Police Department

Ice cream theft results in an arrest for 1st Degree Robbery, felony property damage

Officer Daniel Strassenberg Public Information Office

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 9:09 a.m.

On June 19^th, 2024 at just after 4pm, SPD responded to the area of 6400 N Division Street on a report of a commercial robbery.  911 was advised that a subject had stolen ice cream and assaulted an employee at the location.  It was also reported that the same subject damaged the windows to the front of the business.  Officers arrived at the location and learned that a male entered the store with a plastic bag and had placed the ice cream inside of it.  An employee provided the male with a small hand basket, but the male became agitated, swinging the basket around.

Believing a theft was going to take place, an employee kept an eye on the male as he placed a small phone type accessory into the bag with the ice cream before leaving the store without paying for the items.  The employee confronted the male as he left the business, trying to recover the items.  The suspect responded by shoving the employee, punching him in the face several times before punching and kicking the glass of the front doors.  The suspects actions caused substantial damage to the front of the business.  The suspect then attempted to re-enter the store before being forced out by other employees.  

Officers quickly located the suspect and detained him.  At the conclusion of the investigation, probable cause was established to arrest the male for multiple crimes.  Thomas C. Prior (27) was taken into custody and booked in the Spokane County Jail for 1^st Degree Robbery, 1^st Degree Malicious Mischief and 3^rd Degree Theft.  Prior has extensive criminal history with prior felony convictions for 1^st Degree Burglary and Custodial Assault and is still in jail at the time of this release.

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