Washington v. Holden

Appellant, Robert Leland Holden, was discovered at approximately 7 a.m. on the morning of February 27, 1968 on the roof of the Myers Music Store in Seattle. He was stuck in an air ventilator shaft with his head, shoulders and arms sticking out. When police officers first arrived he told them he had gotten drunk the night before and had fallen two stories off the roof of the adjoining building and landed in the shaft. The housing of the shaft, normally affixed by four screws, was lying on the roof next to the shaft. Appellants shirt, jacket and cigarettes were also lying on the roof. Appellant was charged with attempted burglary in the second degree. When later interrogated regarding his presence on the roof he stated he had fallen off the roof of the adjoining building and when he discovered he was unable to get down, he decided to remove the housing and try to get down through the ventilator shaft.