By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A grocery customer who allegedly tried to shoplift pre-packaged biscuits and gravy yesterday found himself arrested for more serious charges after he reportedly made a motion with his hand as though he had a gun, saying “Pow, pow, pow,” while staff held him down.
Police called just before 1 p.m. to the 500 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia were told a suspicious employee tried to block the path of Joshua E. Blankenship who then shoved the employee, according to the Centralia Police Department.
Fuller’s Shop ‘n Kart workers were able to stop him, Officer John Panco said, and when Blankenship then slipped and fell, he spilled his cup of coffee and the food item dropped out of his pocket.
That’s when he made the threat to kill the two employees by drawing his non-existent gun, according to Panco.
Blankenship, 25, from Chehalis, was arrested for second-degree robbery, felony harassment and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
BobbyinLC, to clarify this bit of journalism, “a suspicious employee tried to block the path of Joshua E. Blankenship who then shoved the employee” indicates that the employee suspected Joshua E. Blankenship of some wrong doing, shoplifting, and tried to block his exit from the hallway leading from the bathroom. Joshua in turn shoved the employee, most likely vying for escape. Hope that helps.
I knew this fellow in grade school and have seen him out and about walking in Chehalis and Centralia. The single encounter I had was actually quite unnerving. While it is a shame to see someone hit a rough patch in life, it is a great sigh of relief knowing he is being observed by more capable individuals than himself, at least for the time being.
more finger guns off the street
Hey, how did my last post get on this thread? Makes no sense here. Oh well.
A suspicious employee? You mean a suspicious customer. Ha ha. Good thing his finger was not loaded or someone could have gotten hurt.
I fully understand that shop lifting hurts everyone by driving up the costs of food but really having a group of employees sit on a shop lifter is actually opening the door for injury or accident to the suspect (who by the way is committing a non-violent, misdemeanor).
A cello and a 12-gauge shotgun? Not the same as “A Rose and a Baby Ruth,” that’s for sure.
“Her dad had a shotgun, a 12-gauge shotgun,
How did I know whether or not he could shoooot…”