A 60-year-old burglar who sawed a hole in an Augusta convenience store was caught after exiting through the roof early Saturday, authorities said.
Deputies shouted at Howard Blue McNeil to come down when he was caught around 3:30 a.m. Saturday at Aggie’s Convenience Store on Meadowbrook Drive.
“Man, stop yelling at me and give me some time to catch my breath!” the suspect responded.
Authorities say the older suspect was caught with a crow bar, a hammer and a saw. He had gone into the store to steal lottery tickets and mild tobacco cigars.
But the store’s owner was alerted to his presence in the store through security systems. He called the cops, and deputies surrounded the store. They ordered McNeil to come down from the roof and he refused.
McNeil was eventually captured and arrested, and officers found that he has sawed a hole in the roof. He was locked up for burglary in the second degree, possession of tools for the commission of a crime and a hold for probation or parole. He remained Sunday in the Charles B. Webster Detention Center under no bond.
