Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 25-year-old Centralia mother who admitted exposing her two children to meth smoke is off to prison with a sentence of a year and a day.

Sabrina L. Sumter pleaded guilty in Lewis County Superior Court to two counts of endangerment with a controlled substance and one count of possession of methamphetamine.

Sabrina L. Sumter / File photo

When she went before a judge on Friday, the judge agreed to the sentence that was within the standard range, according to Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer.

Sumter had been arrested at the end of June, the same day Centralia police learned a test result had come back showing positive for the presence of the drug in Sumter’s 3-month-old baby girl.

The only reason the discovery was made, was the infant died unexpectedly in May and the coroner’s office conducted an autopsy and tests to figure out why.

It turned out to have been an accidental death, the baby suffocated while sharing a bed with her mother, according to authorities.

After she was arrested, Sumter admitted that she and others smoked meth in her home, exposing the children, according to prosecutors.

Meyer said two issues were unrelated, in his expert’s opinion.

“The meth in the child’s system was not the cause of death,” he said this week.

Had he been able to link them and show criminality, he would have pursued the case differently, he said.
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For background, read “Centralia infant exposed to meth smoke died of something different” from Friday July 7, 2017, here

Looking north from the Cascade Peaks Campground. / Courtesy photo by Robin Hylton

Updated at 4:35 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Crews are on the scene this morning improving fire lines in the Carr Road area between Randle and Packwood.

No structures have been damaged, none are threatened and nobody has been injured, according to Lewis County Fire District 14.

Firefighters from Randle, Packwood and the state Department of Natural Resources were fighting what was described early yesterday evening as a five-plus-acre brush fire.

Photos and video shared by observers showed a helicopter making water drops yesterday.

Fire Chief Jeff Jaques said it was mostly brush and stumps in a clear cut area about one mile up from U.S. Highway 12. He believed it ended up covering about 10 acres.

“It got into the trees a little bit,” he said.

Crews are in the mop up stage now, Jaques said just before 1 p.m. today. The fire was reported just after 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon.

The Board of (Lewis) County Commissioners put outdoor burning restrictions in place nine days ago due to the current and extended weather forecast and substantial fire dangers.

Meanwhile, the cause of a fire that destroyed a Randle residence several miles to the west over the weekend remains under investigation.

Firefighters responding to approximately 3:10 a.m. call on Sunday on the 600 block of Silverbrook Road found a double-wide mobile home and adjacent shop building fully involved in flames, according to Jaques.

Nobody was home as it turns out but they couldn’t be sure, spending a lot of time checking, said Fire Investigator Derrick Paul.

Paul said he understood a family consisting of seven people, five of them children, lived there.

There were two cars inside the shop that were destroyed as well, he said.

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Bringing water to the Carr Road fire. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Fire District 14

Memorial folder cover for K-9 Reign

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – His life was short, but it was full.

Those were some of the sentiments shared today when a fair-sized gathering of people came together to pay their respects to Chehalis police dog Reign.

The memorial service for the five and half year old K-9 was held at W.F. West High School in Chehalis.

The mayor spoke, the police chief spoke.

Reign’s strength and stubbornness were recalled as well as his achievements in apprehensions and the impressive amounts of narcotics he sniffed out.

Reign served four years with his partner Officer Warren Ayers at the Chehalis Police Department beginning in May 2013. He died suddenly and unexpectedly of unknown causes while training on duty the night of June 27.

The service included a procession to the school, an honor guard, the presentation of a badge and closed with a bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace.

Numerous K-9 officers were among the many who came to pay their condolences to Ayers and his family.

“Reign went out and would take care of business, however, when that was done, he could be as gentle as any dog,” Chehalis Mayor Dennis Dawes said.

•••

For background, read “Animal experts: No clear explanation for why Chehalis K-9 died” from Tuesday July 18, 2017, here

The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro sits about 10 feet below Leonard Road at Burchett Road on Oct. 18, 2016. / Photo Lewis County Sheriff’s Office case file

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A $1.2 million claim has been filed against Lewis County for wrongful death in the case of a 70-year-old Vietnam veteran whose car wasn’t discovered for nearly 90 minutes after he traveled down an embankment where a guard rail was missing and struck a tree in the Onalaska area.

The Chevrolet Camaro with its flashers on was spotted by a pair of Lewis County Public Works employees driving by, more than 40 feet off the west end of Burchett Road and down more than 10 feet, only because the county utility truck happened to sit high enough to see it, according to authorities.

Morris L. Johanson was conscious when responders arrived and told them he had been on his way to a doctor’s appointment at the VA hospital. Law enforcement noted Johanson was seat belted in and his airbags deployed and they could see his lower leg was broken and his forehead cut. He was on oxygen and had oxygen tanks on the floorboard beside him.

Morris Leland Johanson

The two county employees had broken a window so they could talk with him.

The two-time Purple Heart recipient who lived less than five miles away told the arriving deputy he’d run the stop sign for Leonard Road at 6:30 a.m., that he hadn’t realized where he was and hadn’t noticed it.

The wreck had been reported at 7:55 a.m.

Johanson stopped breathing during the move from his vehicle to the ambulance. CPR was conducted and the ambulance headed to meet an airlift helicopter, but when a second deputy responded to Onalaska High School’s football field, he found the helicopter with its engine shut off and was told Johanson was deceased.

The guard rail had not been repaired or replaced following a collision at the T-intersection about a month earlier, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and the wrongful death claim.

Portland attorney Jon Zbinden wrote that Johanson endured pain and suffering until his demise from blunt force trauma – to his chest according to the coroner. Zbinden wrote that the Onalaska man was not discovered for approximately one and a half hours because his vehicle traveled down the embankment as a result of a missing guard rail.

The collision occurred the morning of Oct. 18. The claim – on behalf of Johanson’s daughter, Cherie Johanson – was received by Lewis County Risk Management on April 10. A claim was filed against the Washington State Department of Transportation as well.

Johanson had lived in Onalaska about 10 years and previously owned a long haul trucking business, according to his obituary.

Earlier this week, the risk and safety administrator for the county, Paulette Young, informed the Board of (Lewis) County Commissioners that their attorney handling the case recommended they deny the claim.

“Most likely if we deny, we’ll see a lawsuit,” Young told them.

The three member board voted unanimously to deny the claim.

The Washington State Patrol analyzed the scene and concluded the orange 2014 Camaro, with a Washington Purple Heart specialty plate had been traveling approximately 43 mph when it left the roadway.

There were no marks to suggest any braking for the stop sign and pieces of the previous guard rail were still scattered on the slope.

There had been orange traffic cones placed along Leonard Road where the guard rail previously was, according to one of the investigating troopers.

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office found Johanson died of of blunt force injuries to his chest, with two diseases contributing: arteriosclerotic cardiovascular and chronic obstructive pulmonary. He had multiple rib fractures and internal bleeding collapsed both his lungs, according to the autopsy report.

A service with full military honors was held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland where he was laid to rest.

Intruder detained by Glenoma family. / Courtesy photo by Gharrett Lamping

Updated

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Here’s just one reason to lock your doors at night.

A 29-year-old Glenoma man found a stranger in his house helping himself to breakfast at the crack of dawn today.

Lewis County sheriff’s deputies called at 5:20 a.m. to the 100 block of Glenoma Road were told a resident found the man standing in his kitchen.

“Basically, the suspect goes into the residence … and apparently pours himself some cereal, puts some milk in it and is eating it,” Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

The uninvited guest fled, but the 29-year-old and his father-in-law apprehended him about 500 feet away along the road and ordered him to the ground at gun point, according to Breen.

They remained with him until deputies arrived. “They did have him tied up,” Breen said.

Jerald L. Couch, 52, was arrested for residential burglary and booked into the Lewis County Jail.

Breen said the suspect talked about being out in the woods, using a new kind of drug and said he’d been in Florida a few hours earlier. He’s is listed as transient, out of Tampa, Florida.

The doors to the home had been unlocked, according to Breen.

Bystanders and pickup truck through window of steam train / Courtesy photo by Maria Castaneda

Updated 5:54 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An 82-year-old motorist was injured when his pickup truck collided with the steam train in Adna yesterday evening.

The Washington State Patrol reports that Jeremy W. Mullins was traveling eastbound on state Route 6 and didn’t see warning lights that a train was approaching. The train struck the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado, according to the state patrol.

Troopers and medics called to the scene near Twin Oaks Road about 6:40 p.m. found the truck totaled, according to the investigating trooper.

Members of the Chehalis Fire Department arrived first, as Lewis County Fire District 6 was just clearing a vehicle fire. They were joined by personnel from Lewis County Fire District 5.

Chehalis Fire Capt. Casey Beck said the patient was conscious and alert.

“His legs were pinned, not crushed, but we had to use the Jaws to relieve pressure and then pop the door open,” Beck said.

Mullins, from Curtis, was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital. He was treated and then transferred, according to hospital spokesperson Chris Thomas.

Beck said there were as many as 70 people on the train, none were hurt and some said they didn’t even feel the collision. The train was traveling about 12 mph, he said.

Both Beck and District 6’s Firefighter-EMT Mike Goodwillie said they were pretty certain the pickup truck had been traveling westbound when it happened.

“I think the sun got in his eyes, and he wasn’t expecting a train there,” Beck said.

The state patrol blamed the wreck on Mullins’ failure to yield the right of way.

•••

CORRECTION: This news story has been updated to reflect that Jeremy W. Mullins was treated at Providence Centralia Hospital and was not released but was then transferred to an unspecified facility.

Traffic comes to a standstill on northbound Interstate 5 at Chehalis / Courtesy photo by Heather Bouck

Updated at 6:03 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A young man is dead and two others injured after he traveled the wrong way on Interstate 5 in Chehalis last night and hit an oncoming vehicle.

TJ L. Sinnott, 23, from Doty was headed south in the northbound lanes near milepost 77 when his car struck a northbound sport utility vehicle occupied by two women from Oregon, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Casey Beck said the engine compartment of the women’s vehicle caught fire.

“They had been pulled out, or self extricated,” Beck said. “It was right next to his car. Unfortunately, he passed right away.”

Chelsea R. Zigler, 24, Clackamas and Carrieann M. Zigler, 24, of Gresham, both were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol.

Troopers called at 11:12 p.m. to the scene report both vehicles were totaled and impounded.

Sinnott had been driving a 2003 Hyundai Accent and Chelsea Zigler was behind the wheel of a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse.

All had been wearing seat belts. It’s unknown if drugs or alcohol were involved, according to the state patrol.

A hospital spokesperson this morning said Chelsea Zigler is listed in fair condition. Her passenger Carrieann Zigler was treated and has been released.

Washington State Department of Transportation reports the roadway wasn’t cleared until 2:20 a.m.