A Canadian-born illegal alien with outstanding warrants for grand theft and armed robbery was caught stealing more than $3,000 of food, booze, and lobster from Hannaford in Damariscotta.
Cristian Ariza-Padilla, 49, the culinary hand behind Ann’s Book Bistro and Koko’s Sandwich Bar, was nabbed by Damariscotta police on July 17, according to a story broken Aug. 1 by the Lincoln County News, a locally owned weekly newspaper.
According to LCN’s reporting, Ariza-Padilla is allegedly Canadian-born illegal alien, whose illegal presence in the U.S. was only uncovered after his arrest on theft charges.
The Damariscotta lugging and subsequent investigation have set the stage for the sticky-fingered chef’s potential extradition to Florida and/or deportation to the Great White North.
The chef, whose name was given by police as Ariza-Padilla, is currently being held at Two Bridges Regional Jail under a Class C theft charge.
LCN additionally reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on Ariza-Padilla, meaning that if local law enforcement decides to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, he will be deported from the U.S.
According to LCN, Ariza-Padilla’s undoing began the morning of July 17 at Hannaford’s 469 Main St. location.
Damariscotta Police Chief Jason Warlick told the newspaper that officers were summoned after reports of a shoplifter.
Ariza-Padilla was originally fingered for a $100 five-finger discount, which he executed by outsmarting the grocery chain’s self-checkout systems.
After reviewing security footage from his other visits, however, Hannaford investigators found other instances of the illegal alien chef purloining food products, including an alleged $500 worth of frozen lobster, booze, and other upscale items.
The second discover led the local cops to upgrade is former misdemeanor charges to felony level.
“This was more than a family feast,” said Warlick, who also lauded the supermarket’s surveillance and loss prevention efforts.
Adding to the chef’s troubles, authorities uncovered an outstanding warrant from Florida for a 2018 armed robbery. Hollywood Police issued the nationwide warrant, and Volusia County Sheriff’s Office had previously booked him for grand theft in 2017.
After learning of his active warrants in Florida, the Damariscotta police charged the chef with as a “fugitive from justice,” which could result in his extradition to Florida prior to any federal removal proceedings.
Despite being lawfully admitted to the U.S. in 2016, Ariza-Padilla’s criminal records makes him subject to deportation; however, ICE will only be able to remove him from the U.S. if local courts and law enforcement decide to honor the federal detainer request.
Some large shopping chains, such as Target, have recently begun moving away from self-checkout kiosks, as they have been found to make stealing easier.
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