Repeat Offender in Reno Sentenced to Life
Recently, a forty-four year old man from Reno was sentenced to life as a habitual criminal for his ninth felony conviction, this time for breaking Nevada burglary law at the Caughlin fitness and tennis club. He has already been to jail on six different occasions. He will have to serve at least ten years before the parole board can consider releasing him. District Attorney Kristin Erickson argued that the defendant is only ever crime-free when he's incarcerated.
Nevada burglary law makes it a crime to enter any home, business or structure with the intent to commit a felony inside, including assault, battery or grand larceny. A jury may convict someone for burglary even if the suspect didn't succeed in committing the felony--all that matters is that he/she had the intent to. Furthermore, a suspect needn't have "broken into" the building to be convicted of burglary.
The penalties for breaking Nevada burglary law in Nevada, a category B felony, include one to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The sentence is increased to two to fifteen years if a deadly weapon is used in furtherance of the burglary. Repeat offenders are ineligible for probation, and non-citizens may be deported for it.
