Chehalis City Counsel to Penalize Store Owners with Fines for Repeat Theft Calls, Stating —Owners are at fault for criminals who keep stealing

Local | 2025/06/27

CHEHALIS, WA – In a move that has locals scratching their heads, the Chehalis City Council (CCC) narrowly approved—by a 6–1 vote—a new ordinance that threatens convenience‐store owners with penalties if thieves keep returning for more.

Under the measure, each store is entitled to two free police responses per year. Call for backup a third time, and your business suddenly becomes a “nuisance,” opening the door for the city to levy fines or even pursue criminal charges—just as it would for an abandoned lot or a derelict building.

Chehalis Police Chief Randy Kaut insisted the goal isn’t to punish theft victims, but to prod them into doing more to secure their own premises. “We’re getting sick of responding to the same place over and over,” Kaut told the council. “These store owners act like we owe them service—and that simply isn’t true. It’s starting to get annoying.”

When Councilor Robert Spahr pressed him on where “victim” ends and “perpetrator” begins, Kaut offered a blunt illustration:

“We had a shop that got hit by thieves twice within a few weeks. Each time, they called us—and seemed perfectly happy to let the cops handle it. That’s all fine and dandy, but eventually you look like you don’t care. Then you become the nuisance.”

Should an owner fall afoul of the new ordinance, they could face a \$50,000 fine—or up to 10 years behind bars—a punishment critics say is wildly disproportionate for someone simply asking for help.

Whether this law will curb shoplifting—or just add insult to injury for hard‐pressed business owners—remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: in Chehalis, even the victims might soon find themselves in handcuffs.

-Dean

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