San Mateo Dog Walker Gets 35 Years for Stealing from Clients

A man who stole more than $5,000 worth of jewelry from San Mateo residents whose dogs he was hired to walk has been sentenced to 35 years in prison under the state's three strikes law.

Nicolas Barbanica, 33, broke down in tears upon hearing his sentence in San Mateo County Superior Court on Tuesday.

Barbanica received his third strike after pleading no contest to two counts of first-degree residential burglary in August, when he admitted to stealing $5,500 in jewelry from two San Mateo residents who had given him house keys to walk their dogs.

Barbanica was on parole for four prior residential burglary convictions in October and November 2009 when he stole the jewelry, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Barbanica had been given keys to the homes and had been allowed to enter to retrieve the dogs.

He pawned some pieces of jewelry and gave others to his girlfriend, prosecutors said.

Barbanica had five prior residential burglary convictions spanning 15 years, one of which was committed when he was a juvenile.

The prior convictions made Barbanica eligible for a prison sentence of 60 years to life under the three strikes law.

Defense attorney James Thompson argued that Barbanica’s multiple convictions were for non-violent crimes, and that the defendant’s repeated offenses were due in part to a “childlike impulsivity” that was fueled by drug abuse and behavioral issues.

Thompson said his client was not a career criminal and that he was simply attracted to “shiny things.”

Before handing down the sentence, Judge Lisa Novak said she was “astounded” by the defendant’s “unwillingness to abate” his criminal behavior and that he had to face the consequences “of victimizing people over and over again.”

Bay City News contributed to this report.