A Suffolk County District Court judge was temporarily relieved of duty on Friday after he pleaded not guilty to a burglary charge for allegedly stealing women's underwear from a private residence.

Suffolk County District Judge Robert Cicale, 49, was arrested on Thursday after allegedly breaking into a neighbor's house. He has been charged with second-degree burglary, a class C felony.

In a video posted by Newsday, Acting Suffolk County Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron said police responded to a call in East Islip, where a 23-year-old woman said she saw an intruder in her house.

Cameron said police arrived at the scene and encountered Cicale and found him in possession of soiled women's underwear.

Cicale allegedly told police that he went to the house to take more panties, but left after he heard someone in the residence, Newsday reports—the undergarments in his possession were from previous break-ins.

On Friday, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks issued an order to reassign all cases pending before Cicale to other courts and prohibiting Cicale from taking on new matters.

Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the Office of Court Administration, said in an email that Cicale's relief of duty is indefinite. He said the matter has been referred to the state Court of Appeals to determine if Cicale will be suspended and, if he is, whether or not he will continue to receive pay during the suspension.

William Wexler, a Suffolk County attorney, appeared for Cicale at his arraignment.

With respect to the case against Cicale, Wexler said “we're going to have to let the process work itself out.” But he said Cicale is well-respected in Suffolk County legal circles, and that the allegations against the judge have taken Suffolk County attorneys by surprise.

“He's really just a decent guy,” Wexler said. “You come into his courtroom 15 minutes late and he apologizes to you.”

Cicale, a Republican, was elected to the bench in 2016. He previously served as town attorney for the Town of Islip.