Lewis County Sirens.com

Lena A. Castillo, 23, awaits her turn to go before a judge as she makes a first appearance in court regarding an assault charge.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Prosecutors allege the stabbing victim from this weekend’s bar fight in Chehalis started the physical altercation but the other young woman with a small knife continued attacking her after she stopped fighting and was on the ground.

Lena A. Castillo, 23, told police she was standing outside Garbes bar smoking a cigarette when 22-year-old Ashley Stewart confronted her, said something and grabbed her by the hair, according to charging documents.

“If you want to talk sh*t, let’s go,” Stewart allegedly said to her.

Castillo told police it was about Castillo’s ex-boyfriend.

The incident, caught on video outside Garbe’s Bar and Grill, shows Stewart approach Castillo and strike her and the two women beginning to fight, according to charging documents. But it also shows Castillo attacking Stewart until someone pulls her away, the documents allege.

Chehalis police called it mutual combat and said this morning they can’t prove who owns the pair of brass knuckles that turned up in the restroom where the stabbing victim was tended to by friends.

It all happened about 12:30 a.m. on Saturday on the 300 block of Northwest Chehalis Avenue in an area with five bars along the same stretch.

Both of the young women are from Centralia.

Castillo was charged today with first-degree assault. A judge set her bail at $75,000.

Charging documents offer other details as described by Chehalis police:

Arriving officers noticed Castillo bleeding from a cut on her pinky finger. They found in her jeans pocket a small silver object – a lighter-knife combination with a double-edged blade.

Police observed a blood trail leading through the bar and into the bathroom where Stewart was located.

Stewart was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital where she was treated for four stab wounds to her stomach and one to each leg.

Castillo told police she didn’t know how her finger got cut and denied stabbing Stewart.

Chehalis Police Department detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said Castillo suffered bumps and bruises, none of the injuries significant, including some bruising on her head.

“We can’t tell from what,” Wilson said.

In Lewis County Superior Court this afternoon, Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher told the judge the video is very clear as he argued for high bail.

Castillo, who according to information in her court documents is 5-feet 2-inches tall and 129 pounds, said very little as she sat at the defense table, shackled both around her waist and at her ankles.

Defense attorney Bob Schroeter said Castillo works part-time babysitting and has only four minor previous contacts with the law.

Castillo has a misdemeanor theft conviction from 2010, according to prosecutors.

Meagher, when asked outside the courtroom about the possibility brass knuckles were used in the fight, indicated it wouldn’t make a difference.

“I’ll leave that up to the jury,” Meagher said.

Castillo’s arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.
•••

For background, read:

• “Police: “Mutual combat” between two women in Saturday assault outside bar” from Monday January 14, 2013 at 12:19 p.m., here

• “Woman arrested after stabbing outside Chehalis bar” from Saturday January 12, 2013 at 6:50 p.m., here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 22-year-old woman stabbed during a bar fight in Chehalis over the weekend has been released from the hospital, but whether she may be in trouble as well remains to be seen.

Lena Castillo, 23, was arrested after the brawl outside Garbe’s and a knife was recovered, but police also have a pair of brass knuckles found in the bathroom where the victim’s wounds were being tended to by friends, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

Chehalis police detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said he doesn’t yet know who they belong to or if they were used in the fight.

Brass knuckles are illegal to possess, but they are commonly sold  as novelty items, as paper weights, Wilson said.

Ashley Stewart, 22, was treated at Providence Centralia Hospital for multiple stab wounds, but is expected to make a full recovery, according to Wilson.

Both females are from Centralia.

Police called about 12:25 a.m. on Saturday to Northwest Chehalis Avenue arrested Castillo for first-degree assault, but Wilson, who continues to investigate, said this morning his information indicated there was mutual “combat.”

It will be up to the prosecutor to determine if Stewart is charged, he said.

Wilson said he’s not yet been able to prove who left the brass knuckles in the restroom.

“It’s a bathroom used by multiple people, it’s a bar bathroom,” he said. “So it’s hard to say at this point.”

Castillo is tentatively scheduled to go before a judge this afternoon.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A bar fight between two women last night on Northwest Chehalis Avenue ended with one in the hospital with numerous knife wounds and the other in jail.

The victim, a female in her 20s, was conscious, but had significant injuries to her leg and abdomen, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

Police and aid called about 1:30 a.m. today found her inside Paradise. The brawl occurred outside the nearby Garbe’s bar.

Booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault was Lena Castillo, 23, of Centralia.

Ashley Stewart was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital.

Jennifer Yocom, who was out dancing with Stewart and several other friends, said she didn’t know for sure what sparked it, only that the pair had some kind of previous disagreement.

Yocom said she had just left Garbe’s where she had checked on Stewart when she heard a friend say there was a fight.

The two women were in between parked cars next to the sidewalk, she said.

“I see hair pulling and stuff like that, like they were both standing and then they were down,” Yocom said. “I thought she was punching her.”

Yocom said she tried to shove the woman off her friend, because she didn’t want to hit her. Even though the woman was really small, it was really tough, she said.

“I ended up having to grab Lena by her hair and pull her off her,” Yocom said.

Yocom, who is 29, said she and her friends don’t get out together very often, because they all have children. But they ended up spending hours together at the hospital where they were interviewed by police.

Castillo was taken to Providence as well, with cuts to her fingers, according to Yocom.

She said she thinks a quick arrival by aid crews as well as three friends who kept pressure on the wounds helped Stewart’s prognosis.

“I don’t know if she gets to go home today or what,” Yocom said. “A lot of it was just stitches.”

Chehalis Police Department Officer Troy Thornburg said police were still investigating today.