Thief Accused Of Stealing Artwork From Flip's In OKC

Swiped right off the wall, a bold thief stole several posters from a local restaurant and surveillance cameras caught his getaway.

The owner of Flip's Wine Bar and Trattoria gave the crook until Monday to return the posters before pressing charges, but he missed the deadline.

The three posters missing from the wall held more of a sentimental value then monetary. The posters were part of the restaurant for the past 30 years brought back from the Napa Valley.

“Pretty shocked. I mean those have been here for a long time,” said Bri Bibb, Flip's Wine Bar and Trattoria General Manager.

General manager Bri Bibb said the posters went missing on March 4. And when they went back to look at the security footage, they were surprised to see the man behind the theft.

“From our surveillance video we saw a gentleman who is a customer that we recognize,” said Bibb.

Bibb said after enjoying a few glasses of wine the regular walked back to the bathroom hallway. And as he left, the surveillance video showed a corner of the missing poster tucked underneath his arm.

“We had some customers who saw they were up to something and mentioned it to our manager that was working that night and he followed them out to see if they had anything, but couldn't see that they had it concealed,” she said.

Over the weekend, the restaurant owner made one last plea to man and asked for the return of her posters by Monday.

“We really just want our artwork back. We really wanted to give him a chance to come clean,” said Bibb.

There were still no returned posters on Monday morning, so the owner made good on her promise turning over the footage, his credit card information, and name to police.

Even though the restaurant has police involved, it will still drop the charges if the posters are returned.

And this wasn't the first time someone's swiped artwork from the restaurant's walls. A few weeks back someone made off with a piece hanging in their foyer, News 9 was told.