MARYSVILLE Baristas got a jolt at several north-end espresso stands during a spate of robberies last week in the Lakewood neighborhood.
One stand in the 2700 block of 172nd Street NE was hit twice, two days in a row, first at noon on Aug. 19 then early the next morning.
In the first incident a white male about six feet tall, with scruffy facial hair and really bad teeth approached the Caboose Express Coffee Stand.
He implied having a weapon and fled on foot southbound, where a canine unit lost the track on the west side of I-5. He was wearing a blue baseball cap, a blue flannel zip-up jacket and blue jeans.
The next morning the same stand was approached about 5 a.m. by a 25-year-old white male about 5 feet 10 inches tall, having a large build. He had brown eyes, a pointed up nose and light brown, shaggy hair. He displayed a weapon and fled to the south toward Taco Bell. A police dog lost the scent at that location. He was wearing blue jeans and a faded black sweatshirt.
On Aug. 29 a white male approached the Z to B Espresso stand just north of Lakewood High School and implied having a weapon.
He said Im here to rob you, the 27-year-old barista explained as a canine unit from the Marysville Police Department searched the area around the Lakewood school administration headquarters and SR 531 toward the railroad tracks.
The barista said the robber apologized for the hold up, explaining that he had lost his job and had two children to support. He was described as around six feet to six feet three inches tall, with gnarly, crooked teeth, with black build-up that looked like tobacco stains or tartar. His age was estimated to be between 23 and 30 years, and had brown hair, covered by a ball cap. He was described as very skinny and wore thin, wire-rimmed glasses. He wore a red, long-sleeved Nautica shirt and blue jeans with a painters loop.
Both robberies occurred less than a mile apart. Police are urging baristas to beware when customers approach their stands on foot, according to Marysville Police Department spokesman Cmdr. Ralph Krusey. He urged anyone with information to call the police department at 360-363-8326.