REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - A 60-year-old man from Rehoboth Beach is behind bars after police say he broke into the same restaurant’s outdoor refrigerator twice in just over two weeks, stealing food and alcohol worth thousands of dollars.
Delaware State Police arrested Craig Beckett on Oct. 13, after they say he broke into a walk-in refrigerator behind 302 The Local, a restaurant on Coastal Highway, and stole more food just weeks after allegedly committing a similar burglary at the same spot.
According to police, the first burglary happened Sept. 27 at approximately 11:45 a.m. Troopers responded to the restaurant at 19819 Coastal Highway after someone broke into an outdoor refrigerator and took nearly $2,000 worth of food and alcoholic beverages.
Then on Oct. 13, around 3:32 p.m., troopers were called back to the restaurant for another reported burglary. Investigators say around 3 p.m., a man wearing all black and carrying a white backpack forced entry into the same refrigerator and rode away on a bicycle with stolen food.
Troopers soon found a man matching the description, later identified as Beckett, riding a bicycle nearby. They stopped him and found the stolen food in his backpack. He was arrested without incident.
Through further investigation, detectives also linked Beckett to the Sept. 27 break-in.
Beckett was taken to Troop 7 and charged with multiple crimes:
Two counts of third-degree burglary (felony)
Possession of burglar tools (felony)
Theft over $1,500 (felony)
Theft under $1,500
Two counts of criminal mischief under $1,000
He was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $14,000 secured bond.