Man stuck in vent after burglary attempt

A man trapped in a restaurant’s grease vent for more than six hours was arrested on burglary charges Monday.

North Charleston police charged Kevin Michael Harley, 23, of North Charleston with burglary in the second-degree after they found him stuck in a vent.

An employee told police that she entered the Shoney’s at 6328 Rivers Ave. at 4:47 a.m. and heard someone calling for help. She called police, who entered the restaurant and ordered the man to show himself. The suspect said he couldn’t because he was stuck in the vent. Officers then noticed a foot dangling in a vent above one of the stoves, according to an incident report.

Officers went up on the roof and found the man stuck vertically in the vent. The man was wearing socks on his hands to avoid leaving fingerprints, the report said.

Officers said he was extremely thirsty and was having difficulty breathing. He told officers that he entered the vent about 10 p.m. Sunday night, the report said.

North Charleston firefighters removed Harley from the vent through the roof.

Harley was taken to a local hospital and treated for injuries sustained in the vent and then later taken to jail.