ST. LOUIS
(AP) — A six-year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department is suspended
without pay after being charged with first-degree burglary.
The St. Louis
Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/NydhLL ) reports that 29-year-old Andrew Perez was
reportedly intoxicated when he unlawfully entered a home around 4 a.m. Sunday
while off-duty. Perez allegedly thought the home he was entering was that of a
friend.
Police say
Perez left when the homeowner confronted him, but the homeowner called police.
Court
documents say Perez picked up a purse and began emptying it when the homeowner
confronted him and forced him out of the house.
The officer's
attorney, Neil Bruntrager, says Perez made a tragic mistake but does not
deserve to be charged with burglary because he did not intend to commit a
crime.