down on his luck

カリフォルニア州の故スティーブ・ジョブズ氏の邸宅に泥棒が浸入した事件で、地元警察は容疑者の Kariem McFarlin を窃盗などの容疑で逮捕しました。盗んだパソコンを利用して自宅からインターネットに接続したため、Apple社の盗難防止システムで場所を特定できたということです。

A 36-page police report shows in intricate detail how McFarlin allegedly burglarized the Waverley Street home of Jobs between 5 p.m. July 17 and 8 a.m. the next day. He was arrested on Aug. 2 and is in jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.

His attorney at the public defender's office did not return calls requesting comment. Police, though, said McFarlin told investigators he was down on his luck and had been sleeping in his car before breaking in to a few San Francisco homes and the Jobs residence.

The report says that on that July night, McFarlin pulled up to the curb on Waverley and hopped a six-foot fence by climbing the scaffolding around the house after construction crews renovating the home had gone home for the day. He walked into open garage workshop, found a key and walked through the house door, the report said.

"Kariem McFarlin explained he crept around the house because he was scared someone might be home," the report said.

Eventually, he figured out he was alone. Then, investigators wrote, he saw a letter addressed to Jobs and realized whose home he was standing in.

"The best we can tell is it was totally random," prosecutor Tom Flattery said.

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_21310691/steve-jobs-home-burglarized-by-former-san-jose

犯人は元サンノゼ州立大のフットボール選手でしたが、今は往時の精彩はなく、記事によると、down on his luckだったとのこと。これはman (who is) down on his luckからきた表現で、「落ち目」「落ちぶれた」を意味します。（UG）