They say a good thief doesn't leave clues at the scene of a crime, but Ronald Wladich apparently didn't get the memo. The Florida man, dubbed the "crossword bandit," has finally been nabbed.
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How Was the "Crossword Bandit" Caught?
As WZVN-TV reports, the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrested Wladich on Thursday, Oct. 1. Deputies took him in after he left Ron Dao's Pizzeria without paying. Employees reported that he left the restaurant, got on a bike, and rode off.
When officers found the alleged dine-and-dasher, they said they could smell alcohol on his breath. He was then detained. The arrest report states that Wladich refused to take a sobriety test or a breathalyzer. He was charged with defrauding a food operator or lodging accommodation and DUI while riding a bicycle.
This Is Not His First Offense
Restaurants may not have known who Wladich was until now, but they were certainly aware of his reputation. He often ate at establishments across Lee County without paying the tab and frequently left a crossword puzzle book behind.
Before his arrest, he ordered $47 worth of beer at the British Open Pub in Bonita Springs. Employees said he sat with his crossword puzzle. He then got up to use the bathroom and never paid his bill.
According to bartender Shawn Philbin, this sort of thing was rare for the restaurant.
"I'm surprised," he told reporters. "This has never happened to me before here. It's a pretty local spot, and, you know, not a big place, so I just assumed he was coming back. But after 15 minutes, I realized he was not."
Three other restaurants in Cape Coral and Fort Myers also confirmed that Wladich had dine-and-dashed at their establishments.
Philbin added, "It comes out of the business's pocket at the end of the day, and we're not here to lose money. We're here to make money."
