Mansfield Man Gets Jail Time for Vacuum Cleaner Thefts

MANSFIELD, MA - A Mansfield man will spend time in jail for stealing vacuum cleaners from stores in Mansfield, North Attleboro, and Plainville.

William J. Skiffington, 49, was sentenced to nine months in jail and a 2 1/2-year term suspended for two years with probation for the North Attleboro and Mansfield incidents, according to the Sun Chronicle. He was sentenced to serve six months of a 1 1/2 year sentence for the Plainville incident.

Skiffington stole about $3,000 worth of vacuum cleaners from Target in North Attleboro and Plainville and from Kohl's in Mansfield, police said. He was arrested in Plainville on April 27. He was previously out on bail for a March 26 theft in Mansfield and April 5 theft in Walpole.

His attorney said the thefts were to support an opioid addiction that started after they were prescribed to him after surgeries.