MPD: Suspect damages upgraded State St. restaurant the night Phase 1 goes into effect

The owner of a State Street eatery put to good use the time his restaurant was closed because of the coronavirus update, only to see months of work devastated the very night Dane County moved into Phase 1 of its plan to reopen the economy.

Owner Joseph Perkins told NBC15 he had personally renovated parts of his restaurant.

"It's a big deal when you do a lot of work, and then something goes bad, especially on your first day of being open again," he said.

According to the Madison Police Department, the owner of Tutto Pasta estimates the suspect, Evan C. Lundquist, did approximately $12,500 in damage to the restaurant. He allegedly damaged the drywall, ruined a computer, ripped a thermostat and pictures from the wall, and damaged chairs and tables.

Perkins added, "I'm sure a lot of business owners down here are going through the same stuff we are going through when it comes to the financials. When you spend a lot of money and something happens, it's a big deal."

It was when a witness reportedly saw Lundquist throw furniture on State Street shortly before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday he called 911, MPD’s incident report indicated.

MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain explained Lundquist was still inside Tutto when officers arrived. The 22-year-old Madison man told them he had been drinking, but did not remember damaging any property.

He was arrested and booked into the Dane County jail on counts of criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, and unlawful trespass.