Sometimes you just need a little wine. But word to the wise: don’t steal it from the winery you used to co-own and definitely don’t come back to said winery the next day wielding a hammer and tormenting the employees. If you do you might end up like a Texas restaurateur who was arrested twice in three days last week.
Damian Mandola, the co-founder of the Carrabba’s Italian restaurant chain, was arrested for burglary on Thursday and then arrested two days later for assault with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief, Houston Press reports.
According to police records, the 61-year-old was arrested on April 3 after he was spotted driving recklessly in a golf cart and broke into the local winery he formerly co-owned to allegedly steal a bottle of wine.
He was released from the Hays County Jail that same night after posting $5,000 bond. But Mandola wasn’t done with the winery just yet.
He allegedly returned to the scene of the crime twice on Saturday. After being told that the winery’s sign was damaged, an employee called police to document the issue. Upon returning to the winery from examining the sign, the employee was informed that the former co-owner was riding an all-terrain golf card behind the building.
“I headed outside, and upon reaching the corner of the building I heard a tire burst, which was the tire of my Toyota Tacoma,” the employee tells the Houston Press. “As I rounded the corner I witnessed Damian smash the back window of my truck.”
The employee then took photos of Mandola brandishing a knife and a hammer, both of which are listed as deadly weapons in the arrest report. Mandola allegedly called the employee “a few choice names” and fled on his golf cart. That’s when the employee called police for a second time that day.
Later while the winery was hosting a wedding, Mandola returned and continued to taunt the employee. The employee informed a Hays County Sheriff, who was working security for the wedding, that Mandola had returned. Shortly after, deputies arrived and took him into custody.
According to police records, Mandola was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief. He was released on Sunday after posting a $15,000 bond.
The Houston Press reports this wasn’t the first run in for the man and the winery. In 2010, Mandola and the current winery owners had a falling out that prompted Mandola to remove his name from the winery’s products. He also tried to have a court evict the current owners from the land.
Damian Mandola Arrested in Hill Country for Second Time in Three Days [Houston Press]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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