Nearly a dozen thefts in the greater Sierra Vista area have been resolved after a 57-year-old man pleaded guilty last week to several felonies as part of a prison mandatory plea deal.
Robert Allen Makowski Jr. will serve 7.5 years in prison followed by 7 years of probation under the terms of a stipulated sentence. His sentencing hearing is slated for Nov. 29 and 90 days later Judge Timothy Dickerson will issue an order for much restitution Makowski must repay his numerous victims.
Makowski, 57, has remained in the Cochise County jail under pretrial custody since his arrest in August 2020 on suspicion of domestic violence. By the time a Cochise County grand jury got done indicting him weeks later, Makowski was charged with 14 felonies and identified as suspect in 11 thefts.
Detectives even utilized the DPS bomb squad and a drone to search Makowski’s large rural property due to concerns it had been boobytrapped. Several large-sized stolen items were recovered, including a dump trailer, a skid-steer loader, a riding lawnmower, a water tank, and a swamp cooler.
But the burglaries are not the main feature of Makowski’s plea agreement. Instead, three of the four felonies he pleaded guilty to involve felony weapons misconduct related to eight firearms found on Makowski’s property.
Makowski was prohibited from possessing or owning firearms due to his status as a convicted felon without restoration of his civil rights. According to the plea agreement, Makowski admitted possessing a 9mm handgun, a .30-30 rifle, and a revolver reported stolen in Tacoma, Washington in 1991.
The fourth guilty plea involves theft of property with a combined value of $25,000 or more. Makowski will be ordered to pay restitution for all of his identified victims, even if he was not specifically convicted of committing each theft.
