A transient Olympia couple was charged with robbery after allegedly stealing items worth over $300 and using pepper spray on a loss prevention officer who attempted to take the items back.
A document from the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney dated Dec. 7 indicated that Michael Scott Williams, 28, and Mariah Anna Marie Clevenger, 21, were each charged with first-degree robbery while armed with a deadly weapon.
According to Olympia police, the suspects were arrested on Dec. 3 after a reported robbery at Haggen on Cooper Point Road.
The loss prevention officer told police that the couple entered the store and went around taking various products.
The employee said Williams left the store without any items, but Clevenger exited shortly afterward with a basket full of unpaid goods.
When he attempted to take the items back, the loss prevention officer said, Clevenger dropped the basket, took out a bottle of pepper spray, and used it on his face. He managed to block the spray from getting into his eyes.
The employee also said Williams told him, “Don’t touch my girlfriend,” while holding flowers that belonged to the store.
As the suspects walked away, the loss prevention officer said he noticed more unpaid items in Clevenger’s purse.
Olympia police said they located the couple on a strip of grass between Cooper Point Road and Pier 1.
A responding police officer said he recognized Clevenger “from numerous previous contacts.”
A search of the suspects’ belongings yielded Ziploc bags and sponges. The employee said the total value of the stolen items was $364.22.
The suspects were booked at the Thurston County Jail for second-degree robbery.
En route to the jail, Clevenger said “I’ll never steal again,” according to the police report. She also told a deputy conducting a pre-booking search that she pepper-sprayed herself.
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