Janet Jackson News

(2/7/02, 6 p.m. ET) -- Janet Jackson's dressing room was broken into on Wednesday night (February 7) while the singer was on stage performing to the packed house at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. Police charged Mario Backman for burglary after he was found trying to pilfer personal items belonging to Jackson from the backstage area.

Detective Lieutenant Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police Department told LAUNCH that Backman was a ticketholder to the concert who somehow made his way into a restricted area.

"At one point he made his way backstage, or into a back dressing room--which was actually her dressing room--and removed some personal items that included two stuffed animals, an FDNY baseball hat, and some correspondence that was laying around," he said.

Smith added that it was Jackson's manager who caught Backman and notified police. "Apparently what happened was the victim's manager apprehended Backman right at the scene, and he called police and that's when we came in and we arrested him. And we basically charged him with burglary, third degree, which is a 'D' felony and, in terms of time that he could serve, it's probably a maximum of three-to-seven years," he said.

Backman was arraigned Thursday (February 7) in First District Court in Hempstead, Long Island. Meanwhile, Jackson's U.S. tour continues Friday night (January 8) with a performance at the First Union Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

-- Chad Dougatz and Jason Gelman, New York

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