Oak & Stone General Manager Arrested After Allegedly Burglarizing Own Restaurant
Bradenton Police have arrested the General Manager of Oak & Stone restaurant in connection with an early morning burglary at the downtown Bradenton location. William “Billy” Johnson, 43, was taken into custody Tuesday evening following a swift investigation by detectives.
The case began Tuesday morning when an employee arrived at Oak & Stone at 1201 Barcarrota Boulevard and found the restaurant’s front door unlocked. Inside, the employee discovered the safe had been emptied, and the bar register appeared forcibly opened. The employee notified Johnson, who claimed to have locked the restaurant shortly before 1 a.m.
However, detectives reviewing the restaurant’s internal security footage discovered a masked individual entering the manager’s office at 5:44 a.m. and unplugging the surveillance system. Investigators then turned to external street cameras and observed a Kia SUV, registered to Johnson, parked several blocks from the business.
The suspect was seen walking from the vehicle to the restaurant and using a key to unlock the door. Ten minutes later, the same individual exited the building carrying what appeared to be a deposit bag, wiped the door handles, and left the entrance unsecured before returning to the SUV.
Johnson was later arrested at his residence. He declined to provide a statement to detectives. Authorities say the investigation remains active and encourage anyone with additional information to contact Detective Rachael Tobie at rachael.tobie@bradentonpd.com.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at manateecrimestoppers.com or by calling 866-634-TIPS.
