A Connecticut man has been accused of breaking into a New Haven restaurant that had been closed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and spending four days eating and drinking thousands of dollars’ worth of food and beverages.
Louis Angel Ortiz, 42, was arrested Tuesday morning after he was found asleep with a bottle of rum inside a downtown eatery, according to the New Haven Police Department.
Authorities said officers arrived on the scene around 11:30 a.m. in response to a report about a robbery in progress. When investigators reviewed the restaurant’s surveillance system, they alleged that Ortiz had actually broken into the restaurant on Saturday.
Ortiz then “helped himself over the course of four days to the restaurant’s food, liquor, and beer,” the New Haven Police Department said in a statement shared on their Instagram. Police said Ortiz also removed beverages and other items from the establishment during his stay.
According to authorities, restaurant management estimates Ortiz had consumed and stole several thousands of dollars’ worth of food and beverages — including 70 bottles of liquor.
The eatery has been identified as Soul De Cuba Café, a Cuban restaurant located on Crown Street, by the Hartford Courant.
The New Haven Police Department said the business had been closed and a manager’s routine check of the building led to the discovery.
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Ortiz has been charged with burglary, larceny and criminal mischief in connection to the alleged incident, as well as failure to appear in court from an unrelated case, authorities said.
He was held in lieu of $12,500 bail at the New Haven Police Department Union Avenue Detention Center and transferred to an arraignment hearing in New Haven Superior Court on Wednesday.
Ortiz is currently being held at New Haven Correctional Center, according to online records.
An attorney for Ortiz could not be immediately located by PEOPLE.
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