Safeway beer theft leads to robbery arrest
A beer theft at a north Spokane grocery store led to a felony robbery arrest for a 19-year-old man accused of fighting with a store clerk.
Cole Matthew Kendall and a friend were trying to steal beer from Safeway at 902 W. Francis Ave. when Kendall pushed a clerk as they fled, Spokane police say.
A police dog helped track the thieves, and witnesses identified Kendall as the man who stole beer and pushed the clerk.
He was released from jail on his own recognizance after appearing in Superior Court Wednesday on a first-degree robbery charge. The name of the second suspect was not included in documents details the case against Kendall.
Theft-turned-robbery cases have become a hot topic in Spokane County. A judge gave an exceptionally light sentence to a college student arrested on robbery charges after bumping into a clerk while shoplifting.
A jury also recently convicted a drug addict of robbery for using force while stealing a single sheet of tinfoil.