Man who dumped 'bag of cockroaches' in Tainan restaurant granted bail

Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) A man suspected of dumping a bag of over 100 cockroaches in a famous Tainan restaurant last week was granted bail Monday following his arrest earlier that day.

Refusing a request by prosecutors to keep the suspect, surnamed Yu (余), detained, the Tainan District Court ruled that Yu could be released on NT$30,000 (US$948) bail with restrictions on his residence, refusing a request by prosecutors to keep him detained.

Yu, 29, allegedly entered Chou's Shrimp Rolls, a well-known eatery on Tainan's Anping Old Street, on Aug. 27 at around noon, wearing a raincoat, mask and motorcycle helmet to conceal his identity.

According to Tainan police, Yu loudly cursed at the store's employees, then emptied a plastic bag containing over 100 live cockroaches on the restaurant's front counter and fled.

Following the incident, news of which provoked shock and horror on social media, the restaurant's owners said they did not recognize the suspect or know why their business had been targeted.

Yu was arrested at his apartment on Monday afternoon.

On Monday evening, the Tainan District Prosecutors Office said Yu's actions were intended to harm the restaurant's reputation and intimidate its employees and customers, likely constituting coercion and intimidation under the Criminal Code.

Given Yu's connection to possible crimes, the motive of which is still unclear, as well as the risk that he might flee or try to destroy evidence, the prosecutors office requested permission to detain Yu as an investigation continues.

Hours later, however, the Tainan District Court denied the request, saying prosecutors had not provided sufficient evidence for the risks of bail and noting that the statutory penalty for Yu's alleged crimes was under three years in prison.

Under Taiwan's Code of Criminal Procedure, criminal suspects are typically not detained for crimes with a punishment of under three years' imprisonment, unless they are a recidivist or have violated their parole.

According to local news reports, Yu may have carried out the cockroach attack after being treated with a poor "customer service attitude" at the restaurant, though prosecutors still suspect there may be other factors involved.