Wade Eugene Bradford is a regular at the bar at the Oregano's restaurant in Tempe, so when one of the restaurant's employees saw his mug on the news in connection with a homicide on Sunday, he was quick to call police when Bradford stopped in for a beer -- or three -- last night.
An Oregano's employee who was there when the bust went down tells New Times that Bradford sat at the bar and downed three Bud Lights and ate some cheese bread before cops came bursting through the kitchen and into the bar to take him into custody.
The employee says Bradford talked about having a "rough, 13-hour drive from Northern California" before bellying up to the Tempe bar, where he ultimately got pinched.
Bradford now faces murder charges for the murder of his girlfriend, 27-year-old Natalie Allan, Saturday night.
Tempe police say Bradford and Allan had dated for a while but were in the process of splitting when the murder took place.
Police say Allan went to Bradford's house in the 700 block of Beck Avenue in Tempe to pick up some of her things about 9:20 p.m. Saturday when she was approached by Bradford and shot once with a handgun.
Allen was pronounced dead at the scene, and a manhunt for Bradford was on.
Following his arrest at the bar last night, Bradford was booked into the Tempe City Jail and is facing first-degree murder charges.
