‘Slimeball’: Man Caught on Video Stealing $26 Steak From California Restaurant

Jack Phillips
2/1/2019
Updated:
2/1/2019

A restaurant in Central California posted surveillance footage of a diner allegedly stealing a steak.

The man ordered a 20-ounce porterhouse steak and a lobster tail at the House of Beef in Oakdale, California, Fox40 reported.

The unidentified man said he was waiting for others to come and join him, but after about an hour, he ordered the food and started eating.

The man is then seen taking a bite of the steak before wrapping it up in a napkin from the bread basket.

Cameras captured the man looking “very nervous and looking around making sure no one was watching him” in the incident, said Christina Ingram, a server, who posted the footage on Facebook.

He then walked out with the steak and without paying for his food.

“If anyone knows or has seen this man, please contact House of Beef or the Oakdale Police dept. Man in the suit walks in, uses the restroom and is seated. Claims that he is waiting on a few others,” Ingram wrote.

“As seen in the video he proceeds to remove the linen napkin out of the bread basket and uses it to wrap his entire steak up in,” she said, adding that he then left.

In an interview with Fox40, server Denise Loya asked: “What type of person will take a steak and watch the juice drip off and then wrap it in a linen napkin?”

The man, she explained, looked like a “used car salesman” or a “bad real estate agent.” Going further, she called him a “slimeball.”

In all, he stole about $56 worth of food. The steak cost $26.95 and the lobster tail cost $16.95.

Restaurant owner Steve Medlen has also filed a police report, saying he’s more angry about the brazen move than the unpaid check.

Cameras captured the man “looking very nervous and looking around making sure no one was watching him” in the incident, said Christina Ingram, a server, who posted the footage on Facebook. (Fox)
Cameras captured the man “looking very nervous and looking around making sure no one was watching him” in the incident, said Christina Ingram, a server, who posted the footage on Facebook. (Fox)

“[It would] be great if he would come in and pay his bill and apologize, but I highly doubt that’s going to happen,” Loya said.

People with information about the man’s identity can contact the Oakdale police.

The unidentified man said he was waiting for others to come and join him, but after about an hour, he ordered the food and started eating. (Fox News)
The unidentified man said he was waiting for others to come and join him, but after about an hour, he ordered the food and started eating. (Fox News)

Recall Notice

Cartons of fresh peaches, nectarines, and plums sold in dozens of states are being recalled over possible listeria contamination, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Jan. 24.

Jac. Vandenberg Inc. of Yonkers, New York, is recalling 1,727 cartons of peaches, 1,207 of nectarines, and 365 cartons of plums due to the possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a germ that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections for young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. To date, there are no reports of illnesses linked to the recall.

The fruits were distributed to a number of states including Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia, according to a notice by FDA.

The federal agency said the bacteria was detected during a routine sampling program by a packing house. The company has ceased distribution of the products and is working together with the FDA to investigate the cause of the problem.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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