Former Auburn City Council candidate who owns restaurant charged with stealing food from Wegmans

Dinner at Octane Social House, Auburn, N.Y.

Dinner at Octane Social House, Auburn, N.Y. (File photo)Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gma

Geddes, N.Y. — A former Auburn City Council candidate and business owner has been charged with stealing more than $400 in groceries from a Wegmans store in Onondaga County, police said.

Robert Otterstatter, 51, had been banned from all of the chain’s grocery stores when he stole merchandise on Sept. 4 and Sept. 13 from the Wegmans in Fairmount, Geddes Police Chief John Fall Jr. said.

Otterstatter ran for an Auburn City Council seat unsuccessfully in 2021. He owns Octane Social House cafe and restaurant in Auburn, according to Otterstatter’s Facebook page.

He was charged with third-degree burglary, a felony, and petit larceny, Fall said.

The items were typical groceries — butter, bagels, cream cheese, heavy cream and more, Fall said.

Wegmans banned Otterstatter in March for two years for trespassing, Fall said.

On Sept. 4 and Sept. 13, a loss prevention officer at the Fairmount Wegmans recognized Otterstatter on surveillance cameras, Fall said. Otterstatter went through the self-checkout on both days and scanned only some of his items, he said.

Otterstatter was charged with stealing $138 of groceries on Sept. 4 and $276 on Sept. 13, Fall said.

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him at 315-690-6950, at falba@syracuse.com, or on Twitter at @byfernandoalba.

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