TUMWATER, Wash. — Tumwater police arrested the same woman on consecutive mornings.
According to investigators, in each instance she was found inside a business where detectives said she caused thousands of dollars in damage.
Around 3 a.m. on Monday, Tumwater officers said the woman broke into a Chevron mini-mart on Cleveland Avenue and smashed out windows and glass coolers with a baseball bat.
“You feel really angry and mad,” said convenience store employee Jae Kim.
Kim said the owner estimates the damages will top $15,000.
After spending about 18 hours in the county jail, she was released at 10:23 p.m., according to a county spokesperson.
Nearly four hours after her release, just after 2 a.m. Tuesday, the same Tumwater police officers re-arrested the woman. This time, they said she broke into a Coldwell Banker office across the street from the Chevron, causing an estimated $6,000 in damage with a metal pole.
She’s also accused of breaking a window at the South Sound Running store.
“As a business owner, it’s frustrating. I don’t want to see my window broken,” said Greg Klein, owner of South Sound Running. “But we have a mental health crisis in our community.”
A spokesperson for the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the woman was initially released by a judge after county officials determined she was not a danger to herself or others. After the second arrest, a judge ordered a full mental health evaluation for the woman before she can be considered for release.
A Tumwater police spokesperson said the incidents “appear to be connected to a mental health crisis.”
“There are few options to assist her which would, in turn, help the community,” said Tumwater police spokesperson Laura Wohl, “We respect the role of the judiciary and understand that they are operating under the Court rules.”
KING 5 is not naming the woman because she has not been formally charged.