BENTON CITY, Wash. – Deputies with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) responded to a theft call at Ki-Be Market after an individual placed a gate latch in his pocket without paying, BCSO said in a release.
Store employees confronted the man, who claimed the latch accidentally fell into his pocket. When employees said they would call the police, investigators said he returned the latch and fled.
Deputies said they later found his vehicle near 2nd Street. The driver stopped at Dollar General, where deputies interviewed him.
He insisted it was a misunderstanding and said he had money to pay for the latch, but surveillance footage suggested otherwise, the BCSO release said
The individual was arrested on suspicion of theft in the third degree, driving while license suspended in the third degree, and driving without an ignition interlock.
