Alleged Thief's Mistake: Using Daughter's Journal

Prosecutors say dropped item contained hit list, identifying information
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 12, 2020 11:28 AM CST
Alleged Thief's Mistake: Using Daughter's Journal
A blank notebook.   (Getty Images/Asawin_Klabma)

Authorities in Tennessee say they busted a well-organized burglar after he allegedly dropped a notebook during a break-in that contained a list of other places he planned to target. Robert Shull Goddard, 49, is accused of smashing a glass door and breaking into a Nashville area home on Jan. 29, stealing a TV and a gun from the residents, according to records filed in Davidson County court, per the AP. He also allegedly stole a black Gibson Les Paul custom guitar which he later sold for $40, per WKRN.

But prosecutors said Goddard left something behind that allowed authorities to solve the case—a notebook that listed multiple addresses, including one for another home a few miles away that had been burglarized that same day, the Tennessean reported. Investigators were able to identify the suspect, in part, through notes his daughter left in the journal, along with her address. Goddard was caught on video kicking in the back door of another house the next day, court records state. He was arrested last week and was being held on a $15,000 bond for felony burglary and theft charges.

(More burglary stories.)

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