Man nabbed for eating, then skipping the tab

by Allen Powell II, The Times-Picayune

An Arizona man with a taste for alcohol and no money to pay for it has been arrested three times in the past week for running up tabs at Jefferson Parish restaurants and then refusing to pay his bill.

Michael Bryant

Michael Bryant, 36, of Tucson, was booked with defrauding an innkeeper after he ate at restaurants and then laughed at business owners when they asked him to pay his bill.

Bryant is being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna in lieu of $1,000 bond. But he has been released twice due to prison overcrowding.

The first incident occurred June 22 at Melancon's Annex in Metairie, according to an incident report from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Bryant ordered a beer while he looked over the menu. He ordered a lunch plate and another beer, then two more beers while he ate his meal.

The report said that Bryant eventually began to fall asleep at the table. When the owner asked him to pay his $23 check and leave, Bryant allegedly laughed and told the owner he didn't have any money because he was homeless. When the owner threatened to call the police, Bryant again laughed and refused to pay.

Bryant is accused of pulling the stunt again at Pitre's Restaurant in Westwego on Thursday, and at Sun Ray Grill near Gretna on Monday, according to reports. At Sun Ray, he ordered four margaritas with his cheeseburger for a total of $30.99 and then tried to sneak out of the business. The report said that Bryant was chased down and detained until police arrived.

Col. John Fortunato said that Bryant has been released because overcrowding at the jail requires the Sheriff's Office to release many non-violent offenders. The jail must maintain a certain number of beds for violent offenders, such as those arrested on armed robbery charges, and officials there rate each offender based on their alleged crime. Bryant is accused of relatively minor offenses under the system.