Vanilla Ice Arrested for Burglary Related to the Rapper's ‘The Vanilla Ice Project’
Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, 47, was arrested Wednesday in Lantana, Florida, on suspicion of burglary and grand theft that apparently is connected with his long-running and award-winning reality-TV series, The Vanilla Ice Project.
The Vanilla Ice Project which airs on the DIY Network is hosted by Vanilla Ice who aside from being a rapper is a real-life handyman who has experience with home improvement and house flipping since the 1990s. He started buying houses in his early twenties and got more into home improvement starting in 1998. The show which debuted in 2010 and wrapped its fourth season last May. Ice has subsequently launched a Vanilla Ice Real Estate venture. Site visitors who register with a valid email address are even given the rapper's book "Get Rich Fliping Houses" free of charge.
According to TMZ, Ice was renovating a nearby home for his show and allegedly thought it was a good idea to go to the abandoned foreclosed nearby property and take what he thought may be discarded items. Apparently, even though the house was already vacant, the rightful owner had a problem with someone jacking their belongings and reported the matter to the police. As gathered, the theft or series of thefts took place sometime between December 2014 and February 2015.
The cops got a search warrant and recovered furniture, a pool heater, bicycles and other stuff in Ice's possession, leading them to determine that the rapper "played a role" in the crime according to the Lantana police's press statement. Ice will reportedly be booked with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department and charged with burglary and grand theft. The recovered stolen items were reportedly returned to the rightful owner. Ice is also reportedly working with investigators to locate all of the other missing items. The police say that the rapper is "very cooperative."