MONROE — This time, Kyle Burress was wide awake.
In a Snohomish County courtroom Monday, the man police photographed sleeping on stolen lawn furniture pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary.
“I’m sorry for what I did,” Burress told Superior Court Judge George Bowden.
The 25-year-old Everett man was sentenced to 30 days in jail. The judge gave him credit for the time he has already spent behind bars for his part in the July 9 heist of patio furniture from the Monroe Fred Meyer.
Bowden said Burress better use the experience as a wake-up call to turn his life around.
A surveillance camera captured Burress and his alleged accomplice, Allen Pierce, scurrying among the store’s storage containers.
When the store manager arrived around 6 a.m., he noticed that someone had cut locks and that merchandise was missing.
Police followed a trail of cardboard boxes, pillows and backpacks to a grassy area about 200 feet away. That’s where they found Burress and Pierce, both sound asleep.
Pierce, police allege, was in a stolen hammock. Burress was dozing, mouth agape, on a pile of pink pillows.
Police tried not to wake them as they photographed their nap.
The two men woke up as police read them their rights. The men apparently had been drinking, and both have been sleeping in jail beds ever since.
“He’s made changes in his life, so he won’t fall asleep inside a storage container again,” said Neal Friedman, Burress’ defense attorney.
Now, Burress said he wants to get a job and turn his life around.
The judge said he’d better. Burress has a nearly constant history of juvenile and misdemeanor convictions, Bowden said.
“It simply has gotten more serious,” he said. “It’s no way to spend your life.”
The judge told Burress to learn from his mistakes.
“If you don’t stay away from alcohol or drugs, you’ll undoubtably be back here,” he said.
Pierce, 27, remains in jail awaiting trail.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
