Alleged McLendon's shoplifter is arrested

Police arrested an alleged shoplifter outside of McLendon’s Hardware in Belfair after the store manager called to report the theft and said the thief punched him.

The incident happened the morning of April 25 when employees opened the store and a woman walked in acting “weird,” according to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office probable cause document.

Store manager Roy Arbogast said the woman, later identified as Anne Belson, 29, began walking down store aisles removing products from their packaging.

“Roy kept an eye on Anne while she was in the store as she was climbing up and down step stools and removing items from the shelves. Anne was removing sunglasses from the cases and throwing plastic packing pieces to the ground,” according to the probable cause document.

Employees asked the woman if she needed help, and she said she did not, according to the document.

“Due to the mess, Roy asked Anne to help him clean up the mess and Anne walked away from him. Roy again asked Anne to help him clean up the mess and she told him ‘she didn’t (expletive) work here and it wasn’t her job.’ At this point Roy asked Anne to leave the store and she requested a manager. Roy responded to Anne telling her that he was the manager,” Deputy C.T. Gaynor wrote.

The woman then took her basket, stuffed with store items, past the checkout area and to the exit, according to the document.

The manager grabbed the basket and the woman said “everything was hers” and hit the manager in the arm, struggling to leave the store, according to Gaynor.

“Roy was struck in the right arm and when we later looked at the arm there was a red mark where he was hit,” Gaynor wrote.

Gaynor and MCSO Deputy Whitney went to the scene and saw Belson “throw the property she had in her hands on the ground” as she was being contacted by MCSO Corporal Ripp, according to the probable cause document.

Deputies arrested her and returned to McLendon’s to get an inventory of the stolen items.

The products Belson allegedly stole were rung up at $122.53 and the value of the items in the basket left at the store were $1,111.86, the document states.

Belson was arrested on charges of second-degree robbery and second-degree attempted theft. Judge Monty Cobb set bail at $500 and Belson’s arraignment is Monday in Mason County Superior Court.