Two felony charges for Olympia man allegedly behind two burglaries, theft

A transient Olympia man was booked on two felonies after allegedly stealing about $33,900 worth of items from two local businesses, one of which he hit twice.

Michael Elisha Hoffman, 41, was booked into the Thurston County Jail for second-degree burglary and first-degree theft on August 12, in connection with two burglaries and one theft he allegedly committed last month.

Three alleged crimes in a month

The two alleged burglaries were at the Radiance Herbs and Massage on the 100 block of Fifth Avenue SE. Police said surveillance footage showed that the business was broken into “very quickly” on July 2 and 23 by a man who was later identified as Hoffman. According to the reporting officer, two glass display cases were broken into, and one display case “appeared to have only a few items left inside.” The west entrance door was shattered.

The theft allegedly occurred on July 27 at the La Gitana Pizzeria on the 500 block of Capitol Way S. An employee told police that a man, also later identified as Hoffman, stole a billfold containing a cash tip, then ran off into a nearby alley.

While running through the alley, Hoffman was spotted by one of the owners of Radiance Herbs and Massage, who immediately recognized him from the surveillance footage.

The pizzeria employee said she followed Hoffman and saw him enter the complex of Stuart Place Apartments on the 100 block of Legion Way SE.

Suspicious activity

A day before the alleged pizzeria theft, an Olympia Downtown Ambassador advised authorities that Childhood’s End Gallery, located downtown, had been having issues with a man matching Hoffman’s description.

One staff member told the ambassador that Hoffman frequently hangs out at the store without making a purchase. One time, the employee said, an expensive chess piece went missing right after he left. However, they had no visual proof that he was the thief.

The Downtown Ambassador said she briefly spoke with Hoffman on July 7, when the gallery sought her help in contacting him because staff did not feel comfortable asking him to leave.

The ambassador encountered Hoffman again on July 26 during an outreach activity, during which time she managed to snap a photo of the suspect. A coworker noted that Hoffman seemed to have appeared on the Olympia Active Warrants list.

Suspect arrested

On August 8, Olympia police contacted the assistant manager of Stuart Place Apartments and learned that Hoffman was not listed as a resident there. The listed resident of the unit he uses was also under investigation for subletting the apartment.

Police said key card entry logs showed that the key card to the unit Hoffman occupied was used within minutes of the three alleged crimes.

On August 12, Olympia police were granted a warrant to search Hoffman’s unit for stolen items.

Hoffman was entering the passenger side of a vehicle when police arrived at the scene. The suspect was arrested without incident while his companion in the driver’s seat was released.

The suspect admitted to stealing a billfold from the pizzeria but sought an attorney when asked about the burglaries.

Hoffman was booked into the Thurston County Jail after receiving medical clearance, which corrections officers requested due to the suspect’s admitted use of fentanyl.

In the apartment, authorities located three pairs of shoes that matched what Hoffman was wearing in the surveillance videos, as well as a distinctive backpack and action figure.