BARNSTABLE, Mass — A man is facing charges connected to destroying thousands of dollars worth of live lobsters at a Massachusetts seafood market.
Joseph A. Vaudo pleaded not guilty to charges of vandalizing property and using another’s commercial dumpster at Superior Lobster & Seafood in Sandwich on Monday, the Cape Cod Times reported.
Vaudo’s bail was set at $1,000 and a judge instructed him to keep away from staff and the business.
Police records showed that Vaudo was the previous owner of Superior Lobster & Seafood when it was Mr. Vaudo’s Fish Market.
According to the police report, Vaudo allegedly destroyed between $8,000 to $12,000 worth of lobsters.
Video footage obtained by police showed Vaudo arriving at the property on Thursday evening. Police described Vaudo retrieving garbage bags from his truck and disposing them in the dumpster at the market, and then turning off the power boxes.
The store manager told police that when he arrived to the market Friday morning, he noticed the power boxes that kept the live seafood tank circulating were turned off. The manager turned the power back on but the lobsters were “stressed beyond normal” because of the lack of oxygen and water circulation, the newspaper reported.
