Remember the coin-op grandpop (pictured left), the nattily dressed old man caught

Published 7:00 am Thursday, July 16, 2009

Remember the coin-op grandpop (pictured left), the nattily dressed old man caught on tape breaking into SeaTac vending machines to steal their change? His name’s Robert Jay Costa, and he just finished a 31-day sentence in King County Jail for his first-degree theft conviction, reports the P-I’s Casey McNerthney. Apparently, every machine he broke into was a Coca-Cola machine. The upshot, and the second-best part of the story: a Coca-Cola technician installed cameras on the machines to catch him. The other upshot, and the best part of the story: Costa is now the subject of a restraining order from vending machines selling Coca-Cola products. He’s not allowed to have any contact with them. Presumably, as with all no-contact orders, that extends to phone and written communication as well.