‘Crossword bandit’: Alleged dine-and-dasher at Lee Co. restaurants also faces DUI while riding bike
LEE COUNTY, Fla. —
A man dubbed the “crossword bandit” has been arrested by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office after they say he left a local restaurant without paying his tab.
Restaurants across Lee County say he’s done this before, often while leaving behind a crossword puzzle book.
Employees say the man ordered $47 worth of beers at the British Open Pub in Bonita Springs, sat with his crossword puzzle, then got up to use the restroom and never returned to settle his bill.
Shawn Philbin, a bartender who served the man four beers at the pub, said this type of incident was unprecedented at the establishment.
“I’m surprised; 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,” Philbin said.
This is not the first time the man has allegedly done this. Gulf Coast News visited three other restaurants in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, where owners confirmed off-camera that the same man had skipped out on tabs at their establishments.
“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,” Philbin said.
On Thursday, deputies arrested the man, later identified as Ronald Wladich, after he reportedly left without paying at Ron Dao’s Pizzeria.
An arrest report says that deputies were called there after employees saw him leave without paying his bill. Wladich was reportedly seen leaving the restaurant and walking toward a bicycle before getting on it and riding off.
Deputies made contact with Wladich and say they noted a strong scent of alcohol emanating from his mouth when he was talking. He was detained.
The report says that Wladich refused any form of sobriety test and refused a breathalyzer sample.
Wladich faces charges of defrauding a food operator or lodging accommodation and DUI while riding a bicycle.
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