EVERETT — A Snohomish County judge showed no leniency to a prolific burglar on Tuesday, sentencing him to 12 years in prison for a rash of heists at businesses.
Superior Court Judge George Appel didn’t find a reason to give Adam Nemra a second chance at drug treatment. Instead, the judge said Nemra, 30, deserved a lengthy incarceration.
“There is no other way I can see to keep society safe from you,” Appel said.
Detectives believe Nemra was good for dozens of after-hours burglaries at businesses from Bellingham to Bremerton.
He often would bring along a grinder to slice open safes, squeezing his small hands into the incisions and making off with thousands of dollars. He also was accused of stealing high-priced merchandise from other businesses and selling the property online. One company was hit at five different locations. It reported losing more than $57,000 in goods and being on the hook for another $10,000 in damage.
Nemra also targeted Burger Kings, Jiffy Lubes and Great Clips.
Everett police detectives were investigating a rash of break-ins at Jiffy Lubes last fall when two more burglaries happened — one at a pizza restaurant, the other at a dollar store. The suspect left behind drops of blood.
By then Everett police detective Danny Rabelos had zeroed in on Nemra. The detective obtained a warrant to take a DNA sample from the convicted felon. The Marysville man’s genetic profile matched blood found at three separate crime scenes, according to court papers.
Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Adam Cornell charged Nemra with a single count of burglary in 2013. Nemra bailed out and went on to commit additional heists earlier this year. He was arrested again in May.
Nemra in August pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree burglary. He also pleaded guilty to possessing stolen property and trafficking in stolen property. He went forward with the plea without an agreement from prosecutors regarding their sentencing recommendation.
He faced up to seven years under a standard range. Cornell made it known that he would recommend that Nemra spend at least 10 years behind bars.
The deputy prosecutor Tuesday asked for a dozen years. Cornell justified the request by pointing to Nemra’s lengthy criminal history. He has six prior felony convictions. He has a failed attempt at an alternative sentence that spared him prison time if he successfully had completed drug and alcohol treatment in 2011. Additionally, because of his criminal history a standard sentence would mean that Nemra wouldn’t be punished for any of his 2014 crimes.
“The defendant is simply not able to control his predilection for thievery…,” Cornell wrote.
Nemra asked for leniency, saying he needed treatment for his methamphetamine addiction. The state Department of Corrections agreed that Nemra was a good candidate for an alternative sentence. That would have allowed him to spend half his prison term out of custody, getting treatment. He would have been required to report regularly to a community corrections officer and undergo random drug testing. If he messed up, he would serve out the rest of his sentence.
Nemra has been using drugs since he was 14. He said he broke into businesses to feed his drug habit. He asked for another chance to tackle his addiction.
“I’m sorry for that,” Nemra said.
He has more motivation to stay clean, including a young son and a child on the way, the judge was told.
His attorney, Jason Schwarz, said Nemra is intelligent.
“I have no doubt that if Mr. Nemra found sobriety, he could be quite a productive member of society,” Schwarz said.
He called the prosecutor’s request “excessive.” In the past decade, nearly 800 people have been convicted of first- and second-degree burglaries statewide. Less than one percent of those offenders received a sentence above the standard range, even fewer received sentences beyond 10 years, Schwarz wrote.
People who commit murder receive less time behind bars, he said Tuesday.
“It is property, not a life,” Schwarz said.
Appel wasn’t persuaded.
Nemra was given a chance to get treatment three years ago and he threw away the opportunity, the judge said.
“Prison is where criminals go and that’s where you’re going to go,” Appel said.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley
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