`PREDATOR ON OLD PEOPLE' GETS 3-1/2 YEARS

A man who made up sob stories to squeeze money and valuables out of elderly Spokane residents is going to prison for 3-1/2 years.

The prosecutor wanted to put Kurt Bauer Jr. in jail for a year, but Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen refused to go along with the recommendation.

"He's really a predator on old people," Eitzen said.

The judge imposed an exceptional sentence late Tuesday, citing vulnerability of the victims.

Showing no remorse, Bauer, 41, denied conning anybody.

"We never went around and scammed people," he told the judge.

He reacted angrily to the sentence, swearing at his attorney in court.

Bauer earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of residential burglary, two counts of second-degree theft, third-degree theft and obtaining a signature by fraud.

The scam began in February, police said.

Making up heart-breaking stories, Bauer and Debbie Thomas, 38, asked elderly residents for handouts or a job washing windows.

In some instances, the transient couple claimed they lost their house and all of their belongings in a fire.

Once inside the homes, they would steal things, Detective Craig Brenden said.

If they didn't get the window-washing job, they sometimes sent their 15-year-old son around the back of the house to break in while they kept the homeowner busy.

The signal for the boy to leave was a whistle from Bauer, police said.

Thomas is awaiting sentencing on similar charges. Her son recently was sent to a state juvenile institution for about a year.

Attempts to reach Deputy Prosecutor Michelle Miller were unsuccessful Wednesday.

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