Authorities say they’ve caught the man they believe robbed Little Creek Casino in Kamilche last week, and they’re giving credit to what they’re calling an extraordinary team effort between several law enforcement agencies.
“Thanks to a joint investigation with Lewis County Narcotics Task Force (JNET), Thurston County Narcotics Task Force (TNT), HSI, FBI, Kent PD, Squaxin Island PD, and MCSO, the suspect from the armed robbery at Little Creek Casino has been arrested this evening in Kent,” the Mason County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday (August 12).
Little Creek Casino suspect investigated for other possible crimes
Investigators say the same man is also suspected in “additional casino robberies and the theft of emergency equipment from a Centralia Fire Department vehicle.” Officials credited the “safe apprehension of the suspect” to the cooperative work of all involved agencies.
The arrest happened just a few days after the August 9 incident, when a man is said to have walked into the casino’s supervisor station around 11:24 in the morning, pulled out a handgun, and demanded cash. The sheriff’s office says that when he was told there wasn’t any money in the till, he ran off toward Highway 101.
Witnesses at the time described him as a Hispanic man in his 20s to early 30s, about 5-foot-7 with a smaller build. He was wearing a gray or dark flannel shirt buttoned all the way up, dark gray pants, dark “Romeo” boots, a light gray hat with a white Nike logo, sunglasses, and a clear plastic glove on his right hand.
Investigators believe the arrest could help solve other unsolved cases. After the Little Creek robbery, people on social media suggested he might also be the man who robbed the Silver Reef Casino in Whatcom County on August 3. Others pointed to the recent theft of hydraulic rescue tools, often called the “jaws of life,” from the Riverside Fire Authority in Centralia.
The tribal casino sits northwest of Olympia near Olympic National Park and offers more than 750 slot machines, 28 table games, a hotel, RV park, spa, golf course, and several restaurants.
Officials have not released the suspect’s name or details about the charges he could face.
Featured image: Mason County Sheriff’s Office
