CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) – A Charleston restaurant owner said a unique crime unfolded Wednesday night when pork was stolen straight off her hot grill.

Ashley Wright, owner-operator of Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill, said she had just stepped away from the restaurant while meat was on the grill during her 16-hour shift when she returned to find a man walking away with the food that was previously cooking on the hot grill, in his bare- hands.

“I came back and I was walking around the corner, and there was a guy walking away with my pork butts, and I was like this is crazy, like why, what are you doing?” Wright said.

Wright said the man ran off after she confronted him. She called Kanawha County Metro, who confirmed her report of the incident came in at 9:27 p.m.

“If he would’ve asked and said, ‘hey I need a meal even if it is 10 o’clock at night,’ I would have given him the pork butt or given him something to take with him. I’m here to feed people,” Wright said.

She later shared her experience on Facebook, saying, “In the past year alone, I can count thousands of dollars lost to vandalism on our building, our vehicles, and now even our grills. This isn’t about dehumanizing anyone. We have compassion for the homeless and those battling addiction.”

Wright said the theft provides insight into a larger problem in Charleston that is constant for her restaurant and other local businesses.

“It’s serious from the place of homelessness and addiction, and it’s also serious to community members and business owners who are dealing with this on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

She added that, while she tried to make light of the situation in her post, the reality for high levels of crime for local business owners is serious.

“It needs to be solved at the city level,” Wright said.

Wright said she hopes community leaders will come together to address the ongoing issue of crime and vandalism affecting local businesses.