By Diana Hefley, Herald Writer
hefley@heraldnet.com.
EVERETT — A Marysville man who used a grinder to slice open safes, squeezing his small hands into the incisions and making off with thousands of dollars, was sentenced to 12 years in prison Oct. 21.
Detectives believe Adam Nemra, 30, committed dozens of after-hours burglaries at businesses from Bellingham to Bremerton. Nemra targeted Burger Kings, Jiffy Lubes and Great Clips.
He also was accused of stealing high-priced merchandise and selling the property online. One company was hit at five locations. It reported losing more than $57,000 in goods and being on the hook for another $10,000 in damage.
Everett police 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.
Police were able to zero in on Nemra.
They obtained a warrant to take a DNA sample from the convicted felon. His genetic profile matched blood found at three crime scenes, court papers say.
Nemra was charged with a single count of burglary in 2013. He bailed out and went on to commit additional heists this year. He was arrested again in May.
Nemra pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree burglary in August. He also pleaded guilty to possessing stolen property and trafficking in stolen property. He made the plea without an agreement from prosecutors regarding their sentencing recommendation.
He faced up to seven years under a standard range.
Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Adam Cornell asked for a dozen years. Cornell justified the request by pointing to Nemra’s criminal history. He has six prior felony convictions. He has a failed attempt at an alternative sentence that spared him prison time if he 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. Nemra has been using drugs since he was 14. He said he broke into businesses to feed his drug habit. 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. “It is property, not a life,” Schwarz said.
Superior Court Judge George 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. The judge said Nemra deserved a lengthy incarceration. “There is no other way I can see to keep society safe from you,” Appel said.
