Two men cited for theft at Target in Olympia, one detained

Two suspects, one of which had a prior, were arrested for alleged theft and trespass at a Target store in Olympia.

On November 17, a little before 8 PM, the Olympia Police Department responded to a burglary report from a Target employee at the Harrison Avenue NW store.

The employee reported that two suspects, later identified as Dakota Menish and Mitchell Willett, were allegedly engaging in theft within the store. The employee reported that Menish tore a tag from a backpack and handed it over to Willett.

Upon the arrival of the police, the officer spotted Menish outside the store and initiated a conversation and requested he “take a seat.” He argued but complied.

Shortly after, Willett exited the store “with the merchandise.” The officer informed both of the suspects “that they were being detained for a theft investigation.” The employee went out and informed the officer that the stolen backpack was concealed under Willett’s black jacket. Two backpacks were listed in the property description of the police report of the theft.

When attempting to inspect the backpack in Willett's possession, Willett resisted, which resulted in authorities issuing a warning, leading Willett to drop the bag.

Further investigation revealed that Menish had previously been trespassed from the same Target store.

The store's CCTV footage provided evidence of Menish removing the tag from a backpack and passing it to Willett.

The actions of the two suspects, along with Menish's history of trespassing and theft, led authorities to establish probable cause to arrest Menish on charges of second-degree burglary and third-degree theft.

Authorities also discovered an existing warrant for Menish related to trespass and theft.

In contrast, Willett, who had no previous trespass record at Target, faced probable cause solely for third-degree theft.

Willett received a citation and was released at the scene with a one-year trespass notice from Target.