‘3 Strikes’ Term for Thief May Be Stiffest Yet : Courts: A residential burglar convicted of five counts is sentenced to a minimum of 130 years of confinement.

A man convicted of residential burglary was sentenced Friday to a minimum of 130 years in prison, apparently the stiffest term imposed in Orange County under the “three strikes” law.

Angel Martinez, 34, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Richard L. Weatherspoon to 25 years to life on five burglary counts and ordered to serve them consecutively. Because the Orange County district attorney’s office deemed Martinez a “career criminal,” the judge was allowed to add another five years.

Martinez was arrested Aug. 8 after tripping a silent alarm in an Anaheim home. Police linked him to four other residential burglaries that occurred between May and August in the Anaheim area. A jury found him guilty Jan. 11.

In 1989, Martinez was sentenced to a six-year prison term for seven residential burglaries. He was out on parole when he committed the burglaries in Anaheim.

Because the first conviction contained multiple counts, prosecutors could use it as “two strikes,” Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lett said.

The “three strikes” legislation was signed by Gov. Pete Wilson last March and was overwhelmingly endorsed by California voters when the same law appeared on the November ballot.

The law mandates a sentence of 25 years to life for felony offenders who have two or more previous convictions for serious or violent felonies, ranging from burglary to murder.

Critics contend, however, that the law is overly broad and will cost taxpayers millions in prison costs.

Martinez joins several other defendants who have been sentenced under the “three strikes” law in Orange County.

Mario Veliz Rodriguez, 30, was convicted last month of shooting a man in the head with a flare gun during a barroom brawl in Garden Grove. Rodriguez, who has a history of violent crimes, faces 25 years to life in prison.

Tustin resident Joyce Demyers, 36, was sentenced in October to 25 years to life for selling $50 worth of cocaine. She has a history of robbery, burglary and fraud that date back to 1978.

Robert Eric Parrish, 36, received the same sentence for burglarizing a Buena Park department store in April. He received an additional term of 16 years to life for slashing his girlfriend’s throat with a straight razor last year in Anaheim. Parrish had eluded police until the burglary.