Chehalis armed robbery suspect arrested on Thursday

Chehalis police have arrested a suspect in the armed robbery reported at a Chehalis business early Wednesday morning.

Samuel Ponce Ruiz, 36, of Centralia, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 7:53 p.m. on Oct. 10 for first-degree robbery and first-degree kidnapping, according to jail records and the Chehalis Police Department.

Charges had not been filed as of 11 a.m. on Friday, though Ponce had a preliminary hearing scheduled in Lewis County Superior Court at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon.

The robbery was reported in the 100 block of Southwest Interstate Avenue at approximately 4:27 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The suspect fled the area with “an undisclosed amount of cash” before officers arrived at the scene.

“The victim, a 30-year-old male, reported the suspect came into the store and demanded  money from the cash register. The suspect then placed the victim in a storage room before leaving the area in a vehicle. The victim was not injured,” the Chehalis Police Department said in a news release Wednesday morning.

Chehalis Police Department officers were able to get a partial license plate for the suspect’s vehicle, according to a Friday news release. The data was uploaded to the Flock Safety camera system.

“This information was provided to local law enforcement and tips came from both the Napavine and Centralia police departments which allowed the suspect vehicle to be identified,” the Chehalis Police Department said in a news release.

Chehalis officers, with assistance from the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Centralia Police Department, located and arrested Ponce on Thursday.

The execution of several search warrants yielded an AR-style BB gun, clothing, possible meth and “other evidentiary items” related to the robbery, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

“We would like to thank the Napavine Police Department, JNET and the Centralia Police Department for their assistance,” the Chehalis Police Department said in a news release.

The Chehalis Police Department asks anyone with information about this incident to call Detective Sergeant Ayers at  360-748-8605 or dispatch at 360-740-1105.

“This incident is still under investigation and no further information is being released at this time,” the department stated.