Over two years have passed since a gas station employee in Winlock was held at gunpoint and robbed of $450 dollars from the register on July 8, 2023.
Now, the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office believes it has enough evidence to charge two suspects for the crime: Olotele Pouesi, 26, of Seattle, and Palekasala I Taupau, 23, of Tacoma.
Both were issued arrest warrants with a bail amount of $250,000 on Aug. 18. Pouesi made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Tuesday. Taupau has yet to appear.
As for the evidence that led to the charges? DNA collected from a water bottle that was dumped with other items allegedly connected to the stolen vehicle used during the robbery.
The charging documents against Pouesi and Taupau detail a winding investigation with starts, stops and large gaps of time in between. A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived at the scene of the robbery on July 8, 2023, and took reports of a masked suspect who pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the store clerk and demanded money from the register.
The clerk complied. The suspect grabbed the register tray, exited the store and entered the passenger side of a silver car. The clerk said about $450 had been stolen from the register.
The deputy reviewed security footage. It supported the clerk’s account. He identified the car as a 2022 Honda Accord, which was later confirmed to have been stolen in Seattle earlier that day. He saw another person in the driver’s seat of the car.
He noticed a tattoo on the wrist of the robbery suspect.
The next day, the deputy attended to a littering complaint of trash dumped in a man’s driveway during the night. The driveway was near the gas station. He searched through the trash and found a vehicle registration that reportedly matched the stolen Accord. He found an air wedge tool used for robberies. He found a blanket, mail from Vancouver and other documents.
He found an empty water bottle.
The items were gathered and bagged, but no prints turned up. The case went cold.
On Feb. 5, 2025, nearly 19 months later, DNA from the crime lab came back on the water bottle. It showed a likely connection to Pouesi and Taupau.
The detective went back to work. He started with a timeline. He returned to the stolen Accord and learned that it was allegedly used during the theft of a mail crate in Vancouver. He coordinated with Vancouver police and discovered previous surveillance footage of the Accord at a local gas station. The police said they had tried to stop the car but it got away.
The detective noted the two suspects in the footage.
He then checked footage from the mail theft. The suspects matched the suspects from the gas station robbery. He reviewed photos of Pouesi and Taupau. They matched as well. Both of the suspects were reportedly in prison.
A detective interviewed Taupau. Taupau allegedly denied robbing the gas station. He did, however, have a tattoo on his wrist that resembled the one from the original footage.
Another detective interviewed Pouesi. Pouesi, too, denied robbing the gas station.
Buccal swabs were collected from both. They matched the DNA results from the lab.
Pouesi was booked into Lewis County Jail Sept. 22 and officially charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, possession of a stolen vehicle and third-degree theft.
The first-degree charges are considered strike offenses and are punishable by up to life in prison and $50,000 in fines.
During the preliminary hearing, Deputy Prosecutor William Halstead noted the length of time in the investigation due to waiting for DNA evidence. He asked the court to maintain the previously established bail amount of $250,000 issued in the arrest warrant.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller argued for no more than $100,000 and suggested that Pouesi might maintain that the wrong person had been accused of the crime. She said Pouesi was employed as an ironworker.
Judge J. Andrew Toynbee set a modified bail of $100,000 cash or bond, which he found sufficient given Pouesi’s limited resources. The judge said he counted six felony convictions over the past five years while reviewing Pouesi’s criminal history. Court documents show a felony conviction for assault, two for theft of a motor vehicle and three for identity theft.
An arraignment awaits Pouesi on Sept. 25, with Albert Didcock assigned as counsel.
The warrant is still out for Taupau.
