A transient Olympia man was charged with a felony after allegedly robbing the woman he was dating, then leading police into an hourlong chase in the woods.
Kevin James Hinzpeter, 28, was charged with first-degree robbery by the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney on April 12.
Olympia police arrested Hinzpeter on April 8 after a woman reported being assaulted and robbed in the vicinity of Wheeler Avenue and Eastside Street.
The woman told police that she and the suspect, later identified as Hinzpeter, had been dating for three months. She said they were arguing on the day of the incident because Hinzpeter accused her of cheating on him.
The suspect then punched the woman in the face a few times and took her backpack, she told police. She also said that Hinzpeter bit her arm. The woman eventually managed to run away from the suspect.
Police noted that the woman’s right forearm had a swollen area “consistent with the width a bite could leave,” and bleeding in her right cheek.
An officer said he was familiar with Hinzpeter from previous contacts with the suspect “and would recognize him on sight.”
Police later found Hinzpeter on the 1300 block of Wheeler Avenue. An officer announced that he was under arrest for first-degree robbery, but the suspect continued walking away and entered the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail.
After about an hour and 10 minutes, according to the police report, Hinzpeter was found lying face down on a thick bed of leaves and large sticks, “appearing as though he was trying to conceal himself.”
A search of Hinzpeter yielded the reporting party’s cellphone and driver’s license.
Hinzpeter also admitted to using heroin, smoking narcotics, and ingesting fentanyl pills, police say. He was booked into the Thurston County Jail after receiving medical clearance.
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