Man Charged With Burglarizing Perkins Restaurant; Bond Set At $75,000

A man who was recently released from federal prison has been charged with felony property damage and other crimes after allegedly trying to break into a safe at the Perkins Restaurant in east Casper, according to court records.

David Lee Scroggins, 42, has been living at the Casper Alternatives of Casper, and recently started a job as a night custodian at Perkins, according to an affidavit filed with the Natrona County Circuit Court.

Early Wednesday morning, the restaurant manager arrived to find the business was still dirty. She and another associate found the door to the cash office was open. They contacted Casper police to investigate, according to the affidavit.

Police found a toy machine had its change box forcibly removed, a donation jar for "Good Kids of the World" was missing, a large metal safe that had been damaged, a broken grinder blade, and a receipt that had been taped over the security camera.

Based on the video before it was covered, police determined Scroggins arrived at 10 p.m. Wednesday, and a half hour later walked to the toy machine and pried open the cash box with a grease scraper.

Shortly before midnight, he left and apparently walked to the nearby Wal-Mart, bought a grinder and returned at 12:15 a.m. Scroggins used the grinder on the safe for an hour with no success, apparently left for Wal-Mart again and returned later with more items. He then saw the camera, covered it with the receipt, and left the building at 2 a.m.

Scroggins was later located on 10th Street and arrested. He was charged with burglary, felony property destruction, possession of burglar's tools, two counts of petit larceny and breaking into a cash machine.

During his initial appearance Thursday, he told Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Steve Brown that he had been homeless since his release from federal prison.

Scroggins told Brown it didn't matter what bond was set because the feds were going to take him back anyway.

Brown set his bond at $75,000.