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Billy M. Woodard, a 57-year-old from Trenton, New Jersey, was previously convicted of a string of home invasions across Bucks County between May 2018 and May 2019, said District Attorney Matthew Weintraub in a statement.
Most of the burglaries targeted homes along the county's waterfront, just across the Delaware River from Woodard's hometown — police say he stole from a dozen homes in Lower Makefield, one in Upper Makefield, and one in Falls Township.
Investigators described the convict's process as formulaic. Woodard struck almost always between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., usually entering through an unlocked window or back door, and taking wallets, purses, and electronics, detectives said.
Prosecutors detailed an April 2019 burglary, where a Bucks resident went to the living room to investigate a noise and found Woodard making off with his gold wedding band.
“I have a gun," Woodard reportedly told the victim. "Don’t follow me.”
Bucks authorities arrested the thief in May 2019, with assistance from the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey, who described Woodard as a "career burglar."
Woodard received a 10-to-20-year sentence plus a concurrent sentence of 20 years probation at his hearing Tuesday, Jan. 3, Weintraub added.
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