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Officials: Florida man orders close to $500 in food without paying at two separate restaurants, arrested

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Published  December 31, 2024 4:48pm EST
Polk County
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • The Winter Haven Public Safety Department says a Florida man recently was arrested after ordering close to $500 in food and drinks without paying.
    • Officers say the dine-and-dash incidents took place at two separate restaurants in less than 14 days.
    • Reports show the man currently resides in jail for defrauding an inkeeper.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida man has been arrested after dining and dashing nearly $500 in food and drinks at two separate restaurants in less than 14 days, police say.

Officers say the man has been arrested twice and currently resides in jail for defrauding an inkeeper.

Officials are asking restaurants to keep an eye out for the man, who they say "has a large appetite and a not-so-large conscience for paying his way."

$285.50 bill at The Harborside Restaurant

Police say the first dine-and-dash incident took place Dec. 14 at The Harborside Restaurant in Winter Haven.

An official police report states the man ordered food and drinks totaling $285.50 over a three-hour period.

One of the dine-and-dasher's receipts totaled nearly $300. (Credit: Winter Haven Public Safety Department)

Wiley was a former employee of the restaurant and known to the server, police say.

After eating, officials say the man walked to the back patio doors of the restaurant and fled the area with no attempt to pay. 

Officers state they found the man at his residence in Auburndale, and he was taken into custody by the Polk County Sheriff's Office for defrauding an innkeeper. 

Reports show the man was transported and booked into the Polk County Jail, where he then was released on bond a few days later.

MORE STORIES:

$209.04 bill at The Hungry Crab

Police say the next dine-and-dash incident took place on Dec. 26, when the man visited The Hungry Crab in Winter Haven.

An official police report states the man ordered food and drinks totaling $209.04 over a five-hour period.

The man then proceeded to leave, officers say, and, when approached he told the host he paid his tab before fleeing the area on foot. 

Workers of the restaurant posted photos of the man on social media, and he was immediately identified as the same man from Harborside, police say.

The Winter Haven Police Department says they located the man again at his Auburndale residence.

Police say the man was taken into custody and booked into jail for defrauding an innkeeper, where he currently still remains.

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The Source: The information in this article comes from the Winter Haven Public Safety Department and was shared with FOX 35 News.

Polk CountyCrime and Public Safety