Massachusetts Man Arrested for Allegedly Suffocating Up to $12,000 Worth of Lobsters at Market

The suspect, since identified as 70-year-old Joseph Vaudo, is the former owner of Mr. Vaudo's Fish Market in the Massachusetts town of Sandwich.

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A 70-year-old Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged in connection with the deaths of thousands of dollars’ worth of lobsters.

The man in question, identified in a Cape Cod Times report as Joseph Vaudo, is the former owner of Mr. Vaudo’s Fish Market in the town of Sandwich. Currently, that business is under different ownership and goes by the name Superior Lobster & Seafood, which—unfortunately—is now also the location of the aforementioned lobster deaths.

Vaudo was reportedly seen in footage last Thursday night tossing trash into a commercial-grade dumpster at Superior Lobster & Seafood. In the video, Vaudo is also alleged to be seen turning off the power supply system that affected oxygen flow and water circulation for the establishment’s live seafood tank. 

In a statement shared last week, the Sandwich Police Department said that Vaudo had been “positively identified” as the suspect seen in the surveillance footage.

Vaudo was arrested last week and has been charged with one count of vandalizing property and another count of illegally using a commercial dumpster. On Monday, Vaudo—per reporter Jessica Hill—pleaded not guilty. Accused of destroying as much as $12,000 worth of lobsters, Vaudo has been ordered to stay away from restaurant staff and the business location itself.

And this isn’t the first lobster-based news report to have received nationwide attention in recent weeks. Earlier this month, for example, a Massachusetts lobster diver was given the viral treatment after recounting an incident he claimed included being completely swallowed by a humpback whale.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, an extremely rare lobster with a calico-colored shell was rescued from a Red Lobster back in May. The crustacean, given the name Freckles, was ultimately relocated to the Virginia Living Museum.

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