Waterville Burglar Sent Pizza To Police

A man who hid in a Waterville gym until after closing did damage to the facility, stole items from the gym, and sent pizzas to the police and Hannaford employees.

The Morning Sentinel reports it all started when 44-year-old Eric Davis showed up at Champions Fitness Club, where he has a temporary membership, and told employees that he just needed to use the bathroom. Police say the man then must have remained hidden inside the building until employees closed up.

Once he was alone, staff members who looked at surveillance video told the paper that Davis helped himself to coffee and drinks, stole an iPod and other items that were found tucked in his backpack, and punched a hole in the ceiling to pull wires out of the sound system. The manager speculated that maybe the trespasser wanted to stop the music coming from the speaker so he could sleep.

Perhaps the strangest move of the night was when Davis ordered and paid for 7 pizzas. He had one delivered to himself at the fitness center at 10:30, and asked that 4 be delivered to Waterville police dispatchers, and the final 2 taken to Hannaford employees. He ate half of his pizza and left the box on the counter.

Police were called to Champions several times during the night to reports of alarms going off. Perimeter checks showed no signs of anyone breaking in and, when a manager was brought in with a key, there was no indication of anyone inside the building. Officers returned at around 1 a.m. when someone claiming to be a security guard from Champions called to report someone was driving around the building in a white Cadillac, scaring off customers. Police contacted the manager who said they could see, through remote cameras, that an unauthorized person was walking around in the building.

When officers arrived, they found Davis inside, shirtless and preparing to take a shower. He tried to convince police that he was a security guard with Champions, but was arrested and charged with Felony Burglary, Theft By Unauthorized Taking, and Criminal Mischief.