LEWISTON — A man described as a serial dine-and-dasher was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly skipping out on another meal at a Lisbon Street restaurant.
Devin Skehan, 24, was charged with theft of services shortly before 10 p.m. after reportedly eating at the Gridiron Restaurant and trying to leave without paying.
Skehan has been accused of skipping out on bills at nearly a dozen restaurants in recent weeks. Most recently, he was captured on surveillance video at Legends Sports Bar and Grill last week just before he left the business without paying for beer and pizza.
When Legends owner Melinda Small posted the suspect’s photo on Facebook, other restaurant owners came forward to report that the same man had left their businesses without paying.
Just hours after the Legends theft was reported, Skehan was caught at Olive Garden in Auburn by Lewiston Police Officer David Rosquete. With word of Skehan’s alleged exploits spreading on social media, Olive Garden customers erupted in applause as he was removed from the restaurant.
But Skehan was never charged in the theft at Legends. Small gave him the chance to pay his bill instead of being taken to jail. Police said Skehan was able to pay that bill only with the help of family in Florida.
He was then released, but issued criminal trespass warnings at Legends and at least nine other restaurants.
After his arrest Tuesday night, Skehan was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn where he was booked later in the evening.
According to his family, Skehan has a history of eating food and drinking alcohol at restaurants up and down the East Coast and then skipping out on the bills.
Last summer, he made headlines after he was caught dashing out after a meal in The Villages in Florida, where he was living at the time.
Police said Skehan told them he is homeless and an alcoholic and that he visits restaurants to eat and consume alcohol.
When he was arrested Tuesday night, a Gridiron customer shot video of Officer Rosquete once again taking the dine-and-dash suspect into custody. It was the second time in less than a week that video circulated of Rosquete detaining Skehan.
Locally, police said Skehan has racked up individual bills of up to $70 at various local restaurants before leaving with his bill unpaid.
