Burglar Breaks Into Escape Room, Calls 911 When He Can't Escape
VANCOUVER, Wash. (CBS Local) - Police say a burglar in Washington state got more than he bargained for when he broke into an "escape room" and (ironically) couldn't escape.
"Once we got down there [to the business] and realized the damage was minimal, we just thought it was hilarious," Rob Bertrand told CNN.
Bertrand owns NW Escape Experience: an entertainment center in Vancouver that challenges groups to work together, find clues and solve puzzles in order to escape the cleverly-designed rooms. The escape rooms proved to be too much for the intruder, who actually called 911 to help free him.
According to the Clark County Sheriff's Office, Rye Daniel Wardlaw broke into the business early in the morning on July 8. "The sheriff said he had a burrito and he was settling in to have a breakfast and a beer I guess and then got scared because he couldn't get out," Bertrand told KOIN.
The burglar reportedly broke in through the back door, but couldn't remember where the other door was and decided to call for help. Before police could free him, Wardlaw managed to get out of the cell. However, the suspect's escape was short-lived as deputies found him still lurking around the Vancouver strip mall.
He was arrested on 2nd-degree burglary charges after officers reportedly found evidence linking him to the break in. "I'm proud to say I'm the only escape room in the Northwest that has a 100-percent capture rate of criminals," Bertrand added.
