A 28-year-old Belfair man was arrested in Centralia on Saturday for allegedly stealing a vehicle out of Thurston County, driving it to the Centralia Outlets and stealing merchandise from a store.
Officers with the Centralia Police Department located the vehicle parked outside an outlet store in the 100 block of West High Street just after 2 p.m. on Sept. 28 after the Flock Safety system alerted to a stolen vehicle on Harrison Avenue near Interstate 5, according to a department news release.
Officers reportedly blocked the vehicle in and waited for the driver to exit the store.
“A short time later, officers observed the suspect exit the store carrying suspected stolen property from the outlet store, and walk toward the stolen vehicle,” according to the Centralia Police Department.
The suspect, identified as William J. Kennedy, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle and an unrelated Lewis County District Court warrant. Theft charges have also been referred to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.
A preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court for felony charges was scheduled for 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30.
“This investigation will be forwarded to the Tumwater Police Department to pursue charges on Mr. Kennedy for theft of a motor vehicle,” the Centralia Police Department said in a news release.
