WATERVILLE — The shirtless man police found squatting early Sunday morning inside Champions Fitness Club acted as if he belonged there. He helped himself to coffee and other drinks, had a pizza delivered, ate half of it and left the box on the front counter, took a towel from a linen closet and was about to take a shower when cruisers pulled up in front of the building.

Eric Davis, 44, told officers he was a security guard for Champions, though he was not. He had also ordered several pizzas that had been sent to police dispatchers.

Eric Davis is accused of squatting at a gym in Waterville and stealing an iPod. Photo courtesy of the Waterville Police Department

“He was helping himself to K cups and other drinks and he stole an iPod,” Champions operations manager Renee Raymond said later after viewing surveillance video. “He punched a hole in a ceiling tile and ripped out wires from the speakers. My theory is, he wanted to take a nap and it was too noisy because the music was still on in the men’s locker room.”

Police said they didn’t have an address for Davis, but he previously told them he lives in Augusta.

Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey called the encounter “kind of bizarre.”

About 2:30 a.m. Sunday police allege they found Davis inside Champions wearing no shirt, according to Massey. Davis had placed the iPod and other items from Champions inside his backpack, Massey said.

Police later learned that Davis had ordered and paid for a total of seven pizzas from Domino’s, had one delivered to him at Champions at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and asked that four pizzas be delivered to Waterville police dispatchers and the other two to Hannaford employees, Massey said.

According to Raymond, Davis had a short-term club membership and showed up at Champions about 7 p.m. Saturday, closing time, and said he just wanted to quickly use the bathroom. Employees checked the building as usual before locking the doors and shouted out to make sure no one was left inside, according to Raymond.

“He must have hidden somewhere, and the desk personnel didn’t see him when they closed up,” she said.

Massey said Monday that Davis, whom police have dealt with several times since April of last year, was arrested and charged with felony burglary, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and criminal mischief.

Davis was taken to Kennebec County Jail in Augusta and is scheduled to appear in Kennebec County Superior Court April 10, according to Massey.

Massey said police have encountered Davis several times on and off since April 2016, when convenience store or doughnut shop employees called to report a suspicious man on the premises.

Sometimes, the man would be gone by the time police arrived, Massey said. When police arrived in time, they saw Davis on the premises. Sometimes he would talk with them and sometimes he would not, according to Massey. Police did not arrest him during those incidents, he said.

Amy Calder can be contacted at 861-9247 or at:

[email protected]

Twitter: AmyCalder17

Send questions/comments to the editors.

filed under: