MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Update: May 6: Milanzi was arraigned in front of a Knox County judge on May 6.
He's due back in court on July 10.
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The owner of a Maryville Italian restaurant was arrested Thursday and accused of repeatedly stealing meat from local grocery stores, sometimes by stuffing it into his pants, according to the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
According to the arrest report, Clement Milanzi was arrested on April 25 at a Kroger on Northshore Drive in Knox County.
Milanzi was arrested after he was seen selecting more than $166 of merchandise, then going to an empty aisle and stuffing four steaks into his pants. He then went to self-check and skip-scanned merchandise, causing a loss of $107.
Deputies said he left the store and was taken into custody after they found stolen merchandise on him.
The complainant said Milanzi had been coming to the store nearly every day since Dec. 28, 2023, and would put merchandise in a cart, then go to an empty aisle and transfer that merchandise into his pants.
Court documents said the stolen meat was consistent with what was served at Joe's Italian Cuisine in Maryville.
In February, officers said they observed Milanzi go into the store, select chicken from the meat section and conceal it in his pants. The suspect then skip-scanned the merchandise and drove to Joe's Italian Cuisine.
"It is more probable than not that the suspect is serving the stolen merchandise to benefit himself and the business," the report said.
Detectives said they also learned of other thefts at the Aldi and Ingles in Lenoir City, along with the Food City in Maryville.
The grocery stores reported losses, in total, of more than $4,000.
According to the Maryville restaurant's website, Milanzi opened the first Joe's Italian Cuisine in Athens, Tennessee in 2009. He later opened a Lenoir City location in 2018, and the Maryville location opened in 2021.
Milanzi is due in court on May 6.