A Port Townsend man notched his 10th arrest for burglary last week after he allegedly tried to steal food from The Food Co-op.

Clint Michael McNelis, 36, was arrested for second-degree burglary, third-degree theft, and obstructing a law enforcement officer after he allegedly violated a no-trespassing order that forbid him from entering the Port Townsend grocery.

McNelis, a transient, had been arrested in early March for burglary at The Food Co-op, according to court records, and an employee at the store called 911 after McNelis came back into the store just after 6 p.m. Monday, March 28.

In an incident report, a Port Townsend police officer recalled previous arrests involving McNelis: “Clint often runs from police, has fought with police, me included, and has attempted to assault police while being detained or arrested.”

McNelis had already left the grocery when officers arrived, but he was found at a nearby park and began running when he saw officers.

Police boxed McNelis in, according to the statement of probable cause for his arrest, and cut off his escape route. After McNelis tried to cut through a nearby field, an officer got him to stop after pointing a Taser at him.

A store employee said he had told McNelis that he couldn’t be inside the co-op and told him to leave.

At some point, McNelis allegedly snuck back into the building and tried to walk out of the store with cold food items that he had taken. 

An employee stopped him at the front of the store after he had passed the cash registers, and took the food back. McNelis then allegedly entered the store a third time that day, and was heading toward the warm food case when he was again confronted.

McNelis was convicted of burglary in 2021 and had previously been arrested for burglary approximately nine times, according to court records.