knife.jpg
A man is accused of robbery after threatening employees at Frontier Communications with this knife, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
(WCSO)
A 25-year-old man faces a robbery charge after he threatened Frontier Communications employees with a large knife as he was trying to steal equipment from the business in Cornelius, deputies said.
Benjamin Johnson
Employees arrived at work Saturday morning and found that several company trucks had been opened and equipment, including power tools and electronics, was stacked in multiple piles, said Sgt. David Thompson, a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman. They spotted a man hiding near the business's fence.
The employees confronted him and tried to make him stay put while they called police. But the man pulled out a 12-inch Bowie knife, instead.
He threatened the employees, demanding that they let him leave, Thompson said. He then ran away.
Cornelius deputies responded to the business, 198 N. 19th Ave., about 7:45 a.m. They searched around and found the man hiding in a wooded area near the Fred Meyer store, not far from the Frontier equipment yard.
Deputies arrested 25-year-old Benjamin L. Johnson, who still had the knife, Thompson said. He was booked into the Washington County Jail on accusations of first-degree robbery, second-degree theft, second-degree criminal trespass, unlawful use of a weapon and menacing.
His bail was set at $250,000.
-- Rebecca Woolington
503-294-4049; @rwoolington