AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A homeless man accused of slashing hundreds of tires in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Austin, Texas, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Tommy Joe Kelley, 54, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison after being convicted of unlawful use of a criminal instrument Tuesday, The Austin American-Statesman reported.
Police say they caught Kelley sharpening a small metal rod to make a tool to puncture tires on Dec. 31, 2010. They also found the man on other occasions with a similar tool.
"We would hope for 20 years," said neighborhood resident Heather Freeman, who estimates Kelley caused $60,000 a year in damage. "We do believe that if he is released, it will happen all over again."
Kelley, who represented himself during the trial, told prosecutor Jason English he had been living in an alley in Hyde Park for about 30 years until he was arrested.
When English asked, "Are you damaging people's property in Hyde Park?"
"No, sir," Kelley answered.
Kelley has been arrested more than 50 times since the 1970s, court documents show. He also admitted in court he had stolen copper from air conditioners in the area.
"Tommy Joe Kelley wasn't just committing property crimes," prosecutor Rob Drummond said when asking jurors for the 10-year prison sentence. "He violated the community."
