Man who attempted to rob a woman in northeast Olympia is in custody

A man accused of trying to rob a woman in northeast Olympia Tuesday morning is in custody, according to Olympia police.

The 61-year-old man was found at Red Wind Casino in Nisqually just before 1 p.m. Tuesday. He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree robbery and unlawful imprisonment, Lt. Paul Lower said.

About 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, the victim says a man broke through a sliding-glass door of a home in the 1700 block of Mapleridge Court Northeast and confronted her. He was wearing a mask and demanded money.

The woman stepped back and the man began to look through the residence, Lower said.

At some point, the woman knocked off the mask and recognized the suspect as someone she had once seen at a family member’s home. The woman even recalled saying “hello” to him, Lower said.

As a result, police think this was a targeted crime, not a random one, Lower said.

While the suspect was looking around the residence, a friend of the woman knocked on the front door. That scared the man and he fled, Lower said.

This story was originally published March 12, 2019 at 10:16 AM.