A Georgia Tech student claimed he fell asleep after an event Friday night at the Fox Theatre. But he couldn’t explain why he decided to break a window instead of using his cellphone to call for help.
It didn’t matter. Kevin Royal was arrested after allegedly breaking into the apartment of the theater’s famous resident, “Phantom of the Fox” Joe Patten, according to a police report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Royal, 21, was charged with burglary and criminal damage to property, both felonies, and booked into the Fulton County jail. He was later released after posting $17,500 bond, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
Patten, 86, sustained cuts on his hands and feet from the shattered glass, but was not seriously injured. He was treated at the scene, police said. But he told Channel 2 Action News he was surprised to find a stranger in his home.
“I am OK, wasn’t alarmed,” Patten said. “(I) found out later it was a Georgia Tech student who had been to a party at the theater. Got out on the roof by accident.”
Patten may have startled Royal, who was temporarily trapped behind a staircase before police arrived. A spokeswoman for the Fox said Monday that nothing was stolen during the heist, which resulted in about $1,000 worth of damage.
Known as the “Phantom of the Fox,” Patten is credited with saving the theater twice, once from demolition and once from a fire. The former technical director lives in a 3,000-square foot apartment inside the theater.
In 2010, Patten filed suit for the right to remain in the apartment after the theater's board nullified his lease, which allowed him to live at the Fox rent-free for the rest of his life. Patten was allowed to remain in the apartment after a confidential settlement was reached in 2011.
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