Olympia man charged after alleged theft, assault of officer

An Olympia man was charged with a felony and a gross misdemeanor after allegedly stealing multiple items from a supermarket and throwing a beer bottle at an officer who was attempting to detain him.

The Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney charged Anthony David Jensen, 29, with third-degree assault and third-degree theft on April 8.

Olympia police arrested Jensen on April 5 after a reported theft at the Ralph’s Thriftway on Fourth Avenue.

The reporting party, a store employee, told authorities that the suspect had just left the supermarket with a Thriftway cart full of groceries including beer, milk and pizza.

An officer later noticed a man matching the suspect’s description walking along the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Devoe Street.

The officer trailed the suspect, later identified as Jensen, and told him that he would be detained in connection with a theft investigation.

Jensen reached into the shopping cart and grabbed half a case of beer, the officer said, adding that he tried to grab the suspect’s arm, but Jensen “threw the beer at me which caused me to stop and kind of sidestep to avoid being hit by the half case of beer.”

“I do not remember being struck by the beer but definitely felt his intent was to hit me with it to assist in his escape,” the officer wrote in his report.

The male ran into a tent located atop a small hill in a bushy area behinda 3000-block address of Pacific Avenue. A police K9 later traced Jensen, who police said “began swearing from inside the tent.”

The suspect initially refused to exit the tent, but later came out and was arrested without incident.

The employee positively identified Jensen as the person who stole from the store.

Police found a credit card bearing another individual’s name in Jensen’s wallet. An officer also said video footage showed Jensen moving toward the supermarket’s exit. He was followed by the employee but he managed to leave the store.

Jensen was booked into the Thurston County Jail on April 5 for third-degree assault. The charge of theft was added by the Thurston County Prosecutor on April 8.