UPDATE: Snowy footprints led to customer, not robber

Police are back to hunting for a robber of a Kennewick convenience store Wednesday after they followed the wrong trail of snowy footprints.

A man robbed the City Market on the 400 block of Rainier Street at gunpoint at 3 p.m., said Sgt. Ken Lattin. He left with candy and cash.

While officers initially believed he drove away in an SUV, they later determined he ran from the store.

Police tracked footprints in the snow to a house near the intersection of Rainier Street and Third Avenue. Officers surrounded the home, closed part of Rainier and called in Benton County sheriff’s deputies and the Washington State Patrol.

It turned out the man walked to the store earlier, but not to rob it. His footprints were an unlucky coincidence, said Officer Kirk Nebeker.

“We were able rule him out,” he said. “We definitely want it clear that the people in that house did nothing wrong.”

The suspect is described as a short man in his late teens or early 20s, wearing a white baseball cap, a gray hoodie, blue sweats and tennis shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency dispatch number at 509-628-0333.

This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 3:23 PM with the headline "UPDATE: Snowy footprints led to customer, not robber."