Pizzeria owner planted mice in competing eateries, say suburban Phila. cops

(CBS/KYW/AP) UPPER DARBY, Pa. -  "Food terrorism by mice."

That's how police in suburban Philadelphia are describing the actions of a pizzeria owner who allegedly tried to  sabotage two rival shops by dumping mice in them Monday.  Authorities say the accused restaurateur had been blaming his own mice troubles on competitors.

Upper Darby police said a man walked into Verona Pizza on Monday afternoon and asked to use the bathroom. After he left, the owner said he found footprints - on the toilet - noticed that the drop ceiling had been disturbed, and found a bag tucked up above.

The owner turned the bag over to two police officers who happened to be eating lunch there, and they found three white mice inside, police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.

Police say the same man also walked across the street to Uncle Nick's Pizza and dumped another bag into a trash can inside the establishment, and that police found five live mice and one dead one inside.

"We look in there and there is a bag of mice," said Harry Saritsoglou, owner of Uncle Nick's, told CBS affiliate KYW. "He is out of his mind. He lost his mind."

"We have never had anything like this where mice have been used as an instrument of crime," Chitwood said.

"This is food terrorism by mice."

Nikolas Galiatsatos, 47, owner of Nina's Bella Pizzeria a few blocks away, faces charges of disorderly conduct, harassment and animal cruelty, police said.

Chitwood told reporters that investigators believe Galiatsatos was having mice problems himself that he blamed on his competitors.

"We believe that he's trying to put the competitive pizza places out of business," Chitwood said. He said the mice, apparently purchased that day at a nearby pet store, have been turned over to animal control officers.

Galiatsatos remained in custody.