(WSVN) - A woman is speaking out after falling victim to a man being called the “Dine-and-Dash” dater of Pasedena, CA.
The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said she met Paul Gonzales on a dating app.
“He was good looking,” she said. “Right away I think, ‘Why did he choose me?'”
According to Fox 8, Gonzales ran up the bill, ordering a shrimp salad and a filet mignon, before making up an excuse to step out.
“All of a sudden he’s all, ‘Oh, my phone’s dying, and I’m waiting on the call from my mom about my aunt,'” his date told a CNN affiliate. “I’m going to go to the car to get my charger.”
She soon realized her date was not coming back, leaving her stuck with the $130 bill.
The woman, feeling embarrassed, did not tell the restaurant about her situation but reported the incident to police. She then came to find out that this was not the first time Gonzales was accused of the same routine.
According to police, Gonzales has “dashed” from at least four other dates in the past few months.
Dining-and-dashing is considered a crime in California. “You can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to $1,000 if your dine-and-dash bill was under $950,” said attorney Kelly Chang Rickert to Fox 8.
Gonzales’s date said she tried contacting him to see if he would take responsibility for his actions. However, he did not answer.
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