A man was arrested after he broke into a closed airport restaurant and left his cell phone and alcohol-soaked underwear behind.
David M. LaPrade, 24 broke into the Pasta House restaurant at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport late Sunday night. He broke a security gate to get into the closed restaurant. He started drinking that restaurant bar's alcohol and got very drunk the night before he was supposed to catch a flight the next morning.
"What he did is he rearranged the stools to block any view and then he was behind the bar. And I think as he drank more and more his activity became more animated," police Chief Paul Mason told KSDK.
LaPrade's antics were caught on surveillance video. He drank the alcohol, spilled a bunch of it and also stole chewing tobacco and cigarettes. Airport police found his alcohol-soaked underwear, T-shirt and cell phone behind the restaurant's bar.
"He took off his clothes, dressed again and exited the area," Mason told Patch.
The Transportation Security Administration stopped LaPrade when they recognized him from the video and from information that was found in his cell phone. Airport police then arrested him.
"He was very intoxicated when he arrested," Mason told Patch.
LaPrade was charged Sunday with second-degree burglary and property damage. He was being held Thursday in St. Louis County jail. Bail was set at $7,500.
When asked why LaPrade wasn't seen before he got into his antics, Mason said, "The officer assigned to cover that beat was making an arrest of another person that he had discovered in the terminal. And again, he hid behind the bar for a good portion of the time."
The airport was deserted at the time of the incident and Mason says LaPrade presented no threat to security.
"There was no danger to security at the airport because this is in a public area where the public has access to. Any of the secured portion of the airport, in addition to having whatever barriers we have up, we have 24 hour a day surveillance cameras being monitored by airport police department alarm room, Mason told Patch. "So if someone was to do something like this to one of the gates, or attempt to do something like this to one of the gates or doors that led to the secure area of the airport, they would be immediately detected."
LaPrade was arrested charged with second-degree burglary and property damage on Sunday and was being held at St. Louis County Jail with bail set at $7,500.
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