Burglar with fetish given 20-year term.

Byline: SUSAN PALMER The Register-Guard

A Eugene man with a fetish for women's dirty underwear was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for committing a string of burglaries while on probation for similar crimes.

James Edward Bloss, 23, pleaded guilty July 12 to burglarizing five houses or apartments and to one count of attempted burglary. He broke in to steal women's underwear and credit cards, which he used to pay for access to Internet pornography. He also called phone-sex lines from the homes he burglarized.

Assistant District Attorney Debra Vogt asked Lane County Circuit Judge Darryl Larson to double the maximum two-year sentence on each of the five burglary charges and requested that they be served consecutively because they involved different victims.

Vogt said the crimes merited the lengthy prison time because Bloss is a repeat offender with no motivation to change.

The current charges stemmed from crimes committed in November and December while Bloss was on parole for similar burglaries and for stalking one of his victims. He had just finished residential treatment for alcohol abuse and was still undergoing sex offender treatment, Vogt said.

Bloss not only used women's underwear for sexual gratification, he was also a peeping tom, she said. "He peeks through windows to watch people. He masturbates and drinks," she said. "He has broken into so many homes, he doesn't recall how many."

Bloss may be a rapist in the making, Vogt said. He told police he often sat in victims' homes fantasizing about what he'd do if they came home while he was there, she said.

The long sentence would prevent women from becoming Bloss' future rape victims, Vogt said, adding, "We believe that's where he is headed."

Rather than a predatory rapist in the making, defense attorney Russell Barnett described his client as a man with a drinking problem and a borderline personality disorder.

Barnett questioned sentencing Bloss to a prison term as lengthy as that recently given to John Walker Lindh, the American who was convicted of taking up arms against the United States in Afghanistan.

A 20-year sentence would be longer than most sentences for murder or conspiracy to commit murder, he said.

Only one of Bloss' victims attended the sentencing in the nearly empty courtroom, and she spoke briefly, addressing her remarks to the judge and to Bloss.

She described the trauma of coming home to find the window broken out of her door, her belongings rummaged through and later discovering Bloss lurking outside her home.

"It's a horrible feeling, and it's not OK to make people feel that way," she said.

She stood just behind Bloss, who was handcuffed and wearing green prison clothes. He turned to look at her as she spoke.

Bloss attributed his behavior to alcoholism and said he wanted and had sought help.

"I understand what Vogt said about where I'm headed," he said. "I'm volunteering myself to go through programs and sex offender treatment." He then turned and faced his victim.

"I do apologize. I never meant to cause you harm or pain," he said.

Larson sentenced Bloss to five four-year terms, to be served consecutively, for the first-degree burglary charges and to 18 months on the attempted burglary charge, to be served concurrently. The sentence will be concurrent with the 4 1/2 years Bloss is now serving for his previous convictions.

Larson dismissed the notion that prevention programs alone would help Bloss. "It didn't stop you from drinking or engaging in the same kind of conduct," he said.

Because of Bloss' earlier crimes, he's not eligible for early release. When he gets out of prison he also faces three years of post-prison supervision.

He was ordered to have no contact with his victims. The judge also recommended substance abuse treatment and sex offender treatment, but in prison, not instead of prison.

After the hearing, Barnett said he was disappointed by the length of the sentence.

"I don't want to diminish the impact on the victims, but your total aggregate theft in these crimes is under $500. And he's going to prison for 20 years," he said.

Bloss can appeal the sentence, Barnett said, but no decision had been made on whether to do so. Because Bloss pled guilty and there was no trial, an appeal would be based simply on whether the judge followed the law in the sentencing.