Accused of stealing ice cream, couple then allegedly assaults store clerk and customer

An Olympia couple allegedly assaulted a store employee and a customer for the sake of an ice cream cup.

Monte E. Hicks, a 39-year-old male, and Stephanie Susan Chase, a 37-year-old female, were arrested on Aug. 17 after a reported robbery at the Chevron convenience store at 5700 Ruddell Road SE.

The store employee told police that the suspects entered the store, and Hicks asked to use the restroom. Chase then grabbed an ice cream cup and handed it to Hicks, who proceeded to walk into the bathroom.

The employee said that when Hicks came out of the restroom, he no longer had the ice cream. The male suspect then left the store.

The employee said Chase was at the counter when Hicks left to pay for a different ice cream and cash in a $3 scratch ticket.

Store staff told Chase she would be charged with the cost of the ice cream Hicks took, causing the female suspect to protest. Chase asked for the scratch ticket back, but the cashier refused. Chase then grabbed the ice cream she had and left the store.

The store employee said he followed Chase outside and grabbed her backpack, at which point Hicks came running over and started shoving him.

When Chase’s backpack fell on the ground, the employee picked it up and went back inside the store, where the two suspects followed him.

The couple then tried to wrestle the backpack away from the employee, knocking over several displays. Hicks managed to get the bag back, and the two suspects ran out of the store.

A female customer who was lined up behind Chase helped the employee by attempting to grab the bag back herself, but both suspects pushed her during her attempt.

Police reported that the assisting customer sustained scratches on her leg during the struggle.

The suspects were located on the corner of 54th Avenue SE and Emerald Street. They were detained without incident.

A search of the backpack yielded a still frozen $3.49 cup of ice cream and ice worth $2.99, as well as a small container holding a white substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine.

Police said surveillance footage corroborated the employee and the other customer’s accounts of the incident.

The suspects were booked into the Thurston County Jail for second-degree robbery. Charges of simple assault were also referred to the Lacey City Attorney.