Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – One local man has died on the roads today, the busiest travel day of the year.

The 69-year-old Winlock resident for unknown reasons crossed the center line and struck a pickup truck on Highway 603 in Evaline, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened just before 4 p.m. and the road was expected to remain closed for a couple of hours, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

The collision followed a series of wrecks on Interstate 5 in Chehalis earlier during the noon hour.

“We had five collisions within moments of each other,” Washington State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Will Finn said. “Two were car-semi, two were two-car … the fifth one I’m not sure.”

“They said it was sunny and all of the sudden a rain burst came through,” Finn said.

Only one person was transported to the hospital, according to the state patrol and the Chehalis Fire Department.

Firefighters were headed to one accident near milepost 79 when they were called to another in the northbound lanes near West Street, according to Fire Capt. Kevin Curfman.

One woman was injured. “Her doors were locked, I took a window out to get access to her,” Curfman said. “Five airbags deployed. They were everywhere.”

Christie L. Wallin, 55, of Centralia, was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital where she is listed in satisfactory condition. Curfman said she had lower leg injuries.

Wallin’s car was totaled. It was part of a three-vehicle rear-ending collision just before 12:30 p.m., according to the Vancouver office of the state patrol.

Finn said the collisions occurred in both north and southbound lanes and were cleared out fairly rapidly.

Later in the day, a brief downpour near Castle Rock and a spinout on a puddle on Interstate 5 contributed to as many as 12 vehicles wrecking, although no serious injuries resulted, according to The (Longview) Daily News.

Brown said the Highway 603 crash happened near Schoolhouse Road. A detour was put in place. The 69-year-old driver died en route to the hospital, she said.

His 1997 Chevrolet Malibu was describe as totaled.

The other vehicle, a Ford Ranger pickup, was occupied by a couple from Lake Forest Park, according to the sheriff’s office.

The 47-year-old male driver was taken to Providence with back injuries; his 49-year-old wife cut her head but didn’t need hospitalization, according to Brown.

The state patrol is advising motorists to use extra caution during the busy holiday weekend.

“We just ask people to slow down, and take their time,” Finn said. “So they get to their destination safely.”

Updated at 12:34 p.m. and 12:58 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The flood warning has ended on the Newaukum River near Chehalis and forecasters have revised downward their expectations of overflowing of the Chehalis River in Centralia and Grand Mound.

Heavy rains ended yesterday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Minor flooding of less than a foot above flood stage is forecast tonight in the Centralia area, which would cause shallow flooding of farmlands and some roads, the weather service reports.

Centralia city officials this morning continue to offer sandbags for residents at the 100 block of Center Street and 1227 Harrison Avenue. The Center Street location will shut down at 2 p.m.

No emergency shelters are open this morning in Centralia, according to the city. All city streets were passable just before 8 a.m.

Lewis County officials also continue to monitor the rivers and note there remains standing water over several roadways in the county.

Information from the river gauge at Mellen Street in Centralia is missing since about 8 o’clock this morning, but the county has someone going out to the river to find out why, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Stacy Brown said just after noon time.

A wind advisory was issued this morning for the area, with the potential for winds of 20 mph to 30 mph and gusts up to 45 mph this afternoon.

Brown said the county emergency operations center has had no reports of people with water inside their homes, vehicles stranded or rescues; except the Pe Ell Fire Department helped a couple of people out of their residences yesterday on Red Hawk Lane, she said.

Information and warnings can be accessed at the weather service website. Current river levels and their forecast flood levels are updated regularly by the weather service.
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Links to the two web sites noted above can always be found on the right hand sidebar of Lewis County Sirens.com

Here they are again:

• National Weather Service – NWS Seattle, here

• National Weather Service: River levels (Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service), here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The city of Centralia declared a local emergency late this afternoon in light of the excessive rainfall.

“The rain is expected to continue for the next 36 hours, causing local rivers, creeks and streams to exceed flood stages,” a news release from the city states.

Sandbag stations opened up in Centralia.

The Chehalis River at Doty crested more than five feet over flood stage late this afternoon and is expected to reach flood stage in Centralia before noon tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service. Then the river would continue to rise.

The crest in Centralia predicted by 6 p.m. tomorrow would be more than four feet over flood stage, according to the weather service.

The weather services says swift water will cover some roads, and water can be expected to encroach upon the first floors of some homes and businesses.

The Newaukum River near Chehalis is reaching flood stage about now and forecast to crest before morning at about two feet over flood stage, according to readings from the weather service.

The flooding is not considered major, but not minor either.

The Lewis County Department of Emergency Management increased its activation level this afternoon in preparation.

“Citizens are advised to take precaution and leave any area with dangerous rising water, prior to needing to be physically rescued,” the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office stated late this afternoon.

Those in flood prone areas should move their animals before the levels become dangerous, the sheriff’s office advises.

State Route 6 is closed at White Road because of water over the roadway.

Deep and hazardous flood waters will inundate many roads, residential and commercial areas around the Newaukum, the weather service says.

Further cautions from the sheriff’s office: Motorists are advised not to drive through standing water. Six inches of water can sweep you off of your feet, twelve inches can sweep your car away.

The sheriff’s office advises residents to monitor local radio stations.

The weather service notes folks should be alert for rapid changes and monitor developments.

Information and warnings can be accessed at the weather service website. Current river levels and their forecast flood levels are updated regularly by the weather service.

In Centralia, sandbag stations were expected be operational by 5 p.m.; in the 100 block of Center Street (near the fire station) and at 1227 Harrison Avenue (Harrison Square Presbyterian Church).  The stations will not be manned full time but will be monitored for constant supply, according to the city.

The emergency shelter located at 416 N. Tower Avenue will be open and can accommodate up to 50 people for emergencies only, the news release notes.

The sheriff’s office notes rescue personnel are on call.

••

Links to the two web sites noted above can always be found on the right hand sidebar of Lewis County Sirens.com

Here they are again:

• National Weather Service – NWS Seattle, here

• National Weather Service: River levels (Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service), here

Edwardo E. Barro-Celerino waits to be taken back down to the jail following his arraignment in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  A 12-year-old girl who found a stranger in her Centralia bedroom told him she had to use the bathroom to get away from him, and then went and got an adult in another part of the home, according to court papers.

The girl, who is identified only by her initials, told deputies the man put his hand up her shirt attempting to pull it up and also tried to put his hand down her pants, according to charging documents from the Sunday night incident on the 1600 block of Windsor Avenue.

When the adult confronted the stranger who appeared intoxicated, and asked him what he was doing, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, he answered: “Trying to get some,” and then left. The sheriff’s office thinks he came in through an unlocked back door.

The suspect, Edwardo E. Barro-Celerino, 22, lives nearby in the same neighborhood. Wet footprints led responding law enforcement officers to a sliding door at his home, where he was found passed out in a bedroom, according to authorities.

Barro-Celerino pleaded not guilty today in Lewis County Superior Court to attempted child molestation in the second degree and first-degree burglary.

He sat quietly beside a Spanish language interpreter in the Chehalis courtroom. His family hired defense attorney Robert Brungardt to represent him.

Barro-Celerino has no prior felonies, has lived in the area for two to three years, earning about $1,000 a month working for the Roof Doctor, a judge was told when he was brought into court earlier this week.

While the sheriff’s office booked Barro-Celerino on Sunday for attempted rape of a child, prosecutors instead charged him with attempted child molestation in the second degree.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said today the facts of the case better fit that charge.

It’s a class C felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Charging documents also note Barro-Celerino was armed with a deadly weapon, but the narrative in the affidavit of probable cause makes no mention of a weapon being used or displayed.

He is being held in the Lewis County Jail on $75,000 bail. A hold has been placed on him by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, presumably because the federal agency wants him for some issue, according to his previous temporary attorney.

The sheriff’s office initially reported the suspect’s name as Eduardo E. Barro-Cellesino. Sheriff’s spokesperson Chief Criminal Deputy Brown said the name on charging documents is listed in their database as an “also known as”.

Brown also said the suspect was found in a neighbor’s house, uninvited, but where he was known. Charging documents however show the mobile home space number where he was found as his residence.

“There were language barriers,” Brown said.

A trial date is set for the week of Jan. 7.
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For background, read “News brief: Centralia girl finds stranger in her bedroom, man arrested” from Tuesday November 13, 2012, here

Terry L. Simmons, left, and his wife Joanne M. Simmons, listen to attorneys when they go before a Lewis County Superior Court judge.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Morton couple has been charged with animal cruelty in connection with their horses which were seized in September by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Joanne M. Simmons, 65, and Terry L. Simmons, 58, said they were shocked to find notice of criminal charges in their mail when they returned home today from out of town.

Sheriff’s deputies and county code enforcement workers visited the property on the  800 block of state Route 7 numerous times before finally taking nine of their animals in late September, describing them as dehydrated and severely malnourished, according to court documents.

“They came and acted like they were trying to help,”  Joanne Simmons said after appearing briefly before a judge.

Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff’s Office

The couple said they are Kiger Mustangs, descended from wild horses and are built unlike ordinary horses. Some they had “rescued”, they said.

“We were in the process of giving them away because we had too many,” Terry Simmons said this afternoon. He noted finding good homes takes some time.

The couple said their animals got quality feed, but county authorities say differently.

During one visit, a code enforcement employee noted four bales were placed so the horses had to fight to eat, and the  smaller horses were being trampled, according to charging documents.

“A few had bandages,” the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office wrote.

They are each charged with six counts of first-degree animal cruelty, an allegation that with criminal negligence the animals were starved or dehydrated which caused substantial physical pain that lasted long enough to cause considerable suffering. Those are felonies.

They are also charged with two counts of second-degree animal cruelty, alleging at the very least they knowingly allowed them to live in conditions that caused unnecessary pain. Those are misdemeanors.

The couple appeared before Judge James Lawler this afternoon; he allowed them to remain free on $5,000 signature bonds.

Temporary defense attorney Bob Schroeter told the judge they didn’t qualify for court-appointed attorneys, as Terry Simmons earned $8,000 a month with the Boeing Co.

The charges filed on Oct. 29 in Lewis County Superior Court offer some of the following details in their allegations:

In April, a deputy responding to a complaint of horse malnourishment noted some of the animals looked thin, but not in distress.

The following month, the county code enforcement supervisor and the animal shelter manager observed one of the horses in the field had protruding rib and hip bones. At that time, Joanne Simmons told them the skinny horse normally got grain, but they were out it.

In mid-September, a code enforcement employee visited again and said she could see rib and hip bones on many of the horses.

A week later, when a deputy and a veterinarian showed up, the Simmons allowed the animals to be examined.

The vet checked 18 horse and found some of them scored very low on a scale to document their well-being.

Horse number 707 suffered from chronic malnutrition; it was said to be three years old but appeared as though it were a yearling, Dr. Patricia Arnold noted.

One that was extremely underweight was likely pregnant, another had a chronic cough, a four-year-old was the size of a yearling, she reported.

A 27-year-old that scored a one on a scale of one to five was seriously emaciated and dehydrated. It was euthanized with the consent of the Simmons.

The sheriff’s office said it didn’t appear the couple really understood how bad of condition they were in.

Nine horses were taken from the Simmons on Sept. 30, according to charging documents. The sheriff’s office said at the time the removal of the horses occurred on Sept. 28.

The couple this afternoon said they’ve owned horses since the 1980s.

They knew the 27-year-old horse was dying of old age, they said. The time just hadn’t been quite right yet to put her down, according to Simmons.

Five private groups – Dwelly Farm, Hope for Horses, Pasado’s Safe Haven, Good Life Stables, Hooved Animal Rescue of Thurston County – and the Lewis County Animal Shelter assisted in the removal and foster care of the horses.

The sheriff’s office said at the time of the seizure that donations of feed and grain were needed and could be made to the shelter.

The Simmons arraignments are scheduled for Nov. 21.
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For background, read: “Authorities impound nine malnourished horses from Morton couple” from  Monday October 1, 2012, here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Prosecutors filed criminal charges against the 79-year-old Dryad woman from whom dozens of foxhounds were seized last month.

The 65 dogs which included 18 puppies were living in what authorities called deplorable conditions, most seemingly well enough fed but in kennels which were overrun with feces and breeding amongst themselves.

Nancy Punches

Two of the animals are fox terriers – the rest foxhounds – belonging to Nancy Punches who resides on River Road.

Multiple charges were filed on Friday in Lewis County District Court in Chehalis. Punches will receive a summons to appear in court for an arraignment.

One dead puppy was found when numerous animal control employees, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and at least one non-profit rescue group rounded up the canines on October 19.

The following day, at least three puppies were euthanized because of positive tests for Parvo Virus, and five of the 17 dogs taken to  Pasado’s Safe Haven in Snohomish County tested positive for a parasite called Giardia which is deadly to puppies, according to charging documents.

Punches said in an interview she didn’t intend for the animals to multiply, but their fencing had deteriorated. Authorities said they did not think she was selling them.

Punches’ dog kennel Oct. 19, 2012

The longtime breeder of show dogs admitted she realized it was bad, saying the situation got away from her as she works long hours out of town – and that it’s hard to find good help.

According to Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher, the law doesn’t necessarily protect someone who has good intentions.

Punches is charged with 65 counts of second-degree animal cruelty, alleging at the very least she knowingly allowed them to live in conditions that caused unnecessary pain.

She is also charged with one violation of another state law regarding dog breeding: keeping more than 10 dogs who are able to reproduce in enclosures without meeting certain conditions regarding sanitation, lighting, fire safety measures, protection from extreme temperatures, and being kept separate from other animals with whom they’re not compatible.

All are misdemeanors with a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail or a $5,000 fine or both.

Three of the foxhounds are survivors of the December 2007 flood when Punches lost her home and 16 champion show dogs to the Chehalis River.

A foxhound named Hawk saved himself, while two of them were five-week-old pups she placed in a styrofoam shipping container when floodwaters inside her home rose to within inches of her ceiling. Punches nearly lost her own life as well.

Punches said last month she refused an offer from the Lewis County Animal Shelter in which she could get back four of the dogs if they were fixed as long as she signed away rights to the rest of the dogs. She said they are valuable to the breed.

Punches couldn’t be reached for comment this weekend.

Charging documents describe that on the day the animals were confiscated, a deputy could not see the floor of some kennels because the water, mud and feces was so deep.

A veterinarian there that day said the unsanitary conditions subjected the animals to contagious viral and bacterial diseases which would or could cause considerable suffering, according to the charging documents.

The documents also allege the following:

In the indoor kennel building, the deputy found four dogs standing on top of garbage, mud and feces.

In one pen, eight nine-week-old puppies had no overhead shelter, and appeared very thin. Four of them were lethargic, one had diarrhea and one was dead.

The veterinarian at  Pasado’s Safe Haven noted several of the dogs had minor wounds and she saw signs of signs of abuse, including a strong fear of humans.

Punches had described some of them as “unsocialized”.

Lewis County does not require kennels to be licensed but does prohibit individuals from keeping more than 50 unaltered dogs, although there is no limit on the number of puppies.

State law requires breeders with more than 10 unaltered dogs to meet certain conditions.
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For background, read: “Aged flood survivor loses her stock of prize-winning canines for the second time” from Sunday October 21, 2012, here