Mass. Burglary Suspect Gets Stuck in Roof Vent
April 05--A greased-up burglar's plot to rob a Springfield restaurant last night didn't prove as slick as planned after he wedged himself into a too-tiny rooftop ventilation shaft and got stuck, giving authorities a good chuckle when they arrived to free him, police said.
Robert Kuhn, 26, stripped down to his underwear, covered himself in grease and threw his clothes down a 2-foot-by-2-foot vent with plans to redress himself after he slipped into the Washington Street eatery Lido Restaurant, Sgt. John Delaney said.
Instead, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Kuhn shimmied his way in to his waist, where the owner Don Cerasa -- who lives above the restaurant -- saw him get stuck, and called police, Delaney said.
When officers arrived about 9:55 p.m., they found the near-naked Kuhn covered in soot and saying, "I'm stuck."
After the fire department was called -- and "the fireman stopped laughing," police said -- they freed him unharmed and officers arrested Kuhn on charges of nighttime breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony.
He was due in Hampden County court today, Delaney said.
Cerasa told police Kuhn was a former employee of the restaurant, which had closed its doors for good on Saturday.
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