Bremerton police believe same robber hit 2 stores in 2 days

BREMERTON, Wash. — Twice in two days, an armed robber held up businesses in Bremerton. He's a tall, between 6-foot-3 and 6-5, skinny white man in his early to mid-twenties, with dark hair and some facial hair who wears a beanie and a hoodie – and shows a weapon in his waistband.

On Sunday night, Nelson Pease was his target. Pease, who works at the Sheridan Mini-Mart, told KIRO 7 reporter Amy Clancy that he was working before 8 p.m. when the robber came in. Pease said he briefly tried to talk the robber out of the crime: "There's not much in there, are you sure you want this?" Pease told the robber, who said "Yes, I do."

Pease handed over all the cash he had. "I said, 'Good luck to you,' and he just went along his way," Pease remembered.
The Sheridan Mini-Mart has a surveillance camera system, which recorded multiple images of the suspect. Those images are now in the hands of detectives with the Bremerton Police Department.

On around 7 p.m. Saturday, a man matching the same description – also with a weapon in his waistband -- robbed a Boost mobile phone store on Wheaton. The suspect got away with five phones.

"I believe it's quite likely it's the same suspect," Sgt. Kevin Crane with the Bremerton Police Department told Clancy. "The two descriptions from the two different victims are just too coincidental not to be the same person."

"And similar M.O.," Clancy said.

"Exactly," Sgt. Crane said. "Display the handgun without pulling it out of the waistband."

After both robberies, investigators believe the man got away on foot. K-9 teams tried to track him, but were unsuccessful.

Detectives and Pease hope someone recognizes the suspect and turns him in. "Absolutely report, help us out," Pease told Clancy. "We're just a very small business trying to function here in Bremerton. So all support is very helpful."

Investigators are also looking at surveillance images from the Boost store. KIRO 7 will post them as soon as we get them.

Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.

KIRO