South Sound News

Man smashes 13 store windows with table leg, arrested by Olympia police

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Olympia police said a man smashed out more than a dozen store windows in the middle of the night.

Seven business owners woke up to discover their storefronts were destroyed.

"I love downtown Olympia; it's a great place to have a shop. It just sort of sucks that somebody would do that,” said Dan Durden, Sound and Vision Living owner.

Officers arrested Arbie Melvin, 28, around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday for malicious mischief and burglary.

They said he destroyed 13 store windows using a table leg he stole from the Courtyard Antique Mall.

Melvin faced a Thurston County judge Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm well past anger," said Marco Hernandez, Lit Fuse Tattoo owner. “Things like this, property destruction, are just like a rash that shows up on the surface after a problem has been boiling for too long."

Hernandez has owned Lit Fuse Tattoo for 17 years.

He said downtown crime is leaving a lasting mark.

"It seems like a lot of people come downtown to go through, like a safari, just to see how freakish it is, see the homelessness, but they don't want to stop and patronize the businesses. And that's definitely hurt business a lot,” said Hernandez.

Business owners said the destruction is just another bump in the road, but others argue something more needs to be done.

"Olympia's downtown has a lot of challenges, and I really hope we can all come together to be part of the solution,” said resident Michelle Swanson.

Melvin is being held in the Thurston County jail on a $10,000 bond.

Olympia police said the early damage estimates total about $10,500.

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