Orange man breaks into family home, steals Xbox to settle drug debt, attempts to break into mother’s safe, arrested days later with brother’s help after evading police in foot chase

ORANGE — On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at approximately 11:58 p.m., Officer Kyle Johnson and Officer Andrew Starbard of the Orange Police Department were dispatched to 80 Wheeler Avenue following a report of a larceny.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Johnson and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“Dispatch advised the calling party, Jennifer [last name redacted], was out-of-state but was calling because her son, Dominic [last name redacted], told her his Xbox and a power drill were stolen out of the house,” Officer Johnson said. “She told dispatch she believed her other son, Anthony Labonte, was responsible for the larceny.”

Officer Johnson and Starbard arrived at the residence at approximately 12:04 a.m.

“I was met by Dominic and his brother, Daniel [last name redacted], outside of the residence,” Officer Johnson said. “I asked Dominic to explain what happened and he said he and Daniel arrived home after working until 11 p.m. and noticed the lights were all on inside the house. He said his younger brother, Christopher [last named redacted], sometimes leaves lights on, so he went inside to make sure he was home and safe.”

Dominic reported that while he was inside the house, he noticed his bedroom door was open and his Xbox was missing. He mentioned that he had four game controllers in his room, but only one was functional. The functional controller was stolen, while the other three were left untouched. He then noticed his mother Jennifer’s safe had been dragged outside and left on the back patio.

“The safe had some marks on it including dents, scratches, and chipped paint that were not there before, according to Jennifer, who was speaking with Dominic on speaker phone,” Officer Johnson said. “One of the marks was consistent with a tool mark from a hammer or similar object striking the safe. The keypad was found to be pushed in, but still functional. There was some dirt and grass stuck to the side of it. It appeared the safe was never unlocked or opened.”

Over the phone, Jennifer informed the officers that several thousand dollars was inside the safe and that her son, Anthony Labonte, knew about it.

“It was originally believed a power drill had been stolen but that was later located inside the house,” Officer Johnson added.

Dominic also believed Anthony was responsible, saying that he had recently resumed using drugs and had stolen from the family multiple times before.

According to police, Anthony J. Labonte, 26, is a resident of 80 Wheeler Avenue, Orange, MA.

“Dominic said he called Athol police to conduct a welfare check on him a few days ago when he saw him standing in front of the YMCA rapping, which is something he does when he is on drugs,” Officer Johnson said. “Daniel and Jennifer were also very confident Anthony was responsible. Jennifer said Anthony has not lived at their residence in several years and is essentially homeless as he bounces from house to house. She said she has made it explicitly clear to Anthony that he is not welcome at their house.”

While the officers were at the house, Dominic called Anthony and put him on speakerphone.

“Dominic confronted him about stealing the Xbox and dragging the safe outside,” Officer Johnson recounted. “Anthony denied being at the house but did admit to being in Orange during the day. Anthony said he was in Orange with Brian [last name redacted] who he works for doing plumbing. He said Brian dropped him off at the bus stop after work at which time he took the bus to Greenfield. Anthony continued to deny being responsible and eventually hung up the phone mid-conversation.”

After speaking with all the parties, Officer Johnson determined that the house was unoccupied between the hours of 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

“Anthony was aware that Dominic and Daniel work from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and he knew that Jennifer was out of town on a work trip,” Officer Johnson said. “All doors and windows in the house were left closed but the back door was believed to have been unlocked. Dominic said Anthony knew which one of his four game controllers worked. Dominic said he also had a safe in his room that was left untouched and Anthony knew he didn’t have any money inside it.”

At this time, Officer Johnson and Starbard left the residence. Later that day, the officers returned to resume their investigation.

“I went back to 80 Wheeler Avenue to follow up with the involved parties,” Officer Johnson said.
“Dominic informed me he had spoken with Anthony on the phone and Anthony admitted to him that he was responsible for stealing his Xbox and dragging Jennifer’s safe outside as well as attempting to break into it. Dominic said Anthony told him he will try to get the Xbox back from Shawn [last name redacted], the person he gave it to. Dominic said Anthony asked Dominic to drive him to Shawn’s house so he could steal Shawn’s safe that contained money and drugs. Anthony also proposed that Dominic give him $80 so he could buy the Xbox back from Shawn. Daniel informed me that he discovered his HDMI cord was stolen from his room. He made this discovery after I spoke with him on the previous night. Dominic said his HDMI cord was still in his room so he presumes that Anthony was unable to disconnect it so he took Daniel’s HDMI cord instead. An HDMI cord is required to connect an Xbox to a TV. Dominic provided me with screenshots of text conversations between him and Anthony as well as screenshots of text conversations between Anthony and Allison [last name redacted], Anthony’s ex-girlfriend. Dominic said Allison sent him the screenshots after he informed her of what Anthony did.”

Jennifer also told Officer Johnson that Anthony admitted to her that he stole the Xbox to repay a drug debt to Shawn.

Later, Dominic said his cousin saw Anthony in a car at Walmart around 10:30 p.m. on July 10.

“The vehicle was parked in a handicap parking spot and they believed it was Shawn’s vehicle because he uses handicap parking,” Officer Johnson said. “This contradicted Anthony’s statements that he took the bus back to Greenfield.”

Dominic told Officer Johnson that he went to Shawn’s house in Athol earlier that day to confront him about having the Xbox. Shawn told Dominic he didn’t have it and that he refused to take it from Anthony because it was stolen.

In addition, Jennifer said she found a half-smoked, “Lucky Strike,” brand cigarette in her room.

“She stated that Anthony smokes that brand,” Officer Johnson said. “Dominic also pointed out a pink vape pen that was left on the corner of the table next to the safe. No one in the house uses vapes but according to Dominic, Anthony does.”

At this time, Officer Johnson reviewed the text messages between Anthony and Allison, Anthony’s ex-girlfriend.

Officer Johnson said that in the text conversation between Allison and Anthony, Allison wrote, “’…and you need to own up to your family what you did before they press charges.’ Anthony responded with, ‘They can’t prove I did it…they have no proof…so no I’m not…I’m already f***** I was just leave I don’t care.’ Allison wrote, ‘Well clearly u need to be in a program once you start stealing again that’s an issue.’ Anthony responded, ‘Well like I said I didn’t want to take it but I couldn’t get the safe open and I owed somebody money and that’s what he wanted.’ Allison wrote, ‘Owed somebody money? Why!? Wow ur f*ck*d up… u left behind ur vape which makes it very obvious.’ Anthony responded, ‘Dude I don’t want to talk…’ Allison had Anthony’s contact name in her phone as, ‘Ant,’ with Anthony’s contact number as [number redacted]. I later spoke with her on the phone and she confirmed that to be Anthony’s number and confirmed the conversations were between her and Anthony.”

On July 12, 2024, Officer Johnson went to 118 Eagleville Road to speak with Brian [last name redacted] about his interactions with Anthony on July 10, 2024.

“Brian told me that Anthony was staying with him at his house until about July 8, 2024,” Officer Johnson said. “Brian said Anthony relapsed recently and has been acting different. Anthony was kicked out of Brian’s house after Brian found pieces of burnt aluminum foil. Brian said Anthony worked with him on July 10, 2024, doing plumbing. Anthony told Brian he needed to catch the 4:00 p.m. bus. Brian dropped Anthony off at Yatco at approximately 3:40 p.m. Brian said Anthony called him later in the day to tell him his family is accusing him of stealing an Xbox and a safe. According to Brian, Anthony said, ‘If anybody asks, tell them I was with you all day.’ I asked Brian if Anthony uses vapes and he said he does. I asked him if he smokes cigarettes and he said he does. I asked him what brand cigarette and he said, ‘Lucky Strike, 100s.’”

Officer Johnson said that after notifying the Athol Police Department, he and Lieutenant Adam Cooley went to Shawn [last name redacted]’s house located at 363 White Pond Road in Athol.

“After knocking for several minutes, Shawn answered the door and spoke with us,” Officer Johnson said. “We told Shawn that the Xbox was stolen and we knew he had it. He denied having it for several minutes and said he only gave Anthony a ride that day. After Shawn was told he would not be in trouble if he gave the Xbox to us now, he agreed to do so. Trina [last name redacted] came out of the camper and retrieved the Xbox, game controller, and HDMI cable from a storage compartment on the backside of the camper. I took possession of the items and they appeared to all be intact and not damaged. Shawn said he never wanted the items but Anthony just left them there with him.”

Officer Johnson and Lieutenant Cooley brought the items back to 80 Wheeler Avenue to return them to Dominic and Daniel.

“Dominic confirmed all the items were theirs by inspecting them and comparing serial numbers,” Officer Johnson said. “He agreed they appeared to have no damage to them but agreed to contact me if anything changed.”

On July 12, Orange District Court issued two default warrants for Anthony, both non-bailable. According to Mass Legal Services, in Massachusetts, default warrants are issued for individuals with outstanding fines, court costs, restitution or other monies ordered to be paid by the court.

On July 13, 2024, around 11:15 p.m., Officer Johnson, while on uniformed patrol with Officer Donald Hager, observed a man walking in the road on East Main Street near the Orange Laundromat.

“He was a thin, white male wearing a black tank top and black shorts,” Officer Johnson said. “He was stumbling around and appeared to be shadow-boxing and rapping. Simultaneously, dispatch advised me that a person called to report a male party of the same description staggering and appearing to be intoxicated at the Orange Laundromat. I believed the male party was Anthony but I was unable to see his face. This was later confirmed to be Anthony.”

Officer Johnson reported that as he pulled up next to Anthony and parked his cruiser, Anthony sprinted down East Main Street. Officer Johnson pursued Anthony in his vehicle onto Whitney Street, where Anthony ran behind 19 Whitney Street just as Officer Johnson exited his cruiser.

“I ran after him on foot briefly while giving him commands to stop,” Officer Johnson said.
“As I rounded the building, Anthony had jumped over a fence and continued through the back yard of the next house. I coordinated with Officer [Donald] Hager to set up a perimeter and to begin searching the area. After about one hour of searching, we were unable to locate him. I contacted Dominic to speak with him about an unrelated case and also to inform him that I believed Anthony had just run from me. Dominic told me he believed Anthony was in Orange and by my description agreed that it was most likely him.”

At approximately 12:44 a.m. on July 14, 2024 about an hour and 29 minutes after Anthony evaded Officer Johnson’s foot pursuit, Dominic called dispatch, stating that he was on the phone with Anthony and was on his way to pick him up.

“Dominic requested the ambulance because Anthony told Dominic he was injured and bleeding,” Officer Johnson said. “Dominic requested the police park at his house and he will bring Anthony there after he gets him. I arrived at 80 Wheeler Avenue and waited behind the house while Officer Hager and the ambulance staged down the street. Dispatch confirmed there were still two active warrants.”

Officer Johnson said that at about 12:58 a.m., Dominic pulled into the driveway.

“I observed Anthony in the passenger seat,” Officer Johnson said. “As I ran up to the vehicle, Anthony opened his door appearing to be ready to run, then closed and locked it. After Dominic unlocked the doors, I was able to secure Anthony while he was still seated in the vehicle. He cooperated while I escorted him out and secured him into handcuffs. I searched Anthony and located a piece of foil with heroin residue on it and a knotted glassine bag containing a white powdery substance. I checked him for injuries and observed his legs to be scratched up and bleeding. The ambulance came to the scene and Anthony was loaded into it as he requested to go to the hospital for his injuries. He admitted to running from the police and said he was injured when he jumped over some fences. I rode in the ambulance with Anthony as he was under arrest. Anthony was handcuffed to the stretcher during the transport.”

Officer Johnson said that Anthony was evaluated and treated for injuries at the hospital which were deemed to be minor. He was released from the hospital around 2:45 a.m. and transported to the Orange Police Department for booking.

“While at the station, Anthony was afforded all applicable rights and declined to make a phone call,” Officer Johnson said. “He was read his Miranda rights from a card and agreed to speak with me. Anthony stated the white powdery substance in the glassine bag was crushed Suboxone pills. He stated he has a prescription for Suboxone but was unable to produce any proof. It should be noted that the white substance was packaged in a way that is not consistent with prescribed Suboxone and appeared to be packaged for street sale. Anthony also admitted the substance on the foil was heroin. He said he smoked some of it but there was still some heroin on the foil.”

Officer Johnson said he then questioned Anthony about the incident involving the larceny of Dominic’s Xbox.

“Anthony refused to directly confess to the crimes but made several statements during booking about his involvement,” Officer Johnson said. “He said he told Dominic where the Xbox was so Dominic could go get it. I asked him if he had anyone help him steal the items and he shook his head, indicating, ‘No.’ I followed up by asking him, ‘Just you?’ Anthony nodded his head indicating, ‘Yes.’ I asked him what his phone number is and he said it is [number redacted]. I used the department phone to call the number and I could see the notification on Anthony’s phone screen of, ‘Incoming Call.’ This is the same number Dominic and Allison provided as Anthony’s. At the conclusion of booking, Anthony was transported to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for holding until his court date. He was released from our custody at approximately 5:00 a.m.”

Officer Johnson charged Labonte with the following:

1. Attempted Larceny: “Anthony Labonte dragged a safe containing cash within out of the house and onto the back patio,” Officer Johnson said.
2. Larceny from a Building: “Anthony Labonte opened a closed door to enter the house where he stole an Xbox game system and game controller from Dominic [last name redacted],” Officer Johnson said.
3. Larceny from a Building: “Anthony Labonte opened a closed door to enter the house where he stole an HDMI cord from Daniel [last name redacted],” Officer Johnson said.
4. Vandalize Property: “Anthony Labonte damaged the safe belonging to Jennifer [name redacted],” Officer Johnson said.
5. Attempt to Break into Depository: “Anthony Labonte damaged the safe belonging to Jennifer [last name redacted] while attempting to open it to steal the cash contained within,” Officer Johnson said.
6. Possession of a Class E Drug (Suboxone): “Anthony Labonte possessed a knotted glassine bag containing a white powdery substance consistent with crushed pills or other narcotics,” Officer Johnson said. “Labonte stated it was crushed Suboxone pills. This charge is subject to amendment pending the results from the Crime Lab.”
7. Possession of a Class A Drug (Heroin): “Anthony Labonte possessed a piece of foil with a dark, partially smoked substance on it consistent with heroin. Labonte stated it was heroin,” Officer Johnson said.

Anthony was arraigned in Orange District Court on July 17, 2024, after which he was released on $500 cash bail with the potential of bail revocation. Anthony attended a pretrial hearing on Aug. 20, 2024.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from July, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.

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