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.
