Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 45-year-old woman is in police custody after allegedly stabbing her roommate in the chest yesterday afternoon in Centralia.

Police were called about 5:11 p.m. by neighbors a few blocks away from the apartment on the 200 block of North Ash Street where the victim had collapsed after fleeing the scene, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Officers responded to the apartment where they took Marcelle J. Snodgrass, 45 of Centralia, into custody without incident, according to police.

The dispute between Snodgrass and her roommate was over rent money that Snodgrass believed was owed to her, police said this morning.

The 26-year-old victim sustained one fairly deep wound in her upper chest, detective Sgt. Carl Buster said. She has already been released from the hospital.

“Doctors said it didn’t hit anything vital,” Buster said.

A search of the apartment turned up a large kitchen knife believed to have been used in the assault, according to police.

Snodgrass was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Kristina M. Auckland consults with her defense attorney today in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – There will be no trial for the Cedar Creek Corrections Center counselor accused of committing a crime by spending nights at a Centralia motel with a former inmate, including the day he was released from prison.

Lewis County prosecutors dropped the charge of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct they had filed last autumn against Kristina M. Auckland.

They also dismissed a charge of witness tampering and offered Auckland a deal.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Sheila Weirth told a judge today it was because of problems with evidence that would have made it difficult for the state to proceed. Weirth instead charged Auckland with two gross misdemeanors; attempted tampering with a witness and suggested Auckland’s contact with the alleged victim was the reason prosecutors may not have been able to prove their case.

“It would have depended upon (the alleged victim’s) truthfulness at trial,” Weirth said.

The 31-year-old Castle Rock woman was arrested Nov. 19, spent one night in jail and was charged with a felony prosecutors said was because she supervised the inmate in prison and that even after his release, she would have influence over his treatment while he was on community custody.

The 33-year-old man was released from confinement on Oct. 18. After Auckland’s arrest, he told detectives the relationship was completely consensual, according to court documents.

Centralia attorney Shane O’Rourke defended his client vigorously before Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler this afternoon.

He said he didn’t think he’d ever been a part of a case where the two sides were so far apart in their interpretations. Auckland wasn’t in a supervisory position over the former inmate, he said.

“We believe no crime was committed in this case,” O’Rourke said. “This is a product of hours of investigation.”

O’Rourke told the judge that even though he believed his client would have been exonerated at trial, because she couldn’t be certain of that and because of her children, she wanted to go along with the plea deal.

Auckland made an Alford plea this afternoon to two counts of attempted tampering with a witness.

She doesn’t admit guilt, but agreed if a judge or jury heard the facts as presented by prosecutors and believed them, it would be highly likely they would find her guilty.

O’Rourke asked the judge to defer her sentence for as long as two years and said if it were up to him, he’d give her zero jail time.

Weirth recommended she spend 30 days in jail and have the rest of a 364 day sentence suspended.

“Her behavior was very, very serious,” she said. “Especially after she was ordered by the court and admonished by the court not have contact.”

Weirth also asked that Auckland be prohibited from contacting the former inmate for as long as she works for the state Department of Corrections; not for his protection, but for the protection of the state agency.

Judge Lawler said no to a no-contact order, unless the former inmate requested it.

Lawler sentenced Auckland to 364 days in jail, with all but 30 of the days suspended. He said she could do her time on electronic home monitoring.

“That’s a break you’re getting,” Lawler told her. “If you violate that, you’re going to get a bunch more time.”

The trial which was to begin next week in Lewis County Superior Court was stricken from the calendar. Auckland has until the evening of March 15 to begin her month of house arrest.

As of today, she remained on administrative leave from her job, according to her lawyer.

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For background, read “Prosecutors: Littlerock prison employee recommends early release for inmate, meets him at motel” from Friday November 20, 2015, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 77-year-old Centralia man who was kicked out of his retirement home and jailed for sprinkling methamphetamine in his coffee pleaded guilty today.

Nelson R. Berquist was arrested in December, after police were called to Cooks Hill Manor and told Berquist had offered a portion of his stash to someone there.

Nelson R. Berquist in December 2015

He told arriving officers he had more in his room, and they confiscated a small baggie from a wicker basket.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello this morning told a judge that in the interest of justice, he was recommending Berquist be sentenced to 11 days and given credit for time served.

Masiello and defense attorney David Arcuri struck a deal in which Berquist pleaded guilty to possession only and the charge of delivery of a controlled substance was dismissed.

Masiello told the judge he felt like the one charge held the defendant accountable.

“The mandatory minimum penalty would have required prison,” he said.

Arcuri called it a bizarre situation and told the judge he couldn’t overstate his appreciation to prosecutors.

“It suit the jail and it suits other factions as well,” Arcuri said.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler went along with the agreed recommendation and also ordered 12 months of community custody through the state Department of Corrections.

Berquist, who has been out of custody and staying at a motel with assistance from family, was asked if he wanted to make a statement on his own behalf. He was accompanied to the courthouse by a caregiver.

“No, except I’m sorry,” he replied.

Outside the courtroom, Masiello said obviously Berquist had some pretty serious physical conditions, and he was not comfortable sending someone like Berquist to prison.

“This also reflects the reality of the case,” Masiello said. “He was just offering to give it away, not sell it.”
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For background, read “Court grapples with release of senior citizen inmate with nowhere to go” from Wednesday December 9, 2015, here

Centralia police are hoping for tips on the whereabouts of Gina D. Schmidt.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

It’s been two years and one day since a Centralia woman was last seen, and police are once again reaching out to the public for information that might help them locate her.

Gina D. Schmidt was 48 years old and described as a vulnerable adult when police began looking into her disappearance. She was last seen at 11:45 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2014 when she was dropped off by a taxi at the 300 block of North Tower Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

She had just been discharged from Providence Centralia Hospital at Cooks Hill and South Scheuber roads in Centralia.

Schmidt wasn’t reported missing until early May of that year and investigators found the situation at her apartment was her belongings were left as though she fully intended to return.

Schmidt has a history of alcohol abuse and medical issues including seizures, according to polIce.

She is described as a white female who is 5-feet 2-inches tall, weighing about 125 pounds, with graying blond shoulder length hair and blue eyes.

Centralia police say she was last seen dressed in blue sweatpants with a tan and multi-colored long polyester coat, and she had a white tube sock on her arm.

Any information regarding her whereabouts can be forwarded to the Centralia Police Department detective’s division, referencing case number 14A3683.

For those wishing to earn a reward or remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers of Lewis County at 1-800-748-9268.

•••

For background, read “Centralia resident disappears after leaving hospital” from Thursday June 12, 2014, here

Jennifer M. Mau looks toward her temporary defense attorney as her court hearing wraps up.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 36-year-old Morton woman was arrested yesterday, accused of creating a Facebook profile to make it appear her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend posted a threat.

Jennifer M. Mau was booked into the Lewis County Jail last night arrested for criminal impersonation and identity theft, however the charges filed today in Lewis County Superior Court were slightly different.

Judge James Lawler allowed her to be released on a $10,000 signature bond.

The information in charging papers gives the following account of what led to the arrest:

On Christmas Eve, an officer was dispatched to the 700 block of Main Avenue in Morton where Loren Hedge said Mau, his girlfriend, informed him Amber Osmanberg had put up a message on Facebook threatening Hedge and Mau.

The message included statements such as “Just wait till you are sleeping!!”; “You got nerves.”; “I’ll go to jail, I don’t care.”; and “I’ll get you when you least expect it.”

Osmanberg, 31, was the protected party in an order restraining Hedge and Mau from contacting her.

Morton police discovered two accounts for Osmanberg on Facebook, one which appeared to have been created earlier the same day.

Osmanberg denied the message and said she knew nothing about it.

Through a series of warrants served on Facebook, Verizon and Sprint, officers learned the second Facebook profile had been created using Internet Protocol addresses owned by Mau and associated with her cell phone.

When police spoke to Mau at her home yesterday, she denied creating the Facebook account and denied having an issue with Osmanberg.

Mau is charged with second-degree identity theft, a class C felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. She is also charged with the gross misdemeanor of malicious prosecution.

Mau is a former a criminal justice student, best known in the past locally for her private endeavors to search for missing children in high profile cases. She was convicted of insurance fraud in 2010 in Lewis County Superior Court, but three years later the Washington State Supreme Court overturned her conviction.

The arraignment in her new case is scheduled for Feb. 25.

Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge this afternoon Mau is unemployed and qualified for a court-appointed lawyer.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The arrest of a 21-year-old Randle resident came after the White Pass High School principal came across “disturbing” postings on Facebook which seemed to involve students and notified law enforcement on Monday.

Charging documents filed yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court state a deputy responded to the school and then spoke to former girlfriends of Nickolas J. Hardman-Schmitt and then interviewed him.

The nature of the posts reportedly made by Hardman-Schmitt were not disclosed, but the investigation led to his Monday arrest.

According to charging documents, a 19-year-old who said they dated told the deputy of an instance where Hardman-Schmitt allegedly ignored her telling him no, she did not want to have sex.

A second incident allegedly involved Hardman-Schmitt’s request to role play a rape scene and although she refused, he allegedly went ahead, putting his hands around her throat and squeezing until she saw spots, the documents allege.

During his investigation, Deputy Tim English also spoke with a 13-year-old girl who shared Facebook posts from Hardman-Schmitt in which he repeatedly asked her to be “friends with benefits”, which the girl understood to mean he wanted to have sex with her, the documents state.

Hardman-Schmitt was charged yesterday with two counts of third-degree rape and one count of second-degree assault with sexual motivation as well as felony communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge yesterday her client had absolutely no criminal history as a bail amount was discussed. She said he has a stable address where he resides with his father.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Sara Beigh said the allegations were serious and requested Hardman-Schmitt be held on $150,000 bail.

O’Rourke said Hardman-Schmitt had been working as a cook at a Randle restaurant but was currently unemployed and she believed he qualified for a court appointed attorney.

Judge James Lawler set bail as prosecutors requested and signed orders prohibiting contact with the alleged victims.

Third-degree rape is a class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Second-degree assault with sexual motivation holds a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The defendant was initially charged in Lewis County District Court with communication with a minor for immoral purposes, a gross misdemeanor, but that charge was dismissed and re-filed as a felony in Superior Court.

His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 18 in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office says it learned an expert witness it used multiple times was untruthful about her credentials, including on the witness stand in court.

Toni Nelson has worked in Lewis County as a victim’s advocate, and has testified in at three least trials, primarily about delayed reporting in sex crime cases, according to Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer.

Meyer said in the past Nelson had indicated she graduated from a specific college, but he now knows she attended there but left before earning her degree.

Meyer said she also had said she had a nursing degree and was a certified teacher, both of which she admitted to him were not true.

The prosecutor said he was given information tipping him off in early January, did some research and then two weeks ago met with her and asked her specific questions.

“We’re just trying to figure out how widespread this is, ” Meyer said today.

Nelson has worked for the White Pass Community Coalition, the Human Response Network and at one time was associated with Fresh Start, according to Meyer.

The statute of limitations for bringing charges of perjury is three years, and has passed, he said. The last time prosecutors had her testify was 2010, he said.

Meyer said so far they have found Nelson had involvement in approximately five dozen cases with the prosecutors office.

He said now he’s primarily working to contact and make sure victims and defendants are notified.

“She’s had training, but the problem is, once you’re not truthful on the stand, that taints everything you say,” Meyer said.

Centralia attorney Shane O’Rourke is representing Nelson, but indicated he’s restrained from saying specifically when or why he is hired in any client’s case.

“My function is to represent somebody who is presently having significant allegations brought,” O’Rourke said this afternoon.

O’Rourke said he understands how the prosecutor’s office, if they believe they have something like they say they do, would need to look back over cases to try to determine if it could have drastic consequences.

“I can’t talk about any of the particulars at this point,” he said. “There may come a time when I can not be vague.”

He said he’s known Nelson as a professional acquaintance for about eight years, as an individual working in social services, someone known for things such as getting up at 2 o’clock in the morning to give people rides to shelters.

“I think you’d be hard pressed to find many people who have anything negative to say about her involvement,” he said. “And people would attest to the fact that this is a person who has dedicated a huge chunk of her life and career and doing what she could to help other people.”