The owners of a popular St. Augustine restaurant are speaking out after a bold daylight theft was caught on their security cameras — an incident they say left them feeling shaken and violated.
The theft occurred before 4 p.m. Monday, when Stacy Critelli and Brian Rinehart, owners of Sogno, a coastal Italian restaurant located at 830 Anastasia Boulevard, returned from a short outing to Flagler Beach during their lone off day.
As they passed their shared parking lot on their way home, they noticed one of their formal dining chairs leaning oddly against a nearby shed.
“I knew something was wrong right away,” Critelli told The Citizen. “We turned around immediately.”
Their concerns were confirmed when they reviewed surveillance footage.
A woman was seen casually loading multiple stolen items into a blue two-door convertible Mercedes-Benz. She appeared calm and deliberate, showing no concern about being seen.
The stolen items included:
- Two decorative flower pots from the front entrance
- One outdoor metal and wooden chair
- A commercial-grade hose
- An attempted theft of a formal dining chair, which the suspect struggled to fit into her vehicle
The woman is described as a middle-aged white female with blonde hair. She was alone during the incident.
Sogno shares a driveway with Purple Olive, the restaurant that recently took over the space formerly occupied by Gypsy Cab Co.
Some community members speculated online that the suspect may have mistaken a prior Facebook post from Purple Olive offering free items in front of their building, along with a photo of the specific gratis goods.
But Critelli pointed out that the items taken from Sogno were clearly part of their restaurant and not included in any such offer.
Soon after the incident, Critelli and Weinhart filed a police report and began hearing from others in the community.
One resident of Bannon Lakes shared a photo dated June 12 that appeared to show a blonde woman stealing packages from a front porch and driving off what appears to be a similar vehicle with its top down.
That image has since circulated widely on social media, prompting speculation that the same suspect may be targeting locations across St. Johns County.
“This is someone who’s not just stealing — she’s doing it openly, without fear of consequences,” Critelli said. “It’s really brazen.”
The couple emphasized that while the monetary value of the stolen items is relatively minor, the emotional impact has been significant.
“We’re an extremely hard-working couple. We’ve never taken anything from anyone,” Critelli said. “To have someone steal from us like this — it’s a complete and utter violation. It’s not about getting the stuff back. We just don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
The Citizen reported a separate case earlier this month of a woman stealing a flower pot from the front of a St. Augustine hair salon in the dead of night.
The culprit in that case was driving an SUV.
Police are investigating.
