Kennewick shoplift suspect denies hitting store worker with her car

A Kennewick woman could go to prison for allegedly hitting a WinCo employee with her car door, then backing into a parked car, after being confronted about shoplifting.

Kelseelee P. Mowbray, 24, is set for trial on Sept. 11 in Benton County Superior Court on two counts of hit-and-run. She has pleaded innocent to the charges.

Mowbray was in the West Clearwater Avenue store July 16 when employees suspected her of shoplifting merchandise.

A clerk followed Mowbray out to the parking lot and asked to see her receipt. Mowbray got into the driver’s seat of her car and, leaving the door open, handed over a receipt from a different store, court documents said.

She then put the car in gear and started backing up. The clerk tried to get out of the way, but the open car door hit the woman in the shoulder, documents said.

Then, after backing into another car, Mowbray yelled, “Oh sorry” to the injured clerk as she drove off, court documents said.

Mowbray was tracked down by Kennewick police, and allegedly admitted the shoplifting, driving with a suspended license and taking off without checking on the clerk’s condition.

She said she didn’t intentionally hit the employee. She knew the woman and the parked car had been struck by something, but said she believed it was by a stray shopping cart that initially hit her car, documents said.

At the time, Mowbray was out of custody awaiting sentencing July 27 on an unrelated second-degree identity theft case.

Court documents in that case show Mowbray was one of several people who passed checks last December on the account of Grigsby Motors. The bank on the checks was changed from Community First Bank in Kennewick to the name of a San Diego bank, and the payer became Pasco Processing.

Mowbray pleaded guilty in June to passing a $478 check at a Kennewick grocery store, documents said.

Deputy Prosecutor Diana Ruff said Mowbray’s criminal history includes felony bail jumping, rendering criminal assistance, making a false statement to a public servant, disorderly conduct and malicious mischief.

Ruff asked that bail remain at $10,000 because Mowbray, if convicted, is looking at up to one year and five months in prison.

Defense attorney Karla Kane Hudson argued that Mowbray has strong ties to the community, a young son and a job with a general contractor doing maintenance and cleanup in homes. A more reasonable bail amount is $1,000, Kane Hudson said.

“I do promise to show up to court,” Mowbray said. “I beg you please, if there’s any way I can have some time to have with my son and go into work. … I realize I made a huge mistake but, please, if there’s any way that you can show mercy right now, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

Judge Jackie Shea Brown reduced her bail to $5,000.

This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Kennewick shoplift suspect denies hitting store worker with her car."