A man arrested for allegedly breaking into OfficeMax says he has a problem with “huffing,” a common term for abusing inhalants.
According to court documents released today, the suspect was found Nov. 3 in a Super 8 Motel room with about 18 empty and seven full air duster cans.
Gary William Bell, 53, was indicted on two counts of 2nd-degree burglary, a class C felony, in the incident.
When contacted by officers, he told them he had a problem with huffing air duster, and he had rented a room because his girlfriend couldn’t handle his problems anymore. He was wearing clothing matching that seen in the store’s surveillance video.
Bell told the officer that he only remembered being woken up by the cops and taken to the hospital.
Court documents say that early on the morning of Nov. 3, Bell broke into OfficeMax located in Nugget Mall by breaking the glass in the store’s front and interior doors and stole canned air duster. Later that morning, he returned to the store to steal more of the same product.
Officers were able to identify Bell from store surveillance video, and later searched the area, leading them to the motel, where he had a room.
Damage to the glass doors is estimated at about $800. The cost of the stolen air duster is estimated at about $154.
According to online court records, Bell is being represented by a public defender.
