The Newnan man accused of stealing bubble gum machines found himself in a sticky situation after a restaurant hostess called police. All the quarters in the world couldn't keep 42-year-old James Donald McAuliffe Jr. from being arrested.
Shannon Thrower first saw McAuliffe sitting in a green minivan and staring into La Fiesta restaurant, where she was working as a hostess.
"I had a weird vibe about him," Thrower told the AJC.
It was during the dinner rush, and the restaurant was busy Thursday night, Thrower said. But she couldn't believe what she saw the man do.
"He runs in, and he's able to grab the machine and run out really fast," Thrower said. "I saw him leave with it."
Thrower said she convinced her boss to let her call the police, and he told her to make the call.
"I thought ‘what if he had come in with a gun and robbed us?' " Thrower said Saturday.
When police arrived, Thrower said she was able to provide a good description of the man, later identified as McAuliffe. The Newnan man was located in a neighborhood about 8 minutes away, and Thrower positively identified him as being the one she saw leave the restaurant.
McAuliffe admitted to police he had taken the machine, Thrower said. He was also linked to several similar incidents, she said.
"They were happy to get him," Thrower said.
McAuliffe apparently was stealing machines that contained gum, tattoos or other items so he could get the coins out of them, police said. The tattoo machine belonging to the owner of La Fiesta didn't have a lot of money in it, but Thrower said she knew it wouldn't be right to let someone get away with stealing it.
McAuliffe faces one count of theft by taking and five burglary charges, according to a spokesperson for the Coweta County jail. He remained in jail Saturday evening on $14,550 bond.
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