SEQUIM — A 57-year-old man jailed for allegedly pulling a pocketknife on a Sequim merchant over a pack of cigarettes is being investigated for first-degree burglary, authorities now say.
“If you pull a knife on a business owner in Sequim, you go to jail,” Sequim Police Detective Sgt. Sean Madison said after police arrested Jeffery Wayne Green on Wednesday afternoon, booking him in the Clallam County jail at about 4 p.m.
Madison said a first-degree burglary charge will be recommended to the Clallam County prosecuting attorney because Green allegedly brandished a weapon during an attempt to take property and flee.
First-degree burglary is a felony punishable by a prison sentence of up to nine years.
Green remained on the jail roster Thursday awaiting his initial Clallam County Superior Court appearance. Bond had not been set.
Madison said Green allegedly pulled a pocketknife on Young Chang, owner of CK Smoke Shop, 457 W. Washington St., at about 1 p.m. Wednesday after Chang confronted him over shoplifting a pack of cigarettes while buying another pack.
The call originally came into police as an armed robbery, said Police Chief Bill Dickinson.
Chang, who was unhurt in the confrontation, said a man attempted to rob him.
The police chief said the man left the store after the confrontation and that Chang called police.
Through store video, Green was identified and arrested four blocks away on South Fifth Avenue.
Green had entered the store before and was known by the owner, police said.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
