Man arrested on suspicion of breaking into Lawrence legislator’s Statehouse office

Boarded up window where man broke into state Rep. Tom Sloan's office in the Statehouse.

Outside view of broken window in state Rep. Tom Sloan's office.

? A 30-year-old man was arrested Friday for allegedly breaking into the Statehouse office of state Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence.

Sloan joked before the full House Friday morning that “none of my state secrets were stolen.” The suspect probably thought he was breaking into the office of a more influential legislator, Sloan quipped.

Giovanni Ronald Barcelona, of Topeka, was arrested without incident on suspicion of criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing, according to Patrick Saleh, a spokesman for the Capitol Police Department.

The incident occurred at 1:27 a.m. when Capitol Police responded to a glass-break alarm, Saleh said. At 1:29 a.m., they found a man on top of Sloan’s desk talking and rambling nonsensically, he said.

Saleh said nothing was stolen from the first-floor office. The large window was broken with a rock. Saleh said police think the break-in was a random act and that there was no connection between the suspect and Sloan.

A large piece of plywood was in place where Sloan’s window pane used to be.