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“On Friday, March 18, 2022, at approximately 1:56 am, Webster Police Officers, along with members of the Webster Fire Department and Webster EMS, responded to the Wind Tiki Restaurant, located at 154 Thompson Road, after a call was received by the South Worcester County Communications Center reporting a fire alarm had been activated.
Officer Joseph Stephens was the first to arrive and observed heavy smoke coming from the building. Upon checking the perimeter of the building, he also observed both rolled and loose change on the ground, by the rear entrance, which he discovered was unsecured. Webster Police Detective Phil Hurton was notified and responded to the scene.
Photo by Matt Gregoire YouTube.
Webster Fire Department, along with additional resources from surrounding towns, battled the fire for several hours, striking a third alarm at one point.
Given Officer Stephens’ earlier observations, the Webster Police Detective Bureau, along with the State Fire Marshal’s Office (Department of Fire Services) responded to the scene to investigate.
At approximately 7:30 am, an employee from the Mexicali Restaurant, located at 41 Worcester Road, reported that it had been apparently broken into. Detective Bruce Hamm responded to that scene with Detective Timothy Whiting. Some evidence was discovered that indicated that building had been broken into sometime the previous night. There was damage done to the surveillance system, however video surveillance footage was able to be recovered and viewed remotely.
Photo by Matt Gregoire YouTube.
It was learned that while inside, the suspect appeared to have tried to start a fire in the restaurant. Detective Hamm requested a Trooper from The State Fire Marshal’s Office to respond to that location to assist in that investigation. Once that scene was processed, Detective Hamm and Trooper Nicholas Latino, from the State Fire Marshal’s Office returned to the Wind Tiki scene.
While they were there, another attempted break in was discovered at Lake Pizza, located at 39 Thompson Road, by Webster Police Patrol units. This had also apparently occurred during the previous night. No entry was gained to the business; however, surveillance footage was able to be recovered by Detectives.
Photo by Matt Gregoire YouTube.
Over the next few days, Webster Police Detectives were able to collect surveillance video from several establishments in the Thompson Road area. It was from this footage, that they were able to identify a male in the Mobil gas station on Thompson Road at the time the Wind Tiki was on fire. This same male was believed to be on the camera footage in the Mexicali break in, and attempted break in at Lake Pizza.
From this footage, a photo was released to the public, and the male was then identified as Joel Batista-Viera, 42, LKA 24 Lincoln Street Webster. He was identified as a person of interest. Pursuant to multiple attempts by Webster Detectives and Police Officers to locate him, he arrived at the Webster Police Department on Monday morning, where he was interviewed by Webster Police Detectives, and Troopers from the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Photo by Matt Gregoire YouTube.
As a result of the investigation, Batista-Viera was placed in custody and charged with the following:
As a result of the incident at Wind Tiki:
• Breaking and Entering into a Building in the Nighttime with the Intent to Commit a Felony
• Larceny from a Building
• Burning a Building
As a result of the incident at Mexicali:
• Breaking and Entering into a Building in the Nighttime with the Intent to Commit a Felony
• Vandalize Property
• Attempt to Burn a Building
• Larceny from a Building
As a result of the incident at Lake Pizza:
• Vandalize Property
• Attempt to Commit a Crime – to Wit Breaking and Entering
This arrest was the result of a long and arduous, multi-agency investigation into numerous commercial breaks that culminated with the destruction of a local icon by fire. Webster Police Detectives and their counterparts from State and Federal Agencies worked tirelessly on this investigation and continue to do so today. These incidents, and others, remain under investigation and additional charges are likely.” -Webster Police Department.
