Cops: Restaurant owner damages Jericho building after eviction
Aozora restaurant owner Sung Hee Lee, 57, of Queens, who was evicted from a Jericho building, was arrested after the landlord discovered more than $400,000 in damage to the property, Nassau police said. Credit: Google Maps, 2013
A restaurant owner evicted from a Jericho building was arrested there Sunday after the landlord discovered more than $400,000 in damage to the property, Nassau police said.
Sung Hee Lee, 57, of Queens, operated Aozora Restaurant at 111 Jericho Tpke. and was given a notice last Thursday to vacate within 72 hours, police said.
The Asian-themed restaurant opened and closed there for the last time at 11 p.m. Saturday, police said. The landlord, 74, was there at the closing and saw that the premises were left in good condition, police said.
When the landlord went to the building Sunday night, he found Lee inside and the place wrecked outside and inside, including paint that defaced the property, police said. He did not confront Lee and went back outside to his car, police said.
Second Precinct officers who saw the landlord's car parked askew on the street went to help, thinking the car was disabled, police said.
Instead, the landlord told them "my building's being destroyed," a police spokeswoman said.
That was how officers found Lee amid the destruction, police said.
Lee, of 240-21 69th Ave., was arraigned Monday on a second-degree criminal mischief charge and released on his own recognizance. A temporary order of protection was also filed against him. Lee was represented by Legal Aid.
