Jimmy Fund Thief Sentenced to a Year in House of Correction

An Athol man who stole a Jimmy Fund collection can out of the Athol Police station has been sentenced to a year in The Franklin County Jail and House of Correction.

Orange District Court Judge David Ross found John Hayes, 37, of Athol,  guilty of larceny under $250 in connection with the September 22, 2010 theft of  approximately $12.

The Jimmy Fund was founded in 1948 to raise funds for cancer patient care and research. Donations go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Beth Lux showed Ross, who presided over the Monday, Aug. 15  bench trial, a videotape of Hayes bringing the can into the Athol Police station restroom and emerging sometime later without it.

“As a breast cancer survivor, I am particularly mindful of the seriousness of stealing from a fund that supports research and cancer care,” Lux said.  “I hope this sentence teaches Mr. Hayes’s 13-year-old son, who was present at the time of the theft, that stealing is wrong and will not be tolerated by the Athol Police or the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.”

“I’m very pleased with the outcome of this case,” Athol Police Chief Timothy Anderson said.

Hayes began serving his sentence immediately following the trial.