There are a few things burglars generally try to avoid in their line of work.

Guard dogs. Security alarms. Armed homeowners.

But there was one thing a 25-year-old Oxford man accused of robbing a home in Orion Township on April 6 wasn’t expecting – the police were watching him.

Robert Vaughn Lentz was arraigned last week in Rochester Hills 52-3 District Court on the felony charge of second-degree home invasion. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

He was released on a $10,000 personal bond. He’s due back in court April 19.

Lentz is accused of stealing two power saws from a home in the 500 block of N. Newman Rd. near the Paint Creek Country Club. The front door was not locked, which enabled Lentz to simply walk in, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s report.

The homeowner told investigators he left the front door unlocked so his Realtor could inspect the home prior to listing it for sale.

Lentz was completely unaware that detectives from the sheriff’s fugitive team had him under surveillance. They had been watching him since March 21 because they received information that Lentz was a possible suspect in some recent thefts and home invasions in Oakland County.

The report stated they witnessed him enter the Orion home and exit it a short time later with what appeared to be construction tools.

Detectives observed Lentz stop and knock on the doors of two other residences along Newman Rd., but he did not enter them.

A traffic stop on Drahner Rd., east of M-24, was effected by detectives and Lentz was taken into custody without incident. The power saws were observed in the back seat, according to the report.

When interviewed by detectives, Lentz told them he was addicted to opiate-based pain medications and “he was short on cash, so he broke into the house to get some extra money.”

“(Lentz) stated that he is working (but) the money isn’t enough to cover his pill usage,” the report stated. “He admitted that in the past, he had been taking his parents’ and uncle’s belongings. This time, he had to resort to breaking into someone’s house.”

His father didn’t wish to press charges against him and told investigators he had recovered most of the items taken by Lentz.

“He was not aware that (Lentz) was this bad off,” the report stated. “They are currently working on a treatment plan for (Lentz).”