Woman says Marysville coffeee stand robbery attempt only a prank

Published 12:01 am Saturday, December 12, 2009

MARYSVILLE — A woman told police that her botched robbery attempt at an espresso stand was a only a prank.

Authorities and the coffee server weren’t amused.

The woman, 21, was charged Friday with second-degree attempted robbery, a felony. She has been behind bars since her arrest Nov. 28.

The barista told police that she spotted the suspect loitering near the stand. The woman told the barista she was waiting for a ride.

The barista offered the woman some water, lollipops and even a ride home after she finished her shift, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Janice Albert said.

The barista was closing up for the night when her phone rang. The caller claimed to be a friend and told her to open the stand’s window.

The barista became suspicious and locked the doors and windows. The suspect, now wearing a black ski mask, began pounding on the glass door. She demanded to be let in and put her hand in her coat pocket, as if she had a gun. She threatened to shoot the barista, Albert wrote.

The barista told the robber she was calling 911. The woman took off running.

Police stopped the woman a short time later. She had a black ski mask in her pocket. She told officers a friend asked her to pull a robbery prank on the barista, Albert wrote.

The woman recently was convicted of misdemeanor theft and assault.