By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A gas station employee arriving to open up early this morning outside of Chehalis discovered someone inside trying to bust open an ATM machine.
As she pulled into the parking lot, and noticed a broken window, a male jumped out the window and took off, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
It happened just before 3 a.m., Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said.
A search of the area and a track by the Chehalis police dog failed to turn up the burglar, according to Brown. Deputies are working on getting surveillance images, Brown said.
The Hillcrest 76 Gas Station sits on the corner of state Route 6 and Highway 603 in Adna.
Brown said the male ran west on state Route 6 and it is believed he may have jumped into the Chehalis River to get away.
Deputies found a sledge hammer and crowbar left behind, and concluded that when he could not break open the machine, he dragged it over to the broken window, on the state Route 6 side of the building.
That’s when the worker showed up, according to Brown.
Brown is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the sheriff’s office or Lewis County Crime Stoppers.