The female suspect arrested in Lacey following a high-speed chase from Centralia on March 22 has been charged with two counts of second-degree organized retail theft.
Julene A. Williams, 34, of Marysville, made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday. Williams faces up to five years in prison for each of the charges, if convicted.
Commissioner Cailen Cecil set Williams’ bail at $5,000 cash or bond, citing concern for the defendant’s 18 prior arrest warrants, while acknowledging her dated criminal history.
According to court documents, Williams has one felony conviction for second-degree theft in 2008, and four other misdemeanor convictions for theft.
Williams remained in custody in the Lewis County Jail as of Tuesday morning. She is scheduled for an arraignment on Thursday, March 26.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, Centralia police were first notified of a theft at the Pendleton outlet store on Lum Road. A store manager reported that a suspect had just stolen items and left in a white Ford F-150.
Police obtained the truck’s license plate number, identified the registered driver as Lawrence Hatch, 45, and notified the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol.
According to the affidavit, the responding police sergeant contacted the manager and another employee at Pendleton. The witnesses described a male suspect with a neck tattoo, goatee, and black hair, as well as a female suspect who together had allegedly stolen $852 worth of items, along with more items that could not be identified.
The sergeant received pictures of the female suspect and noted that Hatch’s Department of Licensing photo matched the witnesses’ description of the male suspect.
Meanwhile, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders and a team of deputies pursued the two suspects from Interstate 5 into downtown Olympia and then Lacey.
Dash camera footage released by Sanders shows the truck swerving into the opposite lane at one point to avoid cars at a traffic light. The truck then runs multiple red lights.
Deputies found the truck abandoned near College Street, Sanders said.
“A K9 track was started when I located the two suspects walking through a nearby neighborhood,” Sanders wrote on Facebook following the incident. “Both suspects were taken into custody at gunpoint.”
Body camera footage shows the female suspect walking backward toward deputies and Sanders with her hands held over her head.
Deputies subsequently identified her as Williams and returned her to Centralia police.
They booked Hatch into the Thurston County Jail. Sanders said this was Hatch’s 98th arrest.
An executed search warrant on the truck reportedly yielded “thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise from numerous businesses,” according to the sheriff.
The affidavit notes that Hatch had “several items of Pendleton and Nike in the back of his truck.”
Police then reviewed security footage that allegedly shows Williams and Hatch stealing from Nike that same day. Nike employees estimated up to $1,500 in items had been stolen.
Deputies also allegedly discovered meth, heroin and fentanyl inside the truck.
“Additionally, the suspect had a custom bong device built into the dash of the truck so he could comfortably smoke drugs while driving,” Sanders wrote.
Deputies reportedly obtained a search warrant for Hatch’s blood for potential DUI charges.
Sanders said that Hatch has four previous felony convictions and 27 misdemeanor convictions.
“Tonight, he is back in jail for the 98th time on charges of DUI, eluding, and possession of narcotics,” Sanders wrote. “Once he’s released from Thurston County Jail, he will face charges of organized retail theft in Lewis County.”
Hatch was scheduled for a preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Monday. According to court records, that hearing was continued to Tuesday.
During William’s preliminary hearing, Deputy Prosecutor Brandi Archer said she expected Hatch to make an appearance in Lewis County Superior Court within the next couple days.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller noted that Hatch is Williams’ significant other.
Cecil indicated that Williams is not to have contact with Hatch, as part of her conditions of release.
