North Attleboro Laptop Thief Sentenced

FALL RIVER — A 60-year-old North Attleboro man who pleaded guilty to a string of break-ins and laptop thefts at a Mansfield business park will serve at least six years in state prison, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office announced.

In late 2018, Reginald Shepard broke into multiple businesses at the Cabot Business Park in Mansfield and stole nearly a dozen laptops worth an estimated $20,000 total, according to the D.A.'s office.

Shepard was sentenced last week to serve six to eight years in state prison after pleading guilty to five counts of breaking and entering during the nighttime to commit a felony and five counts of larceny over $1,200.

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Between Aug. 31 and Dec. 3, 2018, Shepard broke into five separate businesses in the park and stole 11 laptops and accessories worth more than $20,000, according to the D.A.'s office.

Mansfield police stopped him for a traffic violation on West Street in the industrial park on Dec. 14, 2018, leading to a break in the case.

The D.A.'s office said Shepard is a career criminal, with arrests and convictions for similar offenses all over eastern Massachusetts.

“The defendant has a lengthy history of committing similar crimes throughout the region. He needs to be kept off the street to protect the public,” Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said.

Assistant District Attorney William Flynn prosecuted the case, the D.A.'s office noted.

Fall River Superior Court Judge William White handed down the sentence.