A Lakebay man has admitted his guilt in a residential burglary that happened at a home near Lords Lake in early July.

Gary Lee Geisler Jr., 40, has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors that will see Geisler sentenced under the state’s Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative law.

Geisler appeared in Jefferson County Superior Court Friday for what was originally scheduled as a pre-trial hearing but instead became a change of plea hearing.

Scott Charlton, Geisler’s attorney, said Geisler will be screened to see if he is eligible to have his substance abuse-dependency treatment handled in a residential setting, rather than prison-based treatment.

His sentencing was set for Friday, Sept. 9.

Geisler was arrested after law enforcement was called to a home near Lords Lake that had been burglarized less than a week earlier.

Deputies found Geisler near a Honda parked outside the burglarized home just before 2 a.m. July 10.

The owner of the property had reported a burglary at the residence five days earlier, and said thousands of dollars of equipment and tools had been stolen. Solar panels on the property were also gone.

The homeowner said locks and chains on the gate to the property had been cut off during the break-in, and new ones had been put on the gate afterward.

A family member visited the property a few days later and had planned to camp in a tent by the river. When she arrived, however, she discovered the gate was open and the chains were gone.

The woman was worried that the burglars had returned, and also told 911 dispatchers that the family had heard up to 10 people who were part of a theft ring had burglarized the property.

An officer found Geisler near the home roughly an hour later.

Geisler claimed he had permission to camp on the property, and said he had talked to the owner’s sister five days earlier and had gotten the OK to stay there.

A deputy discovered unopened packages of pink padded sheets near the Honda, however, and they matched blankets that were inside the house. The owner of the home said it was bedding that was intended for her disabled daughter.

She also said she had not spoken to Geisler in 15 years and that he had no permission to be on the property.

Officers also found a scanner/radio on the driver seat of the Honda, and a family-talk style radio next to it. A sheriff’s report noted that such radios are commonly used by burglars “to alert each other of potential danger to their theft operations and to monitor law enforcement traffic or response.”

Geisler has an extensive history of theft and burglary, as well as previous convictions for possession of stolen property and burglary tools in Kitsap County.