Waterloo police have arrested a Hazleton man, for allegedly breaking through the ceiling of a convenience store, during an attempted burglary.

Michael Lewis, 23, was taken into custody on Sunday (July 29, 2018). Authorities said an officer spotted Lewis walking on Allen Street in Waterloo, carrying a backpack that contained a pry bar, a grinding tool, syringes, and a digital scale with some white residue.

Lewis matched the description of the suspect in a July 24 attempted burglary that occurred around 4 AM at the Three Star Mart on Jefferson Street in Waterloo. According to police, officers responded to an alarm, but did not find anyone. Later, store employees determined that someone had crashed through the ceiling of the store, then fled.

Prior to falling through the ceiling, the suspect tried to pick the lock on the front door of the closed store, police said.

The burglar then climbed onto the roof, crawled through a hatch, then fell through the tiled ceiling. Lewis told police that he went onto the roof to look for rocks.

Lewis is charged with third-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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