Man ‘helped himself’ to food, liquor from closed restaurant for days, police say

A man stole thousands of dollars of food and beverages from a Connecticut restaurant after breaking into it multiple times over the course of several days, police said.

Louis Ortiz, 42, was found sleeping in the Soul de Cuba Cafe restaurant by the owner at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the New Haven Register reported.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and saw Ortiz break in through a side window of the closed restaurant on Saturday, the Register reported.

"Officers learned Ortiz helped himself over the course of four days to the restaurant's food, liquor and beer," New Haven police Capt. Anthony Duff told the Register. "In addition to eating and drinking at the restaurant, Ortiz removed beverages and property from the building."

Ortiz is believed to have taken several thousand dollars’ worth of food and beverages including about 70 bottles of liquor. A bottle of the restaurant’s rum was found on Ortiz when he was detained, police said.

Ortiz was arrested and charged with burglary and larceny, criminal mischief and failure to appear, the Register reported. He was held in lieu of $12,500 bail.

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