Overview
- Police arrested Jesus del Orbe Escolastico, 28, and Osmin Velasquez Ramos, 21, after responding to a report and finding them with a van, hoses and tools at Anchor Pub & Grill early Friday.
- Officers recovered an estimated $2,750 worth of used cooking oil and charged the men with two counts each of breaking into a depository, two counts of vandalism and possession of a burglarious instrument.
- Surveillance video showed suspects siphoning oil from an outdoor dumpster and prosecutors said a passerby who asked questions called police, leading to the on‑scene arrests.
- This is the second theft at Anchor Pub & Grill and the nearby Beverly House of Pizza in less than two weeks, after three teenagers were arrested in an Oct. 10 incident at the same businesses.
- Police and owners say higher diesel prices have raised demand for used cooking oil as biodiesel feedstock, prompting restaurants to add locks, cameras and faster reporting to deter future thefts while defendants contest intent in court.