WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Woman charged in shoplift-turned-robbery attempt

Those photos are from charging documents filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office against 34-year-old Jessica Mae Beach. She’s charged with attempted first-degree robbery and second-degree theft after what started as a shoplift attempt in the T-Mobile store in South Delridge on April 25th. The documents say she tried to steal a display phone, using wire cutters, and that employees confronted her, at which time she “lifted her shirt, revealing what appeared to be a black handgun tucked in her waistband, and told (an employee) to get back.” She gave up on trying to cut the phone loose and left – but came back 10 minutes later to steal a phone and smart watches, even as a different employee and a customer (who provided the images shown above) recorded video. The charges say Beach left in what turned out to be a stolen car, eventually stopped by King County Sheriff’s Deputies in Burien after she backed into one of their marked vehicles. The car was searched three days later; in it, police found a realistic-looking BB pistol as well as the clothing and purse Beach was wearing in the video from inside the store. She also is under investigation for a Burien phone-store robbery shortly before the West Seattle incident. Prosecutors say Beach’s record includes theft and trespassing convictions, plus warrants are out for her in theft cases in Kent and Lakewood – those are among more than 20 “failure to appear” warrants issued for her since 2018. She remains in jail with bail set at $150,000.

28 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Woman charged in shoplift-turned-robbery attempt"

  • 1994 May 4, 2022 (10:04 pm)

    Sounds like she lives a risky and dangerous life but maybe she is in a safe place for a while. And the rest of us are safer now too.

    • RickWS May 4, 2022 (11:22 pm)

      Thanks for a REALISTIC post.  I agree.  In the future, one of these encounters will result in a death if this continues without consequence. 

      • John May 5, 2022 (2:39 am)

        How about just the other day when the port police arrested a 12-time convicted felon with multiple stolen firearms and his bail was less than this instance

  • John May 5, 2022 (2:38 am)

    This right here shows you how incompetent the legal system is in the city / county. 12 time convicted felon gets arrested with illegal firearms and gets a $50,000 bail but attempted robbery gets $150,000 bail

    • WSB May 5, 2022 (4:24 pm)

      Because threatening somebody with a gun (real or not) is a violent crime, while being found passed out in a vehicle with a gun is not. Also there is one more layer to this I didn’t even get into, part of her bail is for an assault charge filed at the same time in an unrelated case. I am still trying to get the court documents to find out what that is all about (Superior Court recently killed the system that it’s had for years for paying a small fee to access court documents and I have not yet had time to find out what if anything has replaced it, so I’m asking KCPAO for the docs in the other case) … TR

      • CAM May 6, 2022 (11:02 pm)

        If you haven’t located the new records access page yet, this is the link. If requires creating a new account and password. https://dja-prd-ecexap1.kingcounty.gov/?q=Home

        • WSB May 6, 2022 (11:31 pm)

          I found the case lookup but not the part where you can (I HOPE) buy and download docs. Didn’t have time for a lot of exploration as it’s garage-sale map crunch time but hoping to look around more comprehensively lat this weekend.

  • momosmom May 5, 2022 (6:58 am)

    I read a post that was on a different website from a woman that was in the T-Mobile store located in the Burien Fred Meyer/Jack in the Box shopping “plaza” when this person came to steal the phones and also said she had a gun and pulled it out then preceded to cut all the display phones and left.

  • KS Sea May 5, 2022 (7:33 am)

    20 failure to appear! What a joke she should not be let out again. You do the crime you do the time!

  • David May 5, 2022 (7:39 am)

    20 “failure to appear” warrants “

    Again, it’s always been true there are a relatively small number of people responsible for the majority of crime.  I always shake my head when a report like this notes dozens of prior encounters with the legal system, or “suspect is ‘known’ to the police” etc.   I get some minor crimes aren’t enough to put someone in jail for a lengthy time…the 3 strikes for life process was abused badly…and everyone deserves 2nd chance.  But a 21st chance?   People can make bad decisions, but after you’ve made 10 bad decisions, even 20 all “minor” thefts or vandalism should be the equivalent of a significant felony.   Or or two instances, ok, but after 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or 12 or … 18 chances…at WHAT point do we say YOU’RE  A TERRIBLE PERSON who can’t live among the citizens of this city/county.   At what point to we let the same small number of people keep committing the same crimes over and over and over and over and over and over just because ‘each’ individual crime isn’t ‘that’ serious…at SOME point isn’t the VOLUME of crime similar to ONE ‘serious’ crime?

    • Gerry May 5, 2022 (9:36 am)

      Yes.  Continuing to emphasize the common sense idea that multiple misdemeanors should be aggregated to a felony is a good idea.  Thank you. 

    • flimflam May 5, 2022 (10:52 am)

      I agree completely. Whatever the reasons are, 20, 30, 60 or more second chances in some cases is inexcusable.

    • anonyme May 5, 2022 (2:25 pm)

      David, I think you’re onto something.  Cumulative misdemeanors should at some fixed point either count as a felony or trigger a mandatory felony-range sentence.  We have a system that is failing to enforce the laws we do have, and well-trained criminals exploiting that reality.  Enough.

  • Lola May 5, 2022 (8:18 am)

    I read about when she went into the T-mobile in Burien from a gal on FB who was in the store at the time.  Glad they caught her.  She sounds like a very scary person. 

  • DD May 5, 2022 (8:54 am)

    And up to now has had no reason to stop her predatory and threatening behavior. Keep  her in the cooler please!

  • Cogburn May 5, 2022 (10:15 am)

    Nice to see enforcement for a change. She seems to have a lengthy record.

  • Seattleisdying May 5, 2022 (10:16 am)

    She must be mentally ill, because any sane person would know a store like that is filled with cameras. 

    • They May 5, 2022 (11:15 am)

      Mentally healthy people don’t hurt themselves or other people….

  • Thomas A Wood May 5, 2022 (10:21 am)

    It just baffles me how someone like this can remain on the streets!Twenty failure to appear warrants and it takes her getting caught committing another crime to be incarcerated?

  • Stones May 5, 2022 (11:14 am)

    What a strange and scary incident. Thank goodness they have been taken in and hopefully will receive appropriate consequences and also help for whatever is going on. Crime is never okay, but, for those so eager to cast judgements and assign punishments here or regularly on others, some words to consider… ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’

  • Mj May 5, 2022 (11:34 am)

    David – Agreed, imagine the reduced crime, and deterrent affect, if the worst of the worst repeat offender’s we’re to be put behind bars for a long long time!

  • Runner May 5, 2022 (1:45 pm)

    What does it take to be kept in jail these days?

  • KT May 5, 2022 (3:04 pm)

    When you read the specifics of her crime you really should be asking the question, why would someone brazenly walk into a store to steal not once but twice in ten minutes in front of employees, witnesses, and cameras?   You’ll find the answer in the fact that the broken criminal justice system in Seattle and King County emboldens them and there is not much fear of consequences.   

  • reggie May 6, 2022 (6:24 am)

    Hopefully she gets 10-20 years… drug problem?

  • No Name May 6, 2022 (6:49 am)

    Again,Are community is suffering because judges are releasing these people who are committing multiple crimes,it is not the police, when the cops arrest somebody 20 times or 10 times you know they’re doing their job. This has got to stop….

  • Stuck in Fauntleroy traffic May 6, 2022 (3:02 pm)

    If we don’t figure out a way to get these folks something better to do, they will continue on this path when they get out of jail.  We don’t need that either. We really need to retrain people for life because they don’t seem to be doing a good job of it now. Its got to be cheaper and better for society in the long run.  We know the revolving door we have now doesn’t work.
    Just sayin, nuf said.

  • Lisa May 10, 2022 (7:45 pm)

    Is THE Jessica – the porch pirate – who has a dog that’s with her all the time?   

    • WSB May 10, 2022 (7:57 pm)

      no, different Jessica.

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