A 21-year-old Tucson man was placed on 15 years probation last month for breaking into a bunch of homes last summer in La Reserve, a gated community near North Oracle road and North First Avenue.
Azlan Lewis threw rocks through back windows and let himself in, according to court documents.
Some of the homes belonged to snowbirds and others were up for sale.
In some of the incidents, Lewis helped himself to TVs and other belongings. Other times, Lewis went into the homes repeatedly, but didn't take anything.
At the time of his arrest, Oro Valley police said he mostly kicked back - smoking pot, rummaging and rearranging furniture. In one instance, police found candles had been left burning and wine and food were spilled on the floor.
Lewis got busted when a victim saw him throw a rock through his window and take off in a black BMW. The man got a partial license plate number and police found the car outside a vacant house a couple of weeks later.
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The officer noticed a broken back window at the house and caught Lewis as he tried to run away.
Lewis pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary. Judge Jane Eikleberry sentenced him to five years probation on each, to be served consecutively.
According to court documents, Lewis' mother was murdered when he was 13 and he's a daily pot smoker with a juvenile criminal history.
"I've had a pretty difficult social and home life. Tragedies that have emotionally impacted me and having been put on the news severely impacted me," Lewis told a probation officer.
Lewis also told the P.O. part of the reason he broke into the houses was to look at the architecture. He's studying architecture at Pima Community College.
He's been ordered to pay nearly $3,000 in restitution.
