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Cedar Falls McDonald's Hamburglar busted

BY ANELIA DIMITROVA Four days after a burglar broke into a local McDonald's for a self-made meal, curious customers are asking employees at the 610 West First St., restaurant if this is the site where a hungry student treated himself to a burger and fries. A manager who identified himself only by his first name, Matt, said save for the window pane, which is expected to be replaced soon, business is back on track. "We got it cleaned and we are back to work," he said. The manager said that judging by the amount of food the burglar cooked, he must have been truly starving. The early-morning intruder, he added, dumped a 5-pound bag of French fries and several patties of the 1/3-pound angus hamburger in the deep-fryer to satisfy his munchies. The break-in happened around 1:55 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20 and Whitley Allen Teslow, 21, of 100 Wartburg Blvd. Waverly, turned himself in two days later after seeing the surveillance video released by authorities to news organizations. Teslow, who played football at Wartburg College, was charged with one count of burglary in the third degree, a Class D Felony; criminal mischief in the fourth degree and theft in the fifth degree for the food he had consumed. A Class D Felony in punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of at least $750, but not to exceed $7,500. Dubbed the Hamburglar, after the pint-sized, red-caped villain whose compulsion in McDonald's commercials was stealing hamburgers, Teslow has publicly apologized for his actions. Cedar Falls Police Capt. Craig Berte said Teslow appeared to have been drinking. "We levied the appropriate charges and now it's up to the county attorney," he said. "If the prosecuting attorney asks the police for opinion, which they almost never do, he's someone who was intoxicated and made a mistake." Meanwhile, Teslow's after-hours transgression has earned him international notoriety on YouTube. It shows a man of slender built breaking into the restaurant, then opening the refrigerator, turning on the deep-fryer and pumping ketchup before downing the meal. "It's hard to tell, but he consumed quite a bit," the McDonald's manager said. "He washed his hands numerous times. At least he was safety-conscious. I'd be shocked if he even remembered doing it the next day.