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Cameras catch pill thief
Amanda Penniston
Amanda Penniston

DARLINGTON — In-house cameras helped an Argyle resident catch a neighbor for repeated burglaries, according to a criminal complaint filed in Lafayette County Circuit Court.

Amanda Lynn Penniston, 37, Argyle, faces four Class F felony counts of burglary, four misdemeanor counts of theft and three Class I felony counts of possessing narcotic drugs.

Penniston is currently on probation for a previous case in which she pleaded guilty to stealing money from a rural Argyle couple who hired her as their accountant.

The new case, filed Oct. 22, alleges Penniston snuck into her neighbor’s residence on Colfax Street dozens of times and helped herself to money, opioid pain medication, food, clothing and kitchen utensils.

The resident’s family members set up cameras in the house in July, after money and medications started going missing.

The camera footage shows Penn-iston entering the home about 30 times between Aug. 3 and Oct. 4, according to court documents.

During some of the burglaries, Penniston wore a black mask. One night she came in around 3 a.m. with a flashlight and can been seen in the video footage “crawling on the floor looking through things.” Another night, the resident came home from dinner with her grandson and found his birthday card with $50 inside missing, along with hydrocodone pills.

Penniston’s signature bond is set at $2,000, with the condition that she have no contact with the neighbor or the neighbor’s residence. She has a preliminary hearing Nov. 26.


— Kayla Barnes contributed reporting