UPDATE: Booze Burglar Arrested, Police Say

Update Sept. 13:

On Wednesday, Polk County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested a man suspected of burglarizing Dona Julia's Mexican Restaurant on Tuesday.

25-year-old Mark Elortegui, of Lakeland, is being charged with burglary during a state of emergency, grand theft and violation of curfew, which was in effect between midnight and 5 a.m. that night.

Original Article:

LAKELAND, FL — Dona Julia's Mexican Restaurant on Florida Avenue fell victim to a burglary early Tuesday morning around 1 a.m., and the Polk County Sheriff's Office is looking for more information.

Polk county had been under a curfew due to the destruction and danger of Irma, and the suspect was breaking it while looting from the restaurant, the sheriff's office said in a press release. The suspect forced entry into the restaurant, using a cement paver to break the front door.

The business owner told detectives that the suspect got away with around $300 of alcohol.

Looter Steals Alcohol From Lakeland Restaurant

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The suspect's description is: a white male between 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9, between the ages of 20 and 30 and of medium build. He wore a white baseball cap with a dark bill, a light-colored shirt under a light-colored button up, long shorts and athletic shoes. He has a dark hair and a dark beard.

"With so many people helping each other in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, this thug wants to steal from a local business. Shame on him. Call us or call Crime Stoppers if you know him. Let's put him in jail," the sheriff's department said in a release, which included the surveillance footage showing the suspect.

Anybody with information on this suspect is urged to call Detective Williams at 863-499-2400, 863-298-6200, or email him at JWilliams3@polksheriff.org. Anyone with information who wants to remain anonymous and to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS.

Article image via Shutterstock