A 39-year-old man faces up to 20 years in prison after breaking into a York County home and making himself comfortable on New Year’s Eve.
Samuel Ciopasiu pleaded guilty to entering a house with the intent to commit a felony Tuesday morning in the York-Poquoson Circuit Court, according to court records.
Police said Ciopasiu, who was homeless, was discovered inside a Kiln Creek residence after he allegedly broke in, prepared to take a Jacuzzi bath and laid in the homeowner’s bed, smoking a cigarette. The homeowner was on vacation at the time.
Ciopasiu pleaded guilty to statutory burglary, which carries a punishment of one to 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 24 at 9 a.m. in the circuit court.
During a Feb. 28 preliminary hearing, the house’s caretaker, William Phillips, testified that the Ciopasiu may have been at the house for multiple days.
Phillips said he lives in the neighborhood and was checking on the home, where his estranged wife lives.
He entered the home on Dec. 28 and 29, and at one point detected a “faint smell” of cigarettes, which he said he dismissed. He returned to check on the home again two days later.
“When I entered on the 31st it smelled like a bar,” Phillips testified.
Phillips said he walked upstairs, where he believed the smell was originating.
“I looked through a crack in the door and saw someone standing there,” Phillips said. “I was stunned and I asked him what he was doing and he said he was about to take a shower.”
Ciopasiu then ran from the home and Phillips said he got into his vehicle to pursue him. Phillips added he did not have his cell phone on him at the time and was unable to call police.
At one point, Phillips said he thought he had cornered Ciopasiu and got out of his car to apprehend him. However, Ciopasiu was able to continue running. Another motorist saw the chase, pulled a u-turn and helped Phillips detain Ciopasiu until police arrived.
Police recovered an open, half-eaten box of salmon from the back yard, which had been shipped to the house earlier. Ciopasiu had also left cigarette butts and ashes in the bed, and water in the tub, Phillips said.
WYDaily archives were used in this story.
