Vanilla Ice arrested, accused of burglarizing Lantana home

Robert Van Winkle released from jail on bond, calls incident 'a misunderstanding'

LANTANA, Fla. – Robert Van Winkle, better known by his musical persona Vanilla Ice, was arrested Wednesday on a burglary charge.

Van Winkle is accused of burglarizing a Lantana home sometime between December and February.

Lantana police said furniture, a pool heater, bicycles and other items were removed from the home, which was undergoing a foreclosure, in the 100 block of North Atlantic Drive.

Chief Sean Scheller said Van Winkle was renovating a home adjacent to the property where the items were stolen.

Police served a search warrant at a home where several of the stolen items were recovered. Scheller said that home was under the care and control of Van Winkle.

"The things that they took, it's really not anything in there of value," real estate broker Jim Lovley told Local 10 News.

Scheller said Van Winkle met with detectives at the Lantana Police Department, where he was taken into custody on charges of burglary and grand theft.

Van Winkle walked out of the main Palm Beach County jail Wednesday evening on a $6,000 bond.

"It's a misunderstanding," Van Winkle told reporters. "It's blown out of proportion, and it's sad that good news doesn't travel this fast."

After gaining fame with the 1990 song "Ice, Ice Baby," Van Winkle turned to reality television as host and handyman of "The Vanilla Ice Project" on the DIY Network.

"DIY Network has been made aware of this situation and is currently looking into the matter," spokeswoman Lynne Davis said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Van Winkle seemed confident that his legal woes would be resolved.

"It'll all get cleared up," he said. "You'll see."

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