Burglar Tied to Lake Minnetonka Crimes Gets Hefty Prison Sentence

The man responsible for a series of  area and other Metro cities last summer was sentenced late last week to 9.5 years in prison.

Stewart Eugene Pesheck, who was during a burglary in Eden Prairie, was sentenced by Hennepin County District Court Judge Gina Brandt to five concurrent sentences, the most significant being a 114-month prison sentence. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $30,567.89.

Prosecutors were able to ask for an enhanced sentence due to Pesheck's extensive criminal history. He pled guilty to four counts of burglary in the second-degree and one count of attempted burglary in the second-degree. Additional charges were dismissed as a condition of the plea agreement.

Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Monte Miller said the negotiated sentence was a "significant upward departure, uncommon in second-degree burglaries."

"(He) earned this sentence," Miller said. 

Pesheck is responsible for a handful of residential burglaries in Tonka Bay, Greenwood and Deephaven, as well as  during the spring and summer of 2011. from several Edina homes and was known for his tendency to sever phone lines in an attempt to disable home alarm systems.

In several incidents, he rang the doorbell before entering the homes to ensure the residents were not home at the time of the robbery, police reported. 

Police connected Pesheck with the burglaries of upscale homes in a number communities across the metro area over several years.

Pesheck's attorney blamed his client's $850 a day drug problem for the burglaries, noting that—despite the volume of incidents—there were zero home invasion burglaries and that no community members had been targeted.

Judge Brandt told Pesheck she hoped he was able to overcome his chemical dependencies during his time in prison.

"I hope you get help for your drug addiction during your incarceration and return to community a productive member of society," she said.

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