Robbery causes schools to lockdown

MOSES LAKE - A shoplifting suspect threatened Big R store employees with a knife Friday, which triggered a school lockdown in Moses Lake.

Discover Elementary School, Frontier Middle School and the Moses Lake School District Administration Office went into lockdown for about 30 minutes, keeping all students and staff inside until police informed them of the threat ending, said school Superintendent Michelle Price.

"We are so happy with the communications with the police," she said. "Everything worked smoothly."

The triggering incident was at noon when a man tried to shoplift power tools from the Big R store on West Broadway Avenue, according to Moses Lake Police Chief Dean Mitchell.

Store employees confronted the suspect, who dropped the tools and ran from the store. Mitchell said when the employees attempted to apprehend him, he allegedly pulled a large knife and threatened them before running away from the store.

Witnesses reported seeing the suspect get into a red Ford Mustang being driven by a woman.

Officers stopped the car about 10 minutes later at the intersection of Third Avenue and Ivy Street. Mitchell said the suspect and the driver were arrested and a knife was found and seized.

Benjamin E. Hansen, 23, Moses Lake, was arrested for robbery in the first degree, according to Mitchell.

Mary S. Westenskow, 20, Moses Lake, was arrested for complicity to robbery in the first degree.

After the arrests, the schools released the students, staff and some visiting parents.

"Discover elementary was having a barbecue and the Young Writers' Conference and they were out there eating when it happened. People were finished and the kids were just heading out to recess when we got the word," said Price. "The parents got to see our procedures in action."