An Onalaska man accused of punching a Chehalis Walmart employee repeatedly in the face after refusing to pay for $28 worth of items on Saturday has been charged with one count of first-degree robbery.
The defendant, identified as David William Day, 39, was reportedly in the self-checkout area of the Walmart on Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis with a woman when the incident occurred on Saturday, Aug. 26. Day reportedly “became agitated” because the Walmart app left a balance of $28 to pay for the items in their cart and, when a Walmart employee moved to pull Day’s cart away, he allegedly “punched her multiple times in the face, causing observable injuries,” according to court documents. The woman then allegedly took the cart and left the store with Day.
“They did not pay the remainder of the balance for the items in their cart,” according to court documents.
With help from Walmart loss prevention, the Chehalis Police Department identified Day and the woman from security footage of the incident, according to court documents.
When questioned by a Chehalis officer over the phone, Day reportedly said “he was at Walmart when an employee came up to him and assaulted him.” He said “the employee tried to steal the cart full of items he had and that he only owed ‘$9,’” and added, “the employee had assaulted him and that he hit the employee in self-defense,” according to court documents.
Day was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail just before 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, according to jail records.
A Lewis County Superior Court judge set his bail at $15,000 on Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Day verbally disagreed with the charges in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday, stating he came to the prosecutor’s office “to explain” what happened but said, “as of yet, no one has asked me my side of the story other than saying I’m wrong and guilty.”
“I understand there are two sides to it but all I have is the affidavit of probable cause,” Judge James Lawler said Tuesday. Lawler opted to set bail lower than the prosecutor’s $50,000 bail request due to Day’s dated criminal history, but said community safety concerns warranted some secured bail.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 31.
The woman had not been arrested or formally charged in relation to the case as of Tuesday afternoon.
