The so-called “snake burglar” is out of custody despite pleading guilty to 54 commercial burglary charges in Riverside County. The owner of one of the targeted businesses is upset with California law.
The 32-year-old man earned the nickname “snake burglar” because of the way he was seen slithering across floors to avoid tripping alarms. He has now pleaded guilty to 77 felony charges in the past nine months. But an assembly bill passed in 2011 to ease prison overcrowding keeps him out of state prison because he is considered a non-violent offender. However, county jails are overcrowded too, and are also turning non-violent criminals away. The man was sentenced to 12 years in custody but was released with time already served. He will instead have 12 years of supervised release.