SOUTHAMPTON — Police responded to a report of a man partially lodged in the ceiling tiles of the men’s bathroom at West Lake Gourmet Chinese Restaurant on Sunday evening.
Around 8:30 p.m., officers were called to the restaurant when they were informed that a person had been in the ceiling tiles of the bathroom and fled upon being discovered by employees, said Chief Ian Illingsworth.
Illingsworth said the man was discovered after employees were cleaning the bathrooms and noticed that the bathroom door was locked.
“He was partially within the ceiling tile, not his entire body,” he said.
The man managed to escape before police arrived at the scene, but during an investigation, officers “had an idea” who the man was due to past encounters, Illingsworth said.
Early Monday morning, at about 1:15 a.m., officers encountered the person walking along Route 10, where officers stopped the man and confirmed his identity. The man agreed to be taken to the police station for an interview, he said.
Illingsworth said the man provided reasons why he was up in the ceiling tiles, but that officers were still investigating the incident to establish further motives.
“He denied intent to conduct any criminal activity,” Illingsworth said.
After providing contact information for himself, police released the man. According to Illingsworth, the only damage to the property was a few broken ceiling tiles and a dislodged paper towel dispenser.
He said there was a possibility charges could be pressed pending the result of the investigation.
“The determination of whether or not his intent was to commit a crime, and what (that) crime would be, is a key factor,” he said.
Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.