MARYSVILLE — A Snohomish woman was indignant that a grocery store manager tried to stop her from stealing two steaks and a package of bacon and defended himself when attacked by the woman and her boyfriend.
Detectives reported that the suspect appeared “upset and surprised that a store employee was ‘allowed to do (expletive) like that,’ ” according to court papers.
The woman is accused of stabbing the 64-year-old night manager in the eye April 30 inside the Marysville Haggen. She reportedly broke free from a scuffle with the man and her boyfriend and returned to the grocery store a minute later with a knife. A video showed the woman jabbing at the store employee’s face while he was down on the ground, struggling with her boyfriend.
The woman made one final jab at the man’s face, making contact. The blade caused a deep cut to the victim’s inside left eye socket, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Andrew Alsdorf wrote in court documents.
At first it appeared that the knife missed the man’s eye but doctors at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle found potential damage to the eye, court papers said.
“At this time medical appointments are still pending to determine the extent of permanent damage, if any, to the victim’s eye,” Alsdorf wrote in charging papers filed late last week.
The deputy prosecutor charged Jessica Corona with first-degree robbery with a deadly weapon. Her boyfriend, Daniel Jones, also is charged with first-degree robbery.
Both are out of custody and are scheduled to be arraigned next week.
Corona, 28, faces up to six years in prison if she’s convicted as charged. She was convicted in 2014 of possessing a stolen vehicle. She has multiple misdemeanors, including theft convictions.
Detectives found heroin needles and methamphetamine pipes in the couple’s vehicle. They also found the stolen meat in the car and a pistol under the steering wheel. Jones, 31, told police the gun belonged to him.
The victim and a 57-year-old check stand clerk were the only employees in the store at 3:30 a.m. when the defendants walked in. The victim has worked in the grocery store business for 47 years, according to court papers.
Over the next 40 minutes the couple perused the aisles, piling groceries into their cart. The defendants knew the manager was watching them and started placing items back on the shelves. At one point, the victim noticed that packages of steak and bacon were no longer in the couple’s cart but he hadn’t seen them return the meat.
Jones approached the lone checkout clerk.
“He bought what appeared to be the beginnings of a satisfying meal: six cans of juice, some potatoes, butter and an apple strudel,” Alsdorf wrote.
Corona headed for the exit and allegedly had secreted two packages of ribeye steaks and a package of bacon in her large bag.
The night manager challenged the woman about the hidden meat. Corona tried to walk around him but he repositioned himself between her and the exit. She refused to show the man what was inside her bag. She pushed by the man, who grabbed onto Corona’s bag. She spun around with fists flying, according to a video that captured the encounter.
The man got behind her and wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. Corona reportedly bit him on the arm.
Jones saw the struggle and joined the melee, reportedly assaulting the man. He placed both hands around the older man’s throat as if he was going to strangle him, court papers said. Corona tried to grab her bag away from the victim, nearly lifting him off the ground. They tumbled back to the ground and Corona hit her head on the floor.
She pushed the victim in the face as Jones allegedly kicked the man. He continued to assault the man while Corona grabbed her bag and left the store.
She reportedly told the cops she chucked the meat in the backseat of her boyfriend’s Scion and reparked the car directly in front of the store. She walked back into the store with a folding knife in her hand, according to court papers.
After she allegedly stabbed the man, she fled the store. Marysville police arrived quickly and arrested her and Jones.
Corona reportedly admitted to stealing the meat. She claimed the victim punched her in the back of the head.
“The video does show the victim attempting to strike the two assailants, but only after Mr. Jones had pinned him to the ground and attempted to strangle him,” Alsdorf wrote.
Jones told the police that Corona is a heroin addict. He denied being a drug user. He said the pair had gone to Walmart earlier that morning, where he assumed Corona was shoplifting. He told police that he’s accompanied Corona in the past on lengthy “shopping” trips in the middle of the night.
Jones said he knew she was probably stealing but he wasn’t going to snitch on her because she’s an adult and can make her own decisions.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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