Arrest made after fire destroys Webster's popular Wind Tiki restaurant
A man was charged after a three-alarm fire destroyed a popular restaurant in Webster, Massachusetts, earlier this month.
The fire destroyed the Wind Tiki Chinese restaurant at 154 Thompson Road on March 18.
Police arrested Joel Batista-Viera, 42 of Webster, in connection with the fire and other commercial break-ins, police said Tuesday.
Officials said several hours after the fire at the Wind Tiki, an employee from the Mexicali Restaurant at 41 Worcester Road reported that it had been broken into.
Some evidence was discovered that indicated that building had been broken into sometime the previous night. Police said there was damage done to the surveillance system, however video surveillance footage was able to be recovered and viewed remotely. While inside, the suspect appeared to have tried to start a fire in that restaurant.
As police were investigating the Wind Tiki fire, another attempted break-in was discovered at Lake Pizza at 39 Thompson Road that happened the previous night.
No entry was gained into the business; however, surveillance footage was able to be recovered by detectives.
Detectives were able to collect surveillance video from several establishments in the Thompson Road area. It was from this footage, that they were able to identify a man in the Mobil gas station on Thompson Road at the time the Wind Tiki was on fire.
This man, later identified as Batista-Viera, was believed to be on the camera footage in the Mexicali break-in and attempted break-in at Lake Pizza.
Batista-Viera was placed in custody and faced several charges including breaking and entering into a building in the nighttime with the intent to commit a felony, larceny from a building and burning a building. He was held on $25,000 bail.