Columbia Center Mall Parking Lot Strong Armed Robbery Was Staged

An Orange Julius employee and her alleged accomplice have both been arrested after falsely reporting a strong armed robbery of several thousand dollars in the Columbia Center Mall parking lot. KPD says the robbery was an inside job. Read on from a Kennewick Police Department press release:

On 12-23-2019 at approximately 10:20 a.m., Kennewick Police Officers responded to the parking lot of the Columbia Center Mall, 1321 N Columbia Center Blvd, for a report of a strong armed robbery. 31 year old Nadia Rodriguez alleged she was pushed to the ground by a male who then stole her purse and ran from the area. Nadia advised she was employed by Orange Julius in the mall and her stolen purse contained an Orange Julius deposit of several thousand dollars. Officers reviewed surveillance footage in the area that made them question Nadia's story. After further questioning, it was determined the robbery was staged. The male was identified as 19 year old Raheem Mayberry who was also an employee of Orange Julius. Contact was made with Raheem. He was arrested and the stolen money was recovered. Nadia has been booked into the Benton County Jail for the alleged crimes of Theft in the 2nd Degree and False Reporting. Raheem was also booked in jail for the alleged crime of Theft in the 2nd Degree. This is still an active investigation.