Cristian Ariza-Padilla
The chef of two Damariscotta eateries has been charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing more than $3,000 worth of food items and alcohol from Hannaford Supermarket.
Cristian Ariza-Padilla, 49, was arrested by the Damariscotta Police Department on July 17 and charged with a Class C count of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer. Ariza-Padilla, a Canadian citizen, is currently in custody at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset under an immigration detainer from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as he is “unlawfully present” in the country, according to the federal agency.
The morning of July 17, the Damariscotta Police Department was called to Hannaford Supermarket, at 469 Main St., for reports of a shoplifter, according to Damariscotta Police Chief Jason Warlick. Employees of the supermarket told Officer William Smith the man, later identified as Ariza-Padilla, allegedly paid for $100 of food at a self-checkout kiosk and attempted to leave the store with $500 worth of frozen lobster tails and meat.
Smith originally arrested Ariza-Padilla on a Class D charge of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, a misdemeanor, and brought him to Two Bridges Regional Jail. Further investigation by Hannaford’s loss prevention team found additional instances over the past month of Ariza-Padilla allegedly committing theft at self-checkout, with the most common items being alcohol, lobster tails, deli meat, and other “food-related items,” Warlick said. The charge was subsequently upgraded to a felony.
The quantity of food taken was beyond what the department believed would be used by a regular family or household, Warlick said.
“We are very fortunate the store has such amazing surveillance,” Warlick said. He also praised the store’s loss prevention team for its work.
Law enforcement later discovered there was a warrant for Ariza-Padilla’s arrest out of Florida related to an incident in 2018. According to information provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Hollywood Police Department in Florida issued the warrant, which is extraditable nationwide, for a charge of armed robbery with a firearm on April 18, 2018.
Ariza-Padilla had also been arrested by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida on April 1, 2017, for grand theft, according to the federal agency.
The Damariscotta Police Department charged Ariza-Padilla as a fugitive from justice.
On Thursday, July 25, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Boston field office lodged an immigration detainer against Ariza-Padilla. An immigration detainer is a request from ICE to state and local law enforcement to notify the federal agency as early as possible before a “removable noncitizen” is released from their custody, according to the agency.
Detainers request law enforcement agencies maintain custody of the noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released, allowing the agency’s Enforcement Removal Operations to assume custody for removal purposes in accordance with federal law.
While Ariza-Padilla was lawfully admitted to the United States at Laredo, Texas in October 2016, “he violated the terms of his admittance,” according to the federal agency.
The Damariscotta Police Department’s investigation is continuing, Warlick said.
Ariza-Padilla is the chef at Ann’s Book Bistro, at 17 Back Meadow Road, and Koko’s Sandwich Bar, at 603 Main St., both in Damariscotta. In interviews with The Lincoln County News about the business, he identified himself as Chris Padil.
A message left with Ann’s Book Bistro seeking comment was unreturned by press time. According to the answering machine message, Koko’s Sandwich Bar is closed Monday, July 29 through Friday, Aug. 2.
(LCN Editor Maia Zewert, Associate Editor Sherwood Olin, and reporter Molly Rains contributed to this article.)
