Four Seattle residents were arrested in Centralia Monday afternoon after a failed theft at the Nike outlet store led to one suspect allegedly fleeing through town before crashing his stolen car, while another suspect allegedly swallowed fentanyl after she was detained by police.
Police say a third suspect lied about swallowing fentanyl so he could be transported to the hospital in hopes of being left unattended.
A fourth suspect was reportedly detained without much incident.
All four suspects — Christopher M. Urga, Elsa B. Tsehaye, Abdul R. Hamim and Anna M. Castellano — made preliminary appearances in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday.
They are scheduled for arraignments on Feb. 26.
Suspect crashes vehicle after ditching accomplices
Urga, 54, is charged with one count each of second-degree organized retail theft, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle and hit-and-run of an attended vehicle.
He faces the greatest potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison for the stolen vehicle charge.
Judge Joely Yeager set Urga’s bail at $1 million, greater than the $250,000 requested by Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Meyer. Upon making her ruling, Yeager referenced the allegations, Urga’s extensive criminal history, his likelihood of being a flight risk and interfering with the administration of justice — and the significant risk he posed to community safety.
Meyer likewise called Urga a clear danger to the community as he noted a criminal history that apparently filled over 50 pages and included convictions in Florida.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the prosecutor’s office, Urga had quickly fled in the suspects’ vehicle after exiting the store, leaving his accomplices behind in the parking lot.
In his attempt to escape police, Urga allegedly struck a detective’s occupied vehicle before driving through grass toward the nearby Wendy’s restaurant and turning onto Harrison Avenue.
During the chase, Urga allegedly drove through town in the opposite direction of traffic before returning to the correct lane as he reached estimated speeds of more than 75 mph. Police say he eventually turned into and drove through the crowded WinCo parking lot.
“When Urga got back on actual streets, he ran stop signs and continued to drive more than 50 mph,” at one point nearly colliding with a truck near an intersection, according to the affidavit.
After entering the Interstate 5 collector-distributor lane, Urga allegedly reached speeds of more than 100 mph as he swerved around other cars before finally crashing his vehicle.
“During a search of Urga incident to arrest, he was found to be in possession of a glass pipe commonly used to ingest controlled substances. Suspected fentanyl was also located inside the vehicle near where Urga had been located,” the affidavit states.
Police transported Urga to Providence Centralia Hospital to conduct a blood draw, as they suspected he had been driving under the influence.
According to the affidavit, police determined Urga’s vehicle was listed as stolen out of Seattle — and reported stolen by his mother.
Prosecutors say Urga has previous felony convictions for crimes including second-degree assault, second-degree burglary, and eluding, among other offenses.
Another suspect accused of swallowing fentanyl
Tsehaye, 35, is charged with one count of second-degree retail theft. Yeager set her bail at $20,000, less than the $50,000 requested by Meyer.
According to the affidavit, Tsehaye was detained shortly after attempting to flee on foot from the Nike store. One sergeant — believing Tsehaye to be compliant — went to his vehicle to obtain another pair of handcuffs after a previous pair had fallen and broken on the ground.
When he returned from his vehicle, the sergeant saw Tsehaye using her phone. He then reportedly saw Tsehaye put something in her mouth.
“Attempts were made to prevent her from swallowing whatever was put in her mouth, but they were unsuccessful,” the affidavit states.
The sergeant reportedly observed Tsehaye “becoming lethargic,” which led him to believe Tsehaye had swallowed fentanyl. She was then given naloxone to reverse a possible overdose.
Officers searched her purse and allegedly found several small bags containing suspected fentanyl. A field test reportedly yielded a positive result.
Tsehaye has no prior felony convictions, according to the affidavit.
Yet another allegedly lies about ingesting fentanyl
Hamim, 53, is charged with one count of second-degree retail theft. Yeager set his bail at $100,000, in agreement with the state’s request, citing the allegations that he told officers he had ingested a controlled substance, which led to a hospital visit costing taxpayers money — only to later admit he hadn’t actually ingested the substance.
According to the affidavit, police found suspected fentanyl on Hamim at the scene, which was subsequently confirmed by a field test.
After being transported to jail, Hamim allegedly said he had swallowed fentanyl. Officers determined Hamim needed to be medically cleared at the hospital.
“While at the hospital Hamim later admitted he did not swallow fentanyl when it became clear that law enforcement was not going to just leave someone at the hospital unattended who had just stolen thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise from the Nike store,” the affidavit states.
Hamim has prior felony convictions for third-degree assault, second-degree theft, first-degree attempted robbery and other criminal offenses, according to the affidavit.
A final suspect gets $20,000 bail
Castellano, 45, is also charged with one count of second-degree retail theft. Yeager set her bail at $20,000, less than the $50,000 requested by the state. The judge cited Castellano’s significant warrant and criminal history as the basis for her ruling, along with the allegations that Castellano attempted to flee along with the other participants.
According to the affidavit, Castellano has prior felony convictions for second-degree robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, residential burglary and other criminal offenses.
The attempted theft
A Centralia Police Department detective first observed the suspects’ vehicle back into a parking spot outside the Nike store at about 5 p.m. Monday.
After noting the vehicle had no front license plate, the detective reportedly watched as the suspects attempted to conceal their identity by “wrapping a scarf around their face” or “pulling a hood over their head,” according to the affidavit.
Anticipating a possible theft, the detective alerted other officers to the area, who reportedly arrived in large numbers and staged themselves around the store.
Officers then observed the suspects exit the store holding mesh bags — which are meant to be collected during checkout — signaling a theft had just occurred.
According to the affidavit, Nike reported a total of $2,050 in items had been stolen from the store. Those items were ultimately recovered.
JNET responds to recent Centralia Outlets thefts
In a Tuesday news release, the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) alluded to the arrests by highlighting the over $5,000 recovered as a result of recent investigations into retail theft.
“There is a direct and well-documented link between theft and drug addiction,” the release states. “Research consistently shows that a significant portion of property crimes are committed by individuals trying to fund a drug habit.”
The Chronicle previously reported the arrests of Chanan Bunchaidung, 34, of Dupont, and Brenda Christensen, 24, of Olympia, following their attempted theft of 71 items from the Nike outlet on Feb. 17. Police indicated the items totaled $3,267.50.
“For those struggling with addiction, local resources include the Lewis County Public Health Department's substance use disorder services, which offer counseling and referral to treatment programs,” the release states. “Cascade Community Healthcare provides outpatient treatment and support groups for substance abuse.”
According to the release, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers a national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP that can connect callers to local treatment options.
The Washington Recovery Help Line provides immediate support and resources for Washington state residents and can be reached at 1-866-789-1511.
