Burglar Found Trapped in Store Vent

Police find a burglar trapped in a supermarket's ventilation system

By TODD WRIGHT
Updated 4:00 PM EST, Tue, Nov 24, 2009

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Haines City Police

Randy Eugene Cliett isn't the best Santa Claus impersonator. And he's not a very good burglar either.

The Haines City man was rescued by police after trying to break into a local grocery store. Yes, that's rescued and not caught because the man happened to be stuck in the store's ventilation system.

Cliett, 49, had just been released from a state prison in September for breaking into the same store in 2004. That time he used the door.

This time he decided to try a new approach, but that netted the same result.

Police said Cliett made it all the way to the kitchen's ventilation system when he got wedged into the tiny space. Store employees eventually heard the struggling man's pleas for help and called emergency services to rescue their secret Santa.

First Published: Nov 24, 2009 3:45 PM EST

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