Former JetBlue flight attendent burglarized while he was in court

By the CNN Wire Staff

October 20, 2010 -- Updated 2231 GMT (0631 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Steven Slater was in court Tuesday after a widely publicized airport incident
• In August, the JetBlue flight attendant used an emergency slide for a dramatic exit
• He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted criminal mischief.
• While he was in court, his apartment was burglarized

New York (CNN) -- While he was in court Tuesday on charges stemming from deployment of an emergency chute at John F. Kennedy airport, former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater's apartment was burglarized, according to a press release from the Queens County District Attorney.
And this allegedly wasn't a random act of burglary. Slater's partner's brother was the perpetrator, the Queens district attorney says.
"The defendant is accused basically of a crime of opportunity -- brazenly breaking into his brother's apartment in broad daylight when he knew that nobody would be home," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said of the man charged in the burglary.
Jonathan Rochelle, 39, of Belle Harbor, Queens was awaiting arraignment Wednesday in Queens Criminal Court on second-degree burglary and other charges, according to the district attorney's office.
According to the charges, Rochelle stole a laptop, printer, and microwave. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Slater -- who gained nationwide attention in August when he cursed a passenger over a plane's public address system, deployed the plane's emergency evacuation slide and used it to dramatically exit his flight -- pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of attempted criminal mischief. Under a plea deal, he must enter a year-long mental health program.