Best Western Sleeping Hotel Guest Awakened by Man Falling Through Ceiling…and it Wasn’t Santa
Friday afternoon a weary businessman laid down on his hotel bed for a quick late-afternoon snooze when all of a sudden he heard two bangs and the unthinkable happened – a man fell through the ceiling.
According to the UK’s Daily Mail the shocked guest staying at the Best Western Stoke-on-Trent (formerly known as The Weathervane) was told by the 31 year old man named Christopher Boast that he was an electrician, but he remained suspicious of the unwelcome drop-in. He offered the “electrician” a glass of water, which he accepted.
The guest went into the bathroom to refill the water glass, and in his absence Mr. Boast stole the keys to his company car (which contained his laptop) and left.
It wasn’t long before the guest realized the keys were gone, the authorities got involved, and Mr. Boast was brought in for questioning (and the guest’s missing laptop and car were returned).
Mr. Boast had sneaked onto the roof of the hotel and was quietly crawling through the attic area looking for things to steal. He thought he had a brilliant idea, but then the panel beneath him gave way, and he ended up in the guest’s room. When the guest offered him the glass of water, he left his fingerprints behind.
Mr. Boast is no stranger to the law, and in 2013 he had served a two year jail sentence after he had stolen a teen’s motorcycle while on drugs. Earlier this year in July, he had taken the police on a wild driving chase (also while on drugs), went through red lights, a stop sign, drove on the wrong side of the road, and finally got caught when his vehicle tires were punctured by a spike strip. On October 29, he stole two cans of beer and oil from a Texaco gas station.
All in all, Mr. Boast plead guilty to burglary, theft, driving while on drugs, grand theft, driving without insurance, and leaving without making payment. He has been jailed for 30 months; no word on any additional fees.
I cannot imagine what a scare the hotel guest must have had. If I was napping and a man fell through the ceiling I’d probably be confused and terribly upset, and offering him a glass of water wouldn’t be foremost on my mind. I’d probably call the front desk immediately but also be tempted to leave the room. The burglar said he was an electrician but his actions (and speech) were probably suspicious seeing as he was also on drugs.
What would you do in this situation?
