The latte a loafer thief left behind may help track him down

December 16th was a day for latte and loafers. A male party browsing in a store was assisted locating a pair of "Rinjard" slip on type dress shoes, size 11, color black/navy blue. The male party tried on the shoes and told the clerk that he needed to walk around the store for a few minutes to see if he liked them or not. The store was busy and the clerk went to assist another customer while the male party walked in the shoes. And he kept walking. When the clerk returned to assist the male he was gone. The shoes he had tried on as well as the shoes he entered the store with were also gone. The lifted loafers were valued at $100.00 What was left was the Dunkin Donuts latte he was carrying when he walked in. Now there are a lot of Dunkies out there (and our relationship is STRONG), but the closest one sold only one latte in the preceding hour. That would be the fellow in this video the Detective has told us is the culprit. The party was described as a white male, medium build, black/gray hair, unshaven face and approximately 5'7'' tall, likes caffeine. Please refer to: 16-1633-OF Anyone that can assist with the identification is asked to contact the Natick Police Department Detective Division at: 508-647-9520. You may report anonymously using our Online Reporting system found at www.natickpolice.com or by using this link: http://www.natickma.gov/201/Online-Reporting

Posted by Natick Police Department on Friday, January 6, 2017

A medium latte from Dunkin’ Donuts could be the smoking gun that helps solve a petty crime in Natick.

A man walked into a retail shop in town on Dec. 16 and asked the clerk if he could try on an expensive pair of loafers. After the man put on the $100 pair of Rinjard slip-ons, the clerk went to help another customer. That’s when the alleged thief left and never came back, Natick police said.

To the officers who responded to the report of the theft, one detail of the case stood out.

A clerk told police that the alleged perpetrator, described as a white male, medium build, with an unshaven face who “likes caffeine,” had abandoned his Dunkin’ Donuts latte as he left the scene of the crime.

So police began their detective work. They went to the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts to ask some questions.

“Now there are a lot of Dunkies out there (and our relationship is STRONG),” Natick police wrote Friday in a Facebook post. “But the closest one sold only one latte in the preceding hour.”

Officers recovered surveillance video of the person they believed was the suspect from the Dunkin’ Donuts, Natick Police Lieutenant Brian Grassey said.

Police have now posted the video on Facebook, and are asking for the public’s help in identifying the latte-leaving man.

“The proximity, the time of the event, and the purchase of the latte — coupled with the description by the clerk — it kind of pieced together,” said Grassey in a telephone interview. “It was his undoing.”

Grassey, who calls himself the department’s “Facebook and Twitter guy,” said the video didn’t get posted until now because he was on vacation.

He said the department follows up on all crimes, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Sharing things to social media helps police zero in on suspects sooner, he added.

“We often get feedback quickly and we are able to close out a higher number of cases,” he said. “It’s not the crime of the century here. But he probably didn’t anticipate that leaving behind a cup of coffee was going to expose him.”