Thurston County Sheriff's Lt. Greg Elwin said that the suspect, Timothy Dopp, was arrested about 3 p.m. Thursday and is now in custody at the Bannock County Jail in Idaho. Dopp is charged in Thurston County Superior Court with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of motor vehicle theft for the May armed home invasion in Rochester.
During the home invasion, Dopp pointed a handgun at two women, punched one in the face, and tied both by the arms and legs with zip ties, court papers state. Dopp stole laptops, cash, jewelry, drugs and a vehicle from the residence, court papers state.
PREVIOUS STORY: Thurston County sheriff's detectives have identified a suspect who is accused of committing a home invasion robbery of two women at gunpoint at a Rochester residence in May.
The suspect, Timothy Dopp, 38, was charged Tuesday with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of motor vehicle theft in Thurston County Superior Court. He is currently still at large.
Dopp is believed to currently reside in Pocatello, Idaho, court papers state. Sheriff's detectives have obtained an arrest warrant so that law enforcement there can take Dopp into custody and begin the extradition process to bring him back to Washington, Thurston County Sheriff's Lt. Greg Elwin said Thursday.
A sheriff's detective only recently learned from a confidential informant in September that Dopp was the man responsible for the home invasion robbery, court papers state.
Elwin said the May 25 home invasion of a residence off of U.S. Highway 12 in Thurston County was not random, and that Dopp likely knew of his victims because of their mutual involvement in the drug culture in Grand Mound and Rochester areas.
According to court papers:
A sheriff's deputy was dispatched to the residence on May 25, on a report of a home invasion robbery. One of the women there said she heard a knock on the door, and when she opened it, she was faced with a man "holding a handgun to her face."
The suspect demanded money from the second woman at the residence, and when she did not immediately cooperate, "he punched her in the face." The suspect used zip ties to tie the hands of both women, and stole laptops, jewelry and a purse containing the keys to one of the women's vehicle.
The purse also contained methamphetamine and some marijuana, the woman said.
Before the suspect left, he used additional zip ties to tie their arms and legs together. He left in a vehicle belonging to one of the women.
Deputies located the vehicle abandoned on Applegate Street in the Rochester area.
After a detective learned from a confidential informant that Dopp might be responsible for the home invasion burglary, he presented the victims with a photo montage of suspects, including a booking photo of Dopp. Both women positively identified Dopp as the person responsible for the robbery.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5445 jpawloski@theolympian.com
