They stole $12,000 at a Tri-Cities hotel before heading to Las Vegas
When two women showed up at a man’s Tri-Cities hotel room on a November night, he thought they were coming to smoke pot.
Less than a half hour after they arrived, the women along with their three accomplices were speeding out of the hotel parking lot in a rental car with $12,000 in cash.
One women, Malia Mei Foster, 20, is now being held on $100,000 bail in the Benton County jail after she was arrested Tuesday afternoon.
Two others — Madisyn R. Wright, 21, and Karion H. Thomas, 21 — were booked on Dec. 23 and are being held on $100,000 bail. All three are facing charges of first-degree robbery.
The victim was staying at the Red Lion Inn and Suites on Clearwater Avenue on Nov. 12 when he invited Foster over to smoke marijuana, according to documents filed in Benton County Superior Court. Foster brought Wright with her just before 11 p.m.
Hotel surveillance video showed the three show up together, and within minutes Foster went back outside. She propped open an outside door with a rock and returned to the room.
Soon after, Thomas and two other men showed up at the hotel room door, court records said. And Foster let the three men into the room.
One man pushed the victim to the floor and told him to stay quiet or he would kill him. He then punched the victim several times. The victim said it sounded like another man cocked a gun and threatened to kill him.
They grabbed the victim’s cellphone and stole $12,000 he was keeping under a bed.
Video shows the five people leaving the hotel, carrying several items and getting into a small dark sedan. The driver, who police believe was Wright, clipped several cars as she drove away.
They drove back to Spokane where the car had been rented. Wright reportedly told a friend that she was heading to Las Vegas with Thomas.
It’s not clear from court records where Foster was arrested. And police are still trying to identify the other men involved.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 5:00 AM.