Arrests made in expensive Arizona restaurant liquor theft
TEMPE, Ariz. - Tempe Police officials say they have made an arrest in connection with the theft of an expensive bottle of liquor from a Tempe restaurant.
What we know:
In a statement released on May 12, police identified the two suspects as 34-year-old Channel Miller and 32-year-old Matthew Steve.
The backstory:
The incident happened on the night of May 4 at the Three Thirty Three Restaurant in Tempe, and surveillance video shows a man and a woman standing by a table when the woman grabs a bottle from a cart, and puts it in her purse.
The bottle of liquor in question is a Louis XIII cognac. A listing on liquor store Total Wine & More's website shows one bottle of the cognac can be purchased for $4,149.99.
"They came in and made a fake reservation under a fake name, fake phone number," said John DeVries with the restaurant. "[They] came in late, sat down, ordered appetizers and starters, and that was it. Started to complain a little bit, and they got up, asked to go smoke and we don't allow smoking outside, so I guess they went out the front. She came back in. He was blocking the view of the manager, and she came in and on camera, we see her putting it in her purse."
Dig deeper:
In their statement, Tempe Police said Miller and Steve turned themselves in on May 12.
"Investigators believe the couple may be associated with the Romanian Travelers criminal group, which is known to target businesses in theft and fraud-related crimes across the country," read a portion of Tempe Police's statement.
What's next:
Tempe Police say both Miller and Steve are facing felony theft charges.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a statement released by the Tempe Police Department.