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Police: Man spends days eating, drinking bottles of liquor inside restaurant closed due to COVID-19

Manager found man asleep inside Conn. restaurant
Police: Man spends days eating, drinking bottles of liquor inside restaurant closed due to COVID-19
Courtesy of New Haven Police Dept. via Instagram
Police: Man spends days eating, drinking bottles of liquor inside restaurant closed due to COVID-19
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Police said a man is behind bars after he reportedly was found inside a New Haven, Connecticut restaurant, which was closed due to COVID-19 after he ate and drank 70 bottles of liquor over four days.

New Haven Police said Louis Ortiz stole and consumed several thousand dollars worth of food and drinks from the Soul De Cuba Café, according to the Hartford Courant.

"Ortiz helped himself over four days to the restaurant's food, liquor, and beer," New Haven police said on their Instagram. "In addition to eating and drinking at the restaurant, Ortiz removed beverages and property from the building."

View this post on Instagram

New Haven Burglar Serves Himself in Restaurant for Four Days New Haven| Tuesday, April 14, 2020, around 11:30 a.m., officers responded to a burglary in progress at a downtown Crown Street restaurant. The caller reported finding an unknown man, later identified as Louis Angel Ortiz, asleep in the closed restaurant. Arriving officers located Ortiz nearby on Crown Street and detained him. The 42 year old New Haven man was found in possession of a bottle of the restaurant’s rum. Investigators reviewed security video footage which confirmed the initial burglary occurred several days prior on Saturday when Ortiz made entry through a side window of the restaurant. Officers learned Ortiz helped himself over the course of four days to the restaurant’s food, liquor, and beer. In addition to eating and drinking at the restaurant, Ortiz removed beverages and property from the building. The business had been closed during this time and it was a manager’s routine check of the establishment that led to the discovery of the burglary. Management estimated the loss of food and beverages at several thousand dollars. The loss includes an estimated 70 bottles of stolen or consumed liquor. Louis A. Ortiz is charged with the following: Burglary third degree. Larceny third degree. Criminal mischief first degree. Failure to appear second degree (East Haven warrant) Ortiz was held in lieu of $12,500 bail at the NHPD Union Avenue Detention Center and transferred this morning to an arraignment hearing in New Haven Superior Court at 235 Church Street.

A post shared by New Haven Police Department (@newhavenpolicedepartment) on

Police said a manager had stopped to check on the restaurant and noticed Ortiz sleeping inside with a bottle of rum, the newspaper reported.

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