Espresso stand flasher suspect arrested

OLYMPIA — Police have arrested a man on suspicion of exposing himself to a barista at a drive-through espresso stand.

The 32-year-old suspect was arrested Sunday in Olympia at Fifth and Columbia, after an Olympia officer recognized his vehicle from a description that had been circulated by law enforcement.

Thurston County Chief Criminal Deputy James Chamberlain said Monday that a barista reportedly identified the man as the person who exposed himself during a recent visit to the espresso stand on Old Highway 99 where she works. The man was cited with misdemeanor indecent exposure.

Chamberlain said that deputies feared the suspect's activity could have escalated, so it was of vital importance to locate and cite him.

"His behavior was so blatantly sexual in nature that it frightened some of the baristas," Chamberlain said.

The man was booked into the county jail with bail set at $250. He was no longer in the jail as of Monday evening, a jail official said.

Indecent exposure is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.