Eatery owner admits vandalism

Friday, September 3, 2010

Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom Emily St. Jean listens to a conversation between her husband, Dan and an insurance company Wednesday, July 14, 2010, following a break-in three days before where the interior of their restaurant, Karen's Kitchen, was damaged.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom The St. Jeans are still cleaning up and waiting for contractors to repair damaged seat cushions, carpet and walls inside Karen's Kitchen in Bedford.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom Karen's Kitchen, off Route 101 in Bedford.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom Nine-year-old Griffin St. Jean and his sister, Abbey, 7, refill jelly organizers Wednesday, July 14, 2010, at Karen's Kitchen in Bedford. The family-run business was vandalized between Sunday evening and Monday morning, when Dan and Emily St. Jean found the interior of the restaurant damaged.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom In July, reports were made by Karen's Kitchen owner Daniel St. Jean, that his restaurant had been vandalized. During the subsequent investigation it was determined St. Jean caused the vandalism himself. Karen's Kitchen abruptly closed its doors at the end of October. Pictured is the women's bathroom where walls were covered in spraypaint.

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Staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom Emily St. Jean listens to a conversation between her husband, Dan and an insurance company Wednesday, July 14, 2010, following a break-in three days before where the interior of their restaurant, Karen's Kitchen, was damaged.

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BEDFORD – The owner of a Bedford restaurant that was allegedly vandalized last month was arrested Tuesday night on charges that he staged the incident himself.

Daniel St. Jean, 37, who owns Karen’s Kitchen and Gourmet Shoppe, was charged with giving a false report to police regarding the July 11 incident, which drew headlines and raised donations from across the community.

St. Jean, who turned himself in to police Tuesday night, claimed at the time that vandals broke into the restaurant, smashing dishware, spraypainting the bathroom and causing thousands of dollars in damage.

But Bedford Police Chief David Bailey said Wednesday the ensuing investigation led back to St. Jean himself.

“That’s what we’re looking at; he did all the damage,” Bailey said, declining to comment further.

St. Jean could not be reached for coment Wednesday, but his attorney, Michael Dunn, acknowledged his role in the incident.

“He did it,” Dunn said. “Since the winter he’d been paying his bills later and later. … He came in that day, and he just had a complete meltdown.”

The restaurant, off Route 101, remained closed for several days after the incident while employees and supporters worked to repair the building and recoup the losses.

A local baseball team volunteered to help clean, and with the restaurant supposedly losing an estimated $6,000 to $7,000 in sales, supporters rallied to raise thousands to help the restaurant replace damaged items and reopen its doors.

“We’re amazed by the impact we’ve left on the community,” St. Jean said at the time. “That’s really been apparent to us.”

With donations left in hand, St. Jean plans to return the money, as well as the several hundred dollars gathered through insurance claims, said Dunn, of the firm Sheehan, Phinney, Bass and Green in Manchester.

“He didn’t do it to make any money. He didn’t give that any thought,” Dunn said.

St. Jean, who was released Tuesday on $5,000 cash bail, won’t deny his role in the incident at his arraignment, scheduled Oct. 25 in Merrimack District Court, Dunn said.

“He will never deny that he did what he did,” Dunn said. “He was lost. He didn’t know what to do. … He did a tremendous amount of destruction.”

Jake Berry can be reached at 594-6402 or jberry@nashua telegraph.com.