Alleged bingo bandit charged with theft after breaking out of business

A 33-year-old Saskatoon man charged with stealing $7,000 from City Centre Bingo apparently hid in the ceiling of the hall until it had been closed.

"This is an unusual charge," said Judge Doug Agnew when the suspect appeared in Saskatoonprovincial court.

The man is charged with breaking out of a business not breaking in.

The allegation is that on Aug. 14, the man stood in a toilet stall of the men's washroom and climbed into the sub-ceiling.

After the business closed at 1 a.m. CSTand the doors were locked and alarm set, he then allegedly tightrope walked about 20 metres on a steel girder to a point over the bingo office.

Then he dropped from the ceiling into a supply closet and walked into the office.

Using shut-off handles taken from a heating unit he passed along the way, he broke into the safe and made off with the cash. Hethen broke out of the business.

The man is being held in custody and will be in court Monday for a bail hearing.