Bud Hut robbery suspect makes first court appearance
A Moscow man arrested Monday afternoon in connection with an armed robbery at the Bud Hut marijuana dispensary on the Moscow-Pullman highway is now being held at the Latah County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
The man, Kody Schneider, 21, made his first appearance Tuesday morning at the Latah County Courthouse, where he has been charged with suspicion of grand theft. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Latah County Deputy Prosecutor Michael Cavanagh requested bond be set at $100,000; the state believes Schneider is a flight risk because he allegedly booked a bus ticket to Florida one hour after the robbery.
Law enforcement began receiving calls in the area of the robbery at about 9:10 a.m. Monday, when a suspicious person, possibly wearing a mask, was reported swimming across Paradise Creek and heading toward the Bud Hut.
Shortly after the calls, at about 9:30 a.m., a Bud Hut employee reported a man with a similar description entered the store, pointed a gun at him and took an undisclosed amount of cash.
According to the probable-cause affidavit, the employee said he was approached by a white man who was wearing a mask with one eyehole.
The man allegedly displayed a handgun, took money and zip-tied the employee to a shelf, the employee told police. The robber then allegedly drove off in the employee’s car, which was found abandoned around 9:30 a.m. about 3 miles away on Sunshine Road, which runs south of and parallel to the Moscow-Pullman Highway.
According to the probable-cause affidavit, a Pullman police officer searching for the stolen vehicle came across a gray SUV 20 minutes later on Old Pullman Road. The vehicle had a female driver, and a man, wearing clothing matching the description given by the Bud Hut employee, was lying down in the back seat.
The officer relayed this information, including photos of the vehicle and driver to Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers and the Moscow Police Department.
Officers later went to the driver’s residence on West Palouse River Drive in Moscow and made contact with Schneider at the residence. Myers questioned him, and requested and received permission from the driver to search the residence.
Myers applied for a search warrant after allegedly finding what appeared to a full-sized, semi-automatic handgun.
During the search, law enforcement allegedly found a one-way bus ticket to Miami, Florida, with Schneider’s name on it, purchased one hour after the robbery. They also seized the gun, a Canik 9mm with a loaded magazine, and an envelope with $2,000 in cash. Zip ties were allegedly found in the vehicle.
Police also allegedly found drug paraphernalia, but are not pursuing charges.