Two arrested for alleged robbery in WinCo parking lot

A 26-year-old Aberdeen man and a 27-year-old Thurston County woman were arrested Tuesday night after they allegedly robbed another man at knifepoint in the Lacey WinCo Foods parking lot.

Cameron J. Arnold and Kayla J. Cambern appeared in Thurston County Superior Court on Wednesday, and Judge Anne Hirsch found probable cause for two felony charges for each suspect: one count of first-degree robbery while armed with a deadly weapon and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Hirsch set bail at $10,000 for both suspects. Deputy prosecutor Jack Jones said Arnold has a lengthy and violent criminal history. Defense attorney Jim Shackelton, of the Office of Assigned Counsel, said Cambren has no prior felony convictions.

Court documents give the following account of the events leading to the arrests:

Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the parking lot of WinCo, located at 7540 Martin Way, after a man reported that he had been robbed and pepper-sprayed. The victim identified Arnold and Cambern as the suspects and said they fled the scene in a green Honda Odyssey van.

The victim said he had asked Cambern for a ride to WinCo to buy some food and cigarettes. He said Cambern was driving the van, he was sitting in the front passenger seat, and Arnold was sitting in the back.

As they were driving, the victim said Arnold put a knife to his throat and ordered him to hand over all his money. Cambern put her hands in the victim’s pockets and removed his money. When they reached the parking lot, Arnold took out a can of what the victim believed was pepper spray and sprayed him in the back of the head.

Deputies located the van and arrested Cambern and Arnold. They received a search warrant for the van and found three bags of methamphetamine and two vials of Narcan — which is used to counteract the effects of an opioid overdose — as well as a folding knife and $36 in cash.

Deputies also found a can of dry shampoo, which they believe the victim was sprayed with. There was no odor of pepper spray in the vehicle, and the victim had recovered quickly.

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Two arrested for alleged robbery in WinCo parking lot."