 or less is a misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail, per the state's general laws as compiled by the 194th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. That threshold has not always been so high — Massachusetts raised it from just $250 to $1,200 under the 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Act signed by then-Governor Charlie Baker, a change that significantly reduced the number of low-value thefts prosecuted as felonies, according to Ellison Law LLC. Separately, shoplifting of goods under $250 can fall under a distinct statute, M.G.L. c. 266 § 30A, which carries lower penalties than general larceny charges under Section 30 that typically apply to higher-value or organized retail theft schemes, per the Serpa Law Office.
No value for the stolen merchandise in this case has been disclosed, so it remains unclear whether any future charge would be a felony or a misdemeanor.
Investigations Continue Amid Leadership Transition
These retail theft cases are unfolding while the Stoughton Police Department operates under new leadership. Deputy Police Chief James O'Connor became acting chief in July after Chief Donna M. McNamara stepped away from her duties, a transition Hoodline previously reported. O'Connor previously led the department's Detective Bureau before taking on the acting chief role.
Police also now have access to newer investigative tools than in years past. Stoughton implemented Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras in March, technology designed to capture vehicle attributes and generate alerts that can aid theft investigations, with plate reads and vehicle images retained for a default 30-day period. That rollout followed a contentious public debate over privacy that Hoodline covered in its earlier reporting on the license plate reader cameras.
Retail theft complaints are not new to Stoughton. The town recorded 332 total property crimes in 2024, including 269 larceny-thefts, according to FBI crime data compiled by OpenCrime for a town of roughly 29,400 residents — a slight decline from 351 total property crimes the year before. Statewide, Massachusetts recorded a property crime rate of 1,112.1 per 100,000 residents in 2024, which USAFacts found to be 36.8% below the national average.
Stoughton police have made similar public appeals before. In December 2024, the department sought help identifying a Brockton man later named as a suspect in a series of vehicle break-ins, thefts, and credit card fraud across town. Anyone with information on the current Target case is urged to contact Stoughton Police at (781) 344-2424 or through the department's Facebook page.
