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Man Falls Through Ceiling, Gets Arrested for Armed Burglary

By Daniel Taylor, Esq. on December 23, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A 19-year-old man's alleged burglary of a Florida bakery came to crashing halt when he fell through the ceiling of the business, landing on a rack of potato chips.

Chacarion Avant was arrested after being discovered by the bakery's owner, who told WKMG-TV he initially thought Avant was a customer before noticing the hole in the ceiling. Avant was injured in the fall and was taken to the hospital, but not before being charged with armed burglary and giving false information to police.

Why is Avant being charged with burglary if he didn't actually steal anything? Does pride criminal intent come before the fall?

Burglary Does Not Require Theft

Although the crime of burglary is often equated with theft, burglary can be charged any time a person makes unlawful entry into a structure, such as a home or a building, with the intent to commit a crime inside. Since it is the intent to commit a crime inside, not the actual commission of the crime that is required for burglary, a burglary is committed when the unlawful entry is made, regardless of whether the intended crime is completed.

In Avant's case, police believe that he gained entry to the bakery through a neighboring barber shop by crawling through the ceiling. Police believe that Avant had intended to commit theft once inside the bakery.

Armed Burglary

Avant was charged with armed burglary because he was found with a knife in his possession. Under Florida's burglary laws, burglary committed by a person who is armed is a first-degree felony.

A conviction of a first-degree felony in Florida may result in up to life in prison and a fine of as much as $10,000. After being released from the hospital, Avant was sent to Lake County Jail, where he was being held on $16,000 bond.

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