Terry Helbing, a 53-year-old resident of a Tenderloin residence hotel, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that he stole $15,000 in paintings from the horticulture library at the S.F. Botanical Garden. In exchange for the plea, Helbing won't have to serve time for other charges stemming from the discovery of over $100,000 in other stolen artwork that was discovered in his rented room on Ellis Street.

Our only question: why hadn't he pawned the stuff to get himself a nicer apartment? Or did he just like looking at it?

[Chron]