A 38-year-old homeless man was arrested in York County on New Year’s Eve after he allegedly broke into a Kiln Creek residence, prepared to take a Jacuzzi bath and laid in the homeowner’s bed, smoking a cigarette, according to police.
York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to a residence in the 100 block of Barrington Place at 1:49 p.m. Dec. 31 in response to a call from a man who was taking care of the Kiln Creek home while the owner was on vacation, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
The homeowner was expected to arrive home from vacation later that night, the release said.
The man told police he went to the house to pick up a package that was due to be delivered that day, but found the package opened in the backyard, the release said. The salmon that had been delivered in the box was half-eaten.
Police said the caretaker entered the house, smelled cigarette smoke and walked upstairs to find a man in the homeowner’s bed, smoking a cigarette.
When the man was discovered, he ran out of the house and across Kiln Creek, eventually being tackled by the man who had found him upstairs, the release said. The man detained the other man until deputies arrived and took him into custody.
The man who allegedly broke into the house was later identified as Samuel Ciopasiu, a homeless man with no known address. He was charged with breaking and entering and grand larceny, police said.
Police believe Ciopasiu “had gone into the home because he was homeless and saw the package sitting on the porch.” He went into the house after eating the salmon in the package that had been delivered, then laid on all the beds and couches until he “found one he liked,” the release said.
It also appeared that Ciopasiu had turned on the Jacuzzi, started washing his clothes and put on a set of the homeowner’s clothes, the release said.
“There were some marks on a back door, but we are still not sure [how] he actually got in the house. We did find some unsecured windows,” the release said.
Ciopasiu was taken to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, in Williamsburg.
Ciopasiu appeared in the York County General District Court Tuesday morning at 8:31 a.m. for arraignment, and is being represented by attorney Fernando Groene, according to online court records.
He is scheduled to appear again in court for a hearing Feb. 8 at 9 a.m.
