Man charged after allegedly scrapping over $18K in restaurant gear Recycler goes rogue in city
WOONSOCKET — A Burrillville man is facing a felony charge after more than $18,000 worth of restaurant equipment and construction supplies vanished from a renovation site at 401 Clinton St.
Robert Vitiello Jr., 63, of 63 Power Lane, was arrested Monday on a warrant for receiving stolen property after police spotted his truck during a routine patrol near Newland Avenue shortly after midnight.
Police recovered none of the missing property, which Vitiello allegedly sold for its scrap value to a recycling company in the city before he was arrested. The missing goods included 30 aluminum construction studs worth about
$20 each; 85 restaurant table bases worth a combined
$2,975; two industrial banquet grills, $6,000; and industrial griddle, $4,000; an oven, $3,000; and a stand-up food warmer, $1,500.
Members of a construction crew who were working at the site first contacted police to file a complaint on the owner’s behalf after discovering the missing property on Nov. 30. A few days earlier, they told police, a man fitting Vitiello’s description approached them while they were at the job site and asked about removing hundreds of empty beer bottles. Vitiello seemed keenly interested in the metal and kitchen equipment, but he was given permission to remove only the bottles, which he did, working for several hours to load them onto his pickup before leaving.
The construction crew contacted the police to report the missing property as a burglary the next time they showed up at the work site. After confirming the identity of the alleged rogue recycler as Vitiello, police spotted his blue GMC several days later as he waited for a Privilege Street scrapyard to open, but they didn’t arrest him. An officer questioned him and looked in the bed of Vitiello’s pickup, but he spotted nothing but a rusted lawnmower and some bed frames.
It wasn’t until Dec. 9, when Detective Thomas Gormley spotted him again on Elm Street that a warrant was issued for Vitiello’s arrest. At that time, Gormley said he questioned Vitiello about the missing materials and he allegedly admitted that he had acquired them –
somehow – and sold them for scrap. Vitiello, according to Gormley, claimed he had permission from the construction manager to remove the equipment, though he would not divulge how he entered the building. The owner disputed Vitiello’s version of events and insisted on filing a complaint.
The owner’s name was redacted from police reports, and city records list it only as 401 Clinton St. LLC in Swansea, Mass. The address corresponds to a small plaza that also includes an Autopart International store and Toyo Steak House. Police reports say the renovation site was situated between the two businesses.
Following a preliminary appearance in Sixth District Court on the morning of Christmas Eve, Vitiello was released on $10,000 personal recognizance pending another hearing on April 5.