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A woman accused of stealing over $800 in merchandise and repeatedly punching an employee at a Centralia business in January has been arrested.
Jessica Lynn Maldonado, 39, of Tenino, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24, according to jail records.
She was charged with one count each of first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and second-degree theft on Jan. 29 following an incident that occurred at a store in the 1000 block of South Gold Street on Jan. 15.
Maldonado is accused of putting merchandise in a bag and attempting to leave the store without paying for the items, according to court documents. An employee at the business reportedly grabbed onto the bag as Maldonado was leaving. Maldonado allegedly punched the employee multiple times “to try and get (the employee) to let go of the bag,” according to court documents.
The employee’s mother, who was reportedly in front of the store when the incident occurred, later told police she saw the assault, got out of her vehicle and grabbed Maldonado “to get her away from her daughter,” according to court documents.
Maldonado allegedly “began punching at (the mother) but did not make any contact,” according to court documents.
Maldonado allegedly got into her vehicle after being pushed, exited the vehicle and said “she was going to shoot (the mother),” then got back into the car and fled the scene.
The store employee captured some video footage of Maldonado’s interaction with her mother, according to court documents.
Officers with the Centralia Police Department responded and documented the employee’s injuries, which included “fresh cuts and red marks … consistent with being punched.”
Officers were unable to locate the suspect, who they identified as Maldonado based on photos, at the time of the incident.
Maldonado had her preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday, July 25, where a judge set her bail at $50,000. Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 1.
