Now, Stewart is heading back to state prison for the next three to four years, after pleading guilty yesterday to a string of charges that stem from the theft of wallets from teachers' purses at the Saltonstall School back in the summer of 2006.

"Sir, you're going to be 54, 55 years old when you get out," Salem Superior Court Judge David Lowy warned. "Enough is enough."

Stewart's attorney said she believes her client has finally gotten the message. "He tells me he's tired of being in prison," said lawyer Amanda Barker during yesterday's hearing. Barker said that even in middle age, "he still has time to change."

Prosecutor Michael Patten isn't so sure. He urged a five- to seven-year prison term, saying Stewart's lengthy record and history of violating probation makes him unlikely to reform his ways in a shorter prison term.

Patten outlined the facts of the case: On the morning of July 24, 2006, while teachers and students in a summer program were outside for a "field day," Stewart made his way through the Lafayette Street school, where he snatched two wallets from unsuspecting teachers. Staffers who saw him in the school that day thought he was just another parent.

By the time the teachers' stolen credit cards were canceled, Stewart had used them at several businesses, including a Walgreen's on Boston Street, a Staples, Stop & Shop and Radio Shack in Revere and at two MBTA stations, where he bought Charlie Cards, which are used to pay subway fares.

Patten said both women suffered a "significant amount of stress" as they dealt with their banks and credit card companies, closing accounts.

Barker acknowledged that stress but also noted that her client, who suffers from physical and mental illness, didn't seem to plan the crime well, calling it "a crime of opportunity."

"He goes to the T station and buys T passes," Barker said. "He's not going to a boutique and buying designer clothing and selling it on the street."

Stewart pleaded guilty to two counts each of larceny from a building, larceny over $250, credit card fraud, and identity fraud.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of being a common and notorious thief, which could have landed him a 20-year prison term.

After his release from prison, he will be on probation for five years.