Woman charged with robbing coffee stand

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 20-year-old woman with robbing a coffee stand on Tacoma's East Side last month.

Marisa S. Richie was arraigned Wednesday on one count of first-degree robbery. She’s being held in the Pierce County Jail on $50,000 bail.

The Isle De Cafe in the 1400 block of East 72nd Street was robbed Feb. 22. A barista said she was preparing a drink for a customer when a woman hit her on the chest with a metal object.

The woman, who had been standing outside an open window at the business, demanded money and said she had a gun, charging documents state.

The barista gave her money from the cash register and the robber drove off in a silver, two-door hatchback with a heart-shaped decal on the driver’s side rear window, police reported. Surveillance cameras captured the robbery.

Officers were contacted March 1 by a state Department of Corrections community corrections officer who said Richie might be a suspect in the robbery, charging documents state.

The corrections officer looked at the surveillance video and identified Richie as the robber, according to court documents. The next day, a detective viewed the video and recognized Richie. A photo montage was shown to the barista, who identified Richie as the robber, charging documents state.

On March 3, officers spotted a vehicle that matched the robber’s. Officers contacted the registered owner, who said her cousin (Richie) had stolen the vehicle and then returned it Feb. 27, charging documents state. Richie was arrested Tuesday.