RIDGECREST, CA — An alleged burglar in California whose luck ran out when he got stuck inside a home’s chimney has been arrested.
Officers from the Ridgecrest Police Department were initially dispatched to a home Sunday after reports of a triggered burglary alarm.
A few minutes later, police got another call — this time from a woman who claimed that her friend was trapped in a chimney at the same address.
When officers arrived, they discovered Keith Schultz, 28, wedged in the chimney.
They also found signs of forced entry and an open back door, leading them to conclude that Shultz’s accomplices broke into the home with him, and then fled the scene when they were unable to free him.
Schultz, who was covered in soot in his mug shot, was eventually rescued from the chimney by firefighters. He was taken to Bakersfield jail and charged with burglary.