Robert Neese, the man whose long career in burglary came to an end here in Fountain Hills almost exactly two years ago, will be sentenced later this month after a conviction and guilty plea on burglary charges.

Neese, 60, could spend the remainder of his life behind bars as his sentence may be as much as 200 years.

Neese was snared by a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office dragnet the night of May 15, 2011 when a resident called 911 after seeing a man hide in the bushes as the MCSO helicopter was flying overhead.

Detectives were investigating a series of burglaries and believe Neese is responsible for as many as 60 break-ins in Fountain Hills, according to Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Munley.

Ultimately Neese pleaded guilty to charges connected to two incidents in Fountain Hills. One is a class 3 felony burglary charge and one class 6 felony possession of burglary tools.

The guilty plea to the incidents in Fountain Hills came less than a month after Neese was convicted on eight counts of burglary and seven counts of theft.

Officials believe Neese was responsible for more than 300 burglaries in Paradise Valley, Cave Creek and Scottsdale between 1993 and 2006. At that time he was dubbed the “rock burglar” for simply breaking into residences by tossing a rock through a glass door.