Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Lewis County Sheriff-elect Rob Snaza won’t be sworn in until Dec. 30, but is already busy planning for changes.

According to the results of the election certified and made official yesterday morning, Snaza took 77 percent of the vote. His opponent Brian Green garnered not-quite 23 percent.

Sheriff-elect Rob Snaza

Snaza, the Napavine area Republican who’s worked at the sheriff’s office about two decades, met with the Lewis County Board of Commissioners before lunchtime, to discuss some of what will be different under his administration.

“Schools are huge, our number one emphasis in 2015,” Snaza said.

He spoke of deputies working more closely with students, and his plans for “active shooter” drills in school buildings.

Specifically, the reason for the meeting was to talk about the transition of the emergency management division out of the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield is the director of emergency management, and will leave office at the end of the year.

“Some years ago, the board of county commissioners made the sheriff the head of that,” Lewis County Commissioner Lee Grose said. “The thinking has been, we should have a full time manager; and we’re looking for one now.”

The issue of schools came up as they spoke of logistics, and Snaza said he’d need that office space for a new special services sergeant, someone who would oversee a variety of programs.

Snaza told Commissioners Grose and Edna Fund he hoped next month to introduce to them his undersheriff, a captain with the Washington State Patrol he’s known for 20 years.

Snaza began attending the sheriff’s monthly meetings with county commissioners about the same time he was promoted from sergeant to undersheriff in early September.

His campaign for the top law enforcement job began in April of last year.

His only opponent, a musician in a band who ran as an independent and focused on preserving gun rights, took 5,144 votes in the Nov. 4 election. Snaza got 17,546 votes.

Snaza’s twin brother John Snaza was elected Thurston County sheriff in 2010.

Already the two of them have announced a joint event in which they will be “jailed” in a cell in the food court at Capital Mall in Olympia next month, and challenge the public to raise at least $20,000 by “bailing” them out.

The idea is to build awareness of the importance of mentoring
and to raise money to ensure more kids have consistent role models through Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Southwest Washington.

The benefits can be seen in the juvenile justice system, according to Sheriff John Snaza.

The average cost to incarcerate a juvenile for a nine to 12 month period is approximately $66,000 to $88,000, according to the Thurston County sheriff.

“Every day I see cases where a child without a trusted role- model wanders down a destructive path,” Sheriff John Snaza stated in a news release yesterday. “What a difference it would make if even one of these youth had a mentor,” continues Snaza.

The so-called “Big Bail Out” with the twin sheriffs will take place from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Dec. 2.

Also from the final results of the election:

• Centralia attorney Wade Samuelson was elected Lewis County District Court judge. He ran unopposed for the four-year term and replaces retiring Judge Michael Roewe. Ten-year veteran of the bench, Lewis County DIstrict Court Judge R.W. Buzzard was unopposed and secured another term.

• Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer, (R), unopposed, won a second four-year term.

• Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod, (R), also unopposed, won a second four-year term. McLeod says the board of commissioners have agreed to fund his position full time beginning next year, instead of the traditional part time.

• Lewis County Clerk Kathy Brack, (R), first elected in 2002, ran unopposed and won another four-year term.

• Arny Davis, (R), ran unopposed and will be the new Lewis County treasurer, replacing outgoing Rose Bowman.

• Larry Grove, (R), with 70 percent of the vote, beat Jennifer Slemp, (D), to become Lewis County auditor. Longtime Auditor Gary Zandell is retiring.

• Gary Stamper, (R), took 54 percent of the vote against Rich Bainbridge, (R), to become one of three members of the Lewis County Board of Commissioners, replacing Grose.

• The race for Lewis County assessor is so close, a required hand recount will be conducted on Monday. Incumbent Dianne Dorey, (R), has 10,691 votes, while Candy Hallom, (R), has 10,662.

See all the election results here

Updated

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Cowlitz River at Randle, and at least one other river on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains.

Heavy rain overnight and today will drive the river over its banks this afternoon and the water will continue to rise until about 10 o’clock tonight, according to the weather service’s current forecast.

Moderate flooding is expected.

The area in Randle and downstream through Riffe Lake can expect to see many farmlands and even U.S. Highway 12 inundated with water, according to the weather service.

The weather service advises the public to be alert for rapid changes and monitor developments by listening to NOAA Weather Radio or other local media.

Flood stage at Randle is 18 feet, and the river is forecast to crest at 21.5 feet.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield cautions that water at that level would affect Highway 131, Skinner Road, Peters Road and could even cross Highway 12 in downtown Randle.

The sheriff’s office, emergency management and the Randle Fire Department are monitoring the situation, according to Mansfield.

At about 10 a.m. today, when the flood warning was issued, the level was measured at just under 10 feet.

Mansfield notes that large flooding events in the Randle area in the past were in excess of 22 feet; the flood of record in 2006 recorded at 25.2 feet.

A flood warning is also in place for the Nisqually River near National, with minor flooding expected.

Early this afternoon, authorities advised all visitors on the west side of Mount Rainier National Park to leave, as heavy rains at higher elevations caused dangerous conditions. The Nisqually entrance was temporarily closed because of flooding in the Kautz Creek area.

“This ‘rain on snow’ event is similar to conditions that were present when the historic flood occurred in November 2006,” Mount Rainier Acting Superintendent Tracy Swartout stated in a news release just after the lunch hour.

The sheriff suggested it is a good time for members of the public to review their emergency action plans. He urges people to not drive through flooded areas, as that is the number cause of deaths related to floods in Washington.

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Check for weather alerts here and follow river levels here. (These same links can always be found on the right hand sidebar of this news site, under the heading, “Other useful web links”)

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office has concluded it could only prove, if it went to trial, that now-23-year-old Kyle Davison negligently caused injury to a 4-month-old baby when it began choking while in his care.

The child, now 17 months old, has shown slight improvement, but has severe brain damage, according to Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead.

“She can’t talk, we don’t think she can see, we’re not sure about her hearing,” Halstead said. “She has a lot of other medical issues she had prior.”

The baby, identified in court documents as A.F.J.L., was airlifted to Marybridge Children’s Hospital and placed on life support after the incident in early October of last year. She’s back home with her mother since August, Halstead said.

Davison was arrested and charged in Lewis County Superior Court at that time, and remains held in the Lewis County Jail.

Doctors disagreed about what caused the injury.

A doctor at the hospital told police that tests indicated inter-cranial hemorrhage, consistent with shaken baby syndrome, according to charging documents.

A second doctor concluded the symptoms were indicative of previous problems, and what happened when the baby started choking, according to Davison’s lawyer, Sam Groberg.

Davison and the baby’s mother, Llacye Faye Link, told police he was watching her when she began choking and stopped breathing and he tried to revive the infant – by patting her back, and then he got scared and shook her – then carried her to a neighboring apartment to get help, according to court documents.

Link and her daughter had been visiting Davison, her former boyfriend, at his home in Mineral, then went to dinner and back to her Morton apartment. Link said she stepped out to buy a bag of pot.

Prosecutors initially charged Davison with first-degree assault of a child, alleging  that Davison intentionally hurt the child, inflicting great bodily harm.

When Davison took the infant next door, it either wasn’t breathing, or wasn’t breathing the way he thought it should be, depending on which of the two lawyers you ask.

A deal made last week resulted in Davison making a so-called Alford plea on Thursday morning to third-degree assault of a child. The two sides stipulated the baby was more seriously injured than what would normally accompany that level of assault.

Halstead said he doesn’t have any proof Davison picked up the baby and shook it violently trying to hurt it. The mom doesn’t want to see anything happen to Davison, he said.

Third-degree assault of a child is related to negligence, Groberg said.

“Here, if you’re trying to help, a reasonable person would have done something different,” Groberg said “But he didn’t do it out of maliciousness.”

While the two sides now agree on what would be the proper charge, they disagree about the penalty.

When he is sentenced, Halstead will be asking for the maximum of five years in prison.

The standard sentencing range for the offense is four to 12 months. Groberg said he will recommend his client be sentenced to time served, about a year.

“He feels horrible,” Groberg said. “He probably will always feel horrible.

“He feels like he didn’t do things right; like maybe if he had learned CPR, things would have turned out differently.”

Groberg said the case offers a lesson, for anyone.

“Don’t shake a baby. At all. Under any circumstances,” he said. “Learn CPR.”

Davison will appear in court again on Wednesday to get a hearing scheduled for sentencing.

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For background, read “Lawyer seeks second opinion on brain trauma in Morton child assault case” from Monday April 14, 2014, here

Updated at 12:56 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A pickup truck pulling a trailer that stalled on the railroad tracks in Napavine last night met up with the lead locomotive of a freight train.

Nobody was hurt, and the husband, wife and their dogs were out the vehicle before the train arrived, according to Napavine Police Chief Chris Salyers.

Responders said the truck was knocked to one side of the tracks and trailer loaded with a small tractor was thrown upside down into  ditch on the other side. It happened on Washington Avenue near the fire station.

Firefighters responded around 5:30 p.m., when they saw what was happening, according to Lewis County Fire District 5.

“We heard the vehicle spinning their wheels, we ran toward that, we could hear the train coming,” fire department spokesperson Lt. Laura Hanson said.

Hanson said there was a handful of people trying to get the rig unstuck, and firefighters got them to move back out of the way. She could already see the headlights of the train coming down the tracks, Hanson said. They asked dispatch to notify personnel on the train to try to stop, she said.

“It all happened rather quickly,” Hanson said.

BNSF spokesperson Gus Melonas indicated there was some damage to the locomotive. Salyers said he is continuing his investigation this morning.

What caused the Napavine area couple to be stopped on the tracks he did not know yet, Salyers said.

The tracks and road were closed for awhile, Salyers said. Firefighters remained on the scene helping clear debris until nearly 10:30 p.m., according to Hanson.

Firefighters were relieved nobody got hurt, Hanson said.

It’s something she hopes doesn’t happen again, but offers this advice for anyone whose vehicle gets stuck on train tracks:

The first call should be to 911, Hanson said.

“The quicker that call goes out, the quicker the railroad is called,” she said. “And they can attempt to get the train stopped.”

David Briscoe, right, and his lawyer David Brown listen to the judge during Briscoe’s sentencing hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The now-former manager at Yard Birds who admitted to police he pocketed thousands of dollars on the job saying he’d gone bankrupt and was behind in his medical bills offered his regret in open court yesterday for stealing.

“I know I made a big mistake, I’d like to apologize to Darris and his family,” David E. Briscoe told the judge. “I know there’s nothing I can do to take it back.”

Darris McDaniel, owner of the expansive Chehalis business on North National Avenue that holds a grocery store, a swap meet area and numerous vendors, wasn’t present. But McDaniel outlined in a letter to the judge the effects the ongoing theft had on employees and himself.

“Mr. McDaniel in his letter talks about the people having to forego the possibility of bonuses,” Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey said. “He had to put money of his own into Yardbirds to keep it going.”

Briscoe was arrested this past spring and charged with first-degree theft. He’s been for the past six months or so saving up money to begin to repay the debt, according to his lawyer. He pleaded guilty as charged in August, in a deal that gave him time to come up with cash.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Mark McClain told the court yesterday the amount stolen is nearly $42,000.

Briscoe’s lawyer David Brown said his client had $10,000 to hand over before his sentence was decided. Brown has indicated Briscoe and his father either sold or were working on selling property.

The Centralia man worked at Yard Birds-Shop ‘n Kart for several years, and was responsible for managing the swap meet area, vendors, storage units and recreational vehicle spaces, according to police.

He admitted to the court previously that he  collected rent payments and kept them, and that it went on for three years.

McClain told the court that a check for $5,000 now and another for $5,000 next week wasn’t all that persuasive.

“My recommendation throughout is Mr. Briscoe should serve a year and a day (in prison),” McClain said.

Defense attorney David Brown told the judge his client still has other property for sale, and has been working in a trailer park in exchange for free rent and a couple hundred dollars each month.

“The people were very good to him, and he betrayed that trust,” Brown said. “He really wants and hopes the court will issue a standard sentence.”

The standard range under the law for Briscoe would be zero to 90 days in jail. The crime, with the major economic offense enhancement, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Judge Brosey said the crime didn’t call for a sentence within the standard range.

When someone violates a position of trust within a small business, it often results in irreparable harm, the judge said.

“Frankly, this goes on way too much,” Brosey said.

Brosey ordered Briscoe to serve 12 months, in the county jail. He didn’t say explicitly, but alluded to the fact he couldn’t earn as much good time there toward a possible early release as he might in state prison.

Brosey ordered Briscoe to deliver a $5,000 check by noon, and the second $5,000 before he checks into the jail on Tuesday.

He said if he qualified for work release, he could do that. He declined to impose jail costs, saying any money Briscoe has should go to restitution.

The judge also ordered ongoing restitution payments of no less than $100 each month.
•••

For background, read “Former Yard Bird manager pleads guilty as charged in theft from business” from Wednesday Aug. 27, 2014, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Twenty-four-year-old Marcus T. Dantinne got to go home from jail yesterday evening, but he still faces a felony charge for allegedly threatening to blow up a Morton lumber mill.

Alta Forest Products was evacuated on Monday morning after an anonymous phone call that warned a bomb there would go off in 10 minutes. Within hours, police traced the call to Dantinne who reportedly took the phone apart so he wouldn’t be discovered.

Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher didn’t request very high bail for Dantinne, suggesting he’s not a terrorist, just somebody doing dumb and stupid stuff.

“It looks like he was helping somebody skip work,” Meagher said after a short bail hearing yesterday afternoon.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey allowed Dantinne to be released from jail, on an unsecured $10,000 bond, co-signed by his mother, pending trial.

Dantinne lives with his mother in Morton.

According to charging documents, Dantinne told Police Chief Dan Mortensen at first that he’d lost the phone the previous night at the gym. But then he allegedly confessed: He wanted to get his friend Jordan Gillispie out of work, so they could hang out together.

The two had talked very early that morning, according to Dantinne’s mother who told the chief she overheard the call, charging documents state.

Some 60 workers were cleared out of the mill into its parking lot, following the approximately 7:45 a.m. call on Monday.

A bomb squad with the Washington State Patrol checked the property and found no explosive. Authorities evacuated Alta’s Shelton mill as well.

Employees were sent home for the day, although the swing shift was scheduled to start as usual, since a suspect was located by about noon.

Dantinne was charged with threat to bomb property, an offense with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and/or a $20,000 fine.

Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke was in favor of the bail arrangement.

“He’s young, he’s 24 and has absolutely no criminal history,” O’Rourke said.

Dantinne has a stable residence, with his mother, and has been receiving supplemental social security income since he was young, she said. She understood from him it was related to mental health issues, she said.

“He’s clearly very inexperienced with the system,” O’Rourke said,.

Dantinne was appointed a lawyer, Shane O’Rourke, and is expected to return to court for his arraignment next Wednesday.
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For background, read “Police: Morton man tried to get friends out of work with bomb threat” from Tuesday November 18, 2014, here