BAKER, Fla., Dec. 24, 2020—An armed burglar was caught in the act of his crime this morning in Baker.

Arrested was Roy Clyde Cato, 39, of Defuniak Springs.

Just before 2 a.m., a Kyser Mill Road resident who was out of town contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office about a burglar he saw in his house via his home security video.

Deputies responded and saw Cato trying to escape out of a bottom-floor window, according to an arrest report.

As deputies set a perimeter, Cato saw them and fled back into the house where, for several hours, he refused multiple commands to come out.

Concerned he might be armed, the OCSO Special Response Team was called to the scene. Cato continued to refuse to surrender after repeated orders and non-lethal gas cannisters were deployed.

After a seven-and-a-half-hour standoff, Cato, who hid in the attic, tried to escape out the eaves of the front porch. Instead, he partially fell through the soffit and was captured.  As he was falling, he was seen throwing a knife back into the attic, according to the report.

Cato was taken into custody by members of the Special Response Team at that time.

Inside the home, Cato punched numerous holes in the walls, broke a window trying to escape and cut electrical wires to evade capture.

Once in custody, Cato complained of an arm injury and was medically cleared before being transported to the Okaloosa County Jail.

Cato was charged with armed burglary, criminal mischief and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, all felonies.

During the booking process at the jail, corrections officers found five syringes and four baggies containing meth and heroin hidden in a body cavity during a body search.

Charges of possession of a controlled substance, smuggling contraband into a detention facility and possession of drug paraphernalia were added to Cato’s list of offenses.

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office news release