A 40-year-old Chehalis man accused of attempting to rob the Lewis County Coffee Co. stand on South Tower Avenue in Centralia while brandishing a gun on Monday is facing one count of first-degree robbery in Lewis County Superior Court.
The incident was reported just before 2:55 p.m. on Dec. 11, according to the Centralia Police Department.
The suspect, identified as Jonah Michael Johnson, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 12:48 p.m. on Dec. 13, according to jail records.
Court documents indicate a male subject, who has since been identified as Johnson, was at the window of the stand when he allegedly “presented what appeared to be a black pistol, pointed it at the barista working, and demanded money and her phone.” The barista, a 19-year-old woman, reportedly “ran out the back door of the stand yelling for help.” The suspect allegedly chased her briefly but discontinued the chase, running southbound out of the area. He was last seen running eastbound toward the railroad tracks on Monday, according to the Centralia Police Department.
The Centralia Police Department deployed two K9s to search the area, but they were unable to locate the suspect Monday afternoon.
Investigators were able to get a photo of the suspect, who was wearing a hooded jacket and a red mask that covered the lower portion of his face at the time of the robbery, from the coffee stand’s security cameras and posted the photo online.
The Centralia Police Department later “received a tip that Jonah Johnson may have been the male suspect,” according to court documents.
Johnson “was eventually located” and questioned on Wednesday, Dec. 13, according to court documents, which allege “Johnson admitted to committing the robbery. Johnson stated he had walked by the coffee stand and decided to rob the stand.”
Johnson allegedly “claimed to have a BB gun when he approached the coffee stand” and claimed he “discarded the BB gun,” which officers hadn’t located as of Thursday, Dec. 14.
Johnson did allegedly “provide information regarding the red mask, hat and shoes he was wearing during the robbery” that match the items seen in the security camera footage, according to court documents.
Johnson initially had a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14, but it was rescheduled to Friday, Dec. 15, after jail staff indicated Johnson was “ill” and did not come to court, according to court documents.
Johnson was set to be held at the jail without bail until the Dec. 15 hearing.
