Man Accused Of Stealing Frozen Meat From Tuttle Business

Small business owner Ethel Vanbuskirk or 'EV' is proud to serve those who walk through her doors at EV Dinners.

Whether they're busy with kids or can no longer cook for themselves, she makes them 'take home meals' and treats them like family.

“I always tell people, ‘If you don’t feel loved on when you come in here, it’s not my fault!’” She chuckled.

On May 18, Vanbuskirk was shocked to find a thief had targeted her place.

“It’s frightening, it makes you feel like you’ve been violated a little,” Vanbuskirk said.

The lock on her outdoor freezer had been broken off and boxes of roast beef, chicken fried steaks, and other meats were gone.

That same day, detectives in El Reno arrested 37-year-old Steven Miller in connection with a convenience store burglary. And they reportedly found the boxes of Vanbuskirk’s frozen meats in his vehicle.

Tuttle Police Detective Shana Berryhill went to interview him in El Reno. She said he confessed and even explained why he chose to take the meats and not the pies in the freezer.

“He said that he looked at them, but decided it would be too messy to take so he just stuck with taking the meat,” Detective Berryhill told News 9.

She said he also told her he was high on methamphetamine and didn’t know why he did what he did.

“He asked me if the people were mad at him,” the detective said.

“I don’t hold any malice or anything to them at all because who knows what makes people desperate enough to do what they do," Vanbuskirk said. "Unfortunately, if they’d asked me, I’d probably given them what they needed."

Total loss for EV's Dinners is more than $600.

Miller remained in the Canadian County Jail, Tuesday.