The Wild East crime desk – TAIPEI
A mysterious mansion burglar was brought to justice in Jiayi recently after engaging local police in an earnest battle of wits.
Police in Jiayi City (aka “Chiayi”, 嘉義市) said Tuesday they’ve pressed charges of breaking and entering against a man known only by the ubiquitous surname of “Chen” (陳).
Chen was witnessed scaling the mansion’s perimeter wall, and initially surprised the police that apprehended him by claiming to be the victim of an insidious bout of sleepwalking. Police said that, in the end, they didn’t buy his story, and resolved to carry out the letter of the law to bring Chen to justice.
Jiayi police said Chen was apprehended a few days ago, while taking advantage of the family’s absence during suppertime. After repeatedly ringing the bell to make sure no one was home, Chen then scaled the high walls surrounding the mansion. Chen used a screwdriver and hammer and other tools he brought with him to break in.
Pretending to come out of a sleepwalker’s trance, police said Chen appeared in a daze when he asked them “Strange, how ever did I get here?” Chen explained to them that he suffered from a sleepwalking disorder, and in no way was he deliberately breaking into the manor.
Immediately after uttering his defense, Chen bolted, with police following in hot pursuit. After apprehending Chen, police were reported to have said “it was fortunate they were quick-witted enough to subdue him.”
Mr Chen was not sleepwalking per se, but he did tell police later that he had been taken Stillnox the over-prescribed sleeping pill of choice in Taiwan, and it works much like Ambien, in that one can find oneself walking to the refrigerator and eating everything in sight at 3 am without any memory of it in the morning, other than waking up to see all the crap on the table! So blame this all on Stillnox. He was not sleep walking per se, but he WAS Stillnoxing. Google it. and google Ambien!