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PALM HARBOR — Pinellas deputies say Mark C. Sirben got drunk, went home, cooked up a snack and passed out on the couch early Friday morning.
Trouble was, it wasn't his house, his food or his couch.
He wasn't even in the right county.
Sirben, 51, of 7054 Porpoise St. in Spring Hill, was charged with trespassing in an occupied structure and criminal mischief.
The latter charge came when a deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office discovered Sirben had broken a fence at the home to gain access to the back yard.
On Friday, he was being held in the Pinellas County Jail. Bail had not been set Friday afternoon.
According to arrest reports, here's what happened:
A married couple were sleeping in their home in the 1600 block of Florida Avenue in Palm Harbor when the wife awoke to the sound of coughing around 2:30 a.m.
The woman went to investigate and found Sirben asleep on her couch. She woke up her husband, who went to the living room and confronted Sirben. Sirben argued with the husband, telling him that he lived there, before he passed out again.
"They had no idea who this guy was," said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda.
When a deputy arrived, Sirben was still asleep on the couch with a plate of food at his side. The couple said Sirben must have cooked something for himself before he fell asleep.
"The kitchen cabinets were open and there was food in a frying pan that was not there when he and his wife had gone to bed," Barreda said.
Pictures taken at the scene appear to show potatoes in the pan, Barreda said.
The deputy did not see any signs of forced entry and it's believed Sirben may have entered through an unlocked door, Barreda said.
It's not clear where he was before he showed up at the couple's home or how he got there.
Sirben has multiple convictions for driving under the influence, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He served two stints in prison after DUI convictions in 2003 and 2009. He was most recently released from prison in February.
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