The strange case of the Hoquiam robbery that wasn’t

Published 1:30 am Monday, June 15, 2026

Friday afternoon at about 3:15 p.m., Hoquiam Police officers were dispatched to a suspicious circumstances call in the 200 block of Chenault Avenue.

Upon arrival they observed a subject they were familiar with enter a residence. The officers confirmed the man had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest. The subject refused to exit the house. Because the residence did not belong to the suspect, a search warrant was required to enter the residence and take him into custody.

While officers were waiting for the search warrant to be issued, a 911 call was made reporting a robbery at the Hoquiam 7-11. Officers, believing the call may be a ruse to draw them away from the house with the wanted subject, requested assistance from other agencies. A Hoquiam officer, along with officers from the Aberdeen Police Department and Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office responded. It was quickly determined that no robbery had occurred.

This brought additional resources to the residence where the original suspect had holed up. Upon seeing the large law enforcement response, including Aberdeen Police Department’s K-9 Kibo, the suspect gave himself up and was taken into custody without further incident. A second subject at the residence was also found to have an outstanding felony warrant and was also taken into custody.

“We would like to thank our partner agencies for their quick response and assistance,” interim Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Salstrom said via Facebook.