Umbrella Bandit Apprehended After Taking Giant Shade-Maker From Bangor Bakery

While most were celebrating the Labor Day holiday Monday, one Bangor business put out a plea for help to the public.

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Bangin' Whoopie, located at 6 Water Street, took to social media to see if anyone could help them locate a giant black-and-white patio umbrella that had been taken from their outdoor seating area.

Umbrella Returned, credit Bangin' Whoopie via Facebook

"One of our black and white striped patio umbrellas disappeared from our patio.
If anyone happened to see anything or knows where our umbrella ended up, please send us a message."

The theft of the umbrella had been caught on video, so there were some clues as to who might have made away with the shade-maker.

They also reported the incident to the Bangor Police Department. Before long, thanks to both the PD and the community, the umbrella had been located and was returned.

According to Bangor PD, the video came in clutch when it came to identifying the canopy culprit.

"Officer Beswick spoke to the owner and after reviewing security footage, officers were able to identify the suspect as Christopher Bryden, 44, transient. Officer Mendoza located Bryden and was going to charge him with theft when he fled the area on foot. He was located a short time later in some bushes."

Bryden was taken to into custody and will face charges of Theft by Unauthorized Taking or Transfer and Refusal to Submit to Arrest or Detention.

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The business owners shared their delight with the umbrella's return, and their appreciation for the community support and local law enforcement.

Umbrella Returned, credit Bangin' Whoopie via Facebook

"A huge thank you to Bangor PD, Street Plus, and everyone who reached out and sent us footage of our umbrella making its way down Main Street... Because of all of you, we were able to track it down and it’s officially back where it belongs! We truly appreciate how quickly the community came together to help us get it back."

Bangin' Whoopie has been at their Water Street location since 2019, after expanding from their original location on Hammond Street.
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The business has had issues with some of Bangor's unhoused before, just last month reporting that a child had witnessed an unhoused individual openly injecting himself with drugs on their patio, in broad daylight. When the management asked the man to move along, the business says he left behind a container full of used syringes.