A North Naples man who claimed he was sleepwalking when he broke into his neighbor’s house was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison and 10 years of probation.
Mark Nowak, 56, was convicted in October on five charges of burglary, theft and resisting arrest in connection with the February 2014 break-in at a home near Vanderbilt Beach and Livingston roads. Nowak faced a guideline minimum sentence of three years and a maximum of life in prison. He had no prior criminal record.
At trial, Nowak claimed he accidentally mixed medications before the burglary, causing him to lose all memory of a five-hour period.
But prosecutors said Nowak deliberately cut through the neighbor’s lanai, jimmied a sliding door, disabled the power and an alarm, and rummaged through the house.
Nowak barricaded himself in a laundry room and tried to escape in the neighbor’s vehicle when police arrived. Investigators found tools typically used in a burglary inside the home.
Source: Naples Daily News
