Two men were arrested early Thursday morning after allegedly stealing used cooking oil from a local restaurant — and then coming back for more.
The incident began at 2:46 a.m. on Thursday, September 17th, when the Marshall County Central Dispatch Center received a call from the owner of King Gyros at 1827 1/2 N. Michigan Street. The owner told dispatch he had video footage of a truck stealing used cooking oil from his business, but the vehicle had already left the area.
The same truck returned at 3:37 a.m. Plymouth Police were dispatched to King Gyros again and arrived while the two suspects were still on the property. The pair — 26-year-old Eliodanys C. Plutin of Indianapolis and 38-year-old Omar P. Cutino of Louisville, Kentucky were detained.
Both men were arrested and transported to the Marshall County Jail. Plutin and Cutino were each booked for theft, a Class A misdemeanor, and organized theft, as a level 6 felony.
Used cooking oil can be recycled into biodiesel fuel, animal feed, and other products, making it a target for thieves who sell it to rendering companies for profit. The restaurant recycling industry estimates that stolen grease costs businesses millions of dollars nationwide each year.
Plymouth Police are encouraging other business owners who may have been victims of cooking oil theft to come forward.
Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law,
