[StBernard] Burglar hits hotel from rooftop

[Westley Annis]

Perhaps it's now one less black eye to St. Bernard and one more piece of St.
Bernard trash that's taken off the street. Hard-working St. Bernardians
actually work hard at being model citizens and upstanding neighbors to put
up with common garbage that's equal to the gutted home's remains.

   Hope he gets the maximum.

--jer--

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Burglar hits hotel from rooftop
Police arrest suspect in daredevil caper Tuesday, October 21, 2008By
Michelle Hunter
A Chalmette man was arrested on charges of rappelling off the roof of a
seven-story Metairie hotel in an effort to break into a room via its balcony
door. 

David Sanchez, 25, didn't make it inside of Room 714 at the Four Points By
Sheraton, 6401 Veterans Memorial Blvd. But authorities say he did manage to
steal a few bank checks from a room on the first floor. 

Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputies were alerted to the high-flying felony
Oct. 14 just before 5 a.m. A Northwest Airlines employee was about to leave
her room to check out when she heard a noise on her balcony and spotted a
shirtless man. He had been trying to pry open her sliding glass door. 

Once he realized he had been spotted, he climbed up a 45-foot piece of cable
tied to an air-conditioning unit on the roof, a Sheriff's Office incident
report said. 

Deputies answering the call stopped a shirtless Sanchez one block from the
hotel. He was soaking wet, smelled of alcohol and appeared to be
intoxicated, the incident report said. He had in his pockets two damp checks
that had been reported missing from Room 100, the report said. 

The deputies figured that it was Sanchez who descended from the roof to the
balcony, and that he more than likely got drenched by jumping into the hotel
swimming pool while trying to escape, the report said. 

Sanchez was booked with simple burglary, attempted simple burglary, criminal
damage valued at less than $500 and disturbing the peace. 

He was being held Monday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in
Gretna in lieu of $10,750 bond. 

. . . . . . . 

Michelle Hunter can be reached at mhunter at timespicayune.com or 504.883.7054.