Lewis County Sirens.com

A helicopter drops water off Katula Road outside Pe Ell yesterday. / Courtesy photo by DNR

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters are working to extinguish a wildfire that broke out on a timber company’s land near Pe Ell, with roughly 80 people on the ground today.

A Doty firefighter who happened to be up on a hill spotted it and contacted the state Department of Natural Resources about 9 o’clock yesterday morning.

It was initially estimated at 40 acres but is more like 25 acres, and it’s mostly debris leftover from previous logging that is burning, according to Nick Cronquist, a DNR spokesperson..

It went a little bit into the timber, burning the salal and other vegetation on the ground, Cronquist said.

The area is roughly halfway between Pe Ell and Doty.

Cronquist said this morning the fire is 70 percent contained.

“The helicopters were working pretty hard last night, but we don’t think we’ll use them again,” he said. They have them on standby, he said.

The property belongs to Green Diamond Resource Co. and is off Katula Road.

Local firefighters have been supporting the efforts, hauling water with tenders, according to Lewis County Fire District 16 Chief Greg Feuchter.

Cronquist said they had 50 personnel working the fire yesterday and expected they will be out there for the next couple of days.

It started sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning, he said, and its cause is under investigation.

It’s among the first sizable wildfires in Western Washington this season, following an early in the weekend fire in Clark County, according to Cronquist.

The state Department of Natural Resources expects personnel to be working for the next couple of days to extinguish the fire. / Courtesy photo by DNR

•••

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Toledo man arrested after a bizarre series of events that left employees at a Centralia motel hiding and ended in a fight with police officers inside the nearby sandwich shop remains jailed as his lawyer makes plans to delve into his mental state.

Defense attorney Shane O’Rourke described the situation on Alder Street the morning of May 26 as a sort of manic scenario.

“All the witnesses indicated he thought something was happening that was not happening,” O’Rourke said.

Mitchell K. Davis, 27, was a gunner on active duty in Iraq in 2009 who had significant combat and had significant issues afterwards, O’Rourke said.

“We believe he had been brought by Toledo police to Providence Centralia Hospital who dropped him off there,” he said. “I believe he was discharged within a matter of hours before this.”

Officers were called about 11:15 a.m. that day to the Peppermill Inn having been told Davis grabbed an employee, pushed her to the floor and took her phone, according to police. As police arrived, they got a call from a man at the Shell station next door – where Davis allegedly took his phone – and were directed to the Subway shop, according to a police account.

Police said he was hiding in the bathroom, and as he dashed out, knocked a worker to the ground. Davis was subdued with a Taser, but during a struggle, reportedly struck one officer in the face.

Davis yesterday pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

He remains in the Lewis County Jail, and O’Rourke is preparing for an extensive evaluation of his client.

The Centralia defense attorney said he expected within the next couple of days he would seek authorization from a judge to engage an expert psychiatrist.

Davis is charged with two counts of second-degree robbery, one count of third-degree assault, two counts of fourth-degree assault, malicious mischief and possession of methamphetamine. His trial is on the Lewis County Superior Court calendar for July 20.

Getting acquitted by reason of insanity can be a long and complex process, according to O’Rourke.

It’s different, in that the defendant acknowledges the acts, but, then a judge or jury has to find one of two things are true, he said.

“A, I did not understand what I was doing because of some kind of mental defect or delusion,” O’Rourke said. “Or B, because of my mental state, I had no ability to appreciate right from wrong.”

It’s a difficult standard to meet, he said.

If it happens, the case then shifts into determining what to do next with the person, he said.

“If it’s a bad enough crime, you’re probably going to be committed the rest of your life, he said.

O’Rourke said one of the allegations is police found a residual amount of methamphetamine, so an issue he expects to come up is an allegation of intoxication.
•••

For background, read “Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup – POLICE: ‘SPUN UP OUT OF HIS MIND’ ” from Wednesday May 27, 2015, here

The man named in court documents as Huber Juarez-Arellano approaches the defense table for his bail hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The individual accused of stealing a pickup truck from a Chehalis dealership during a test drive – by brandishing a toy gun – and leading law enforcement officers on a wild chase into Cowlitz County appeared before a judge this afternoon where lawyers discussed his bail.

But first, Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler asked if his name was indeed Huber Juarez-Arellano.

“I don’t know who was messing with my ID,” the young man replied.

Lawler told him all he wanted to know at that point, was if that was his name.

“Yes,” he said.

A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office commander yesterday identified the arrestee as Huber (no middle initial) Juarez-Arellano, 21, from Vancouver, Washington. A different spokesperson from the office this morning said he was Huber J. Arellano. The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office reported he is Huber Juarez-Vasques, 22, of Kelso.

Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge her temporary client lives and works in the Salem, Oregon area.

When Lawler asked him did understood the charges, his rights and the potential penalties, long pauses followed before the heavily tattooed man responded affirmatively to each query.

“He does have some mental health issues he wants the court to consider,” O’Rourke told the judge.

Juarez-Arellano – as he is named in court documents, based on the identification left at I-5 Toyota – is charged with  first-degree robbery, attempting to elude and first-degree malicious mischief.

The sheriff’s office says when he and a sales associate took a 2011 Ford F150 pickup for a drive yesterday morning, he pulled out what looked like a pistol and ordered the 46-year-old man out of the vehicle near Hamilton and Labree roads south of Chehalis. And then took off.

An Airsoft gun he allegedly threw out a window was recovered.

Charging documents speak of deputies and troopers pursuing on a backroad at 30 to 40 mph above the speed limit, with the suspect vehicle swerving into oncoming lanes and ignoring stop signs and other traffic warnings.

The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office reported the truck ran through a fence near a weigh station south of Castle Rock. Charging documents describe part of the journey as cutting across the northbound lanes of Interstate 5, crossing the median and heading into the southbound lanes before driving through a barricade onto a frontage road.

“Frankly, everyone’s lucky someone did not die,” Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer told the judge.

Meyer asked for bail of $750,000, based in part on juvenile convictions of second-degree assault and harassment. O’Rourke asked for $50,000, telling the judge Juarez-Arellano works multiple jobs and supports his wife, three young children, his mother and his brother.

She also said he receives disability payments and appeared to qualify for a court-appointed attorney.

“He is denying he is the alleged suspect in the probable cause statement,” O’Rourke said.

Bail was set at $500,000. His arraignment was scheduled for next Thursday morning with Centralia lawyer David Arcuri to represent him.
•••

For background, read “Chehalis salesman carjacked during test drive” from Wednesday June 10, 2015, here

•••

SPEEDY FRAUDSTER

• A 50-year-old Chehalis man contacted police about 4:30 p.m. yesterday to report he’d accidentally left his credit card at the library and although within a couple of hours realized it was not with him, discovered it had already been used twice at local businesses and someone was attempting to use it at an ATM. The third transaction didn’t go through, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

MISSING CAR FOUND

• A car reported stolen yesterday from the 300 block of East Magnolia Street in Centralia turned up at the 300 block of Pine Street and a relative of the owner was arrested. Corey R. Aldrich, 28, was located at a nearby apartment and booked into the Lewis County Jail for taking a motor vehicle without permission,  according to the Centralia Police Department. A search of his person incident to the arrest turned up suspected methamphetamine, so the Centralia man was booked for that too, according to police. That offense is the one cited if a person is related to the owner, has been allowed to use the vehicle at least one time before and didn’t intend to permanently deprive the owner of their property,  according to police.

FUEL THEFT

• Centralia police were contacted yesterday by an individual who said someone tried to steal gasoline from their parked vehicle during the night at the 1000 block of F Street.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called about 8:20 p.m. yesterday about a vehicle prowl on the 300 block of Southwest James Street.

SUSPICIOUS FIRE

• It appeared someone set a fire in an alley next to a garage in Chehalis yesterday evening but a neighbor who was quick with a garden hose got it put out before it spread, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. Firefighters were called to the area behind the 300 block of Southwest James Street about 6:30 p.m. and found brush and grass covering an area approximately three feet by six feet had burned, Capt. Rob Gebhart said. A small scorched spot was found in front of the house as well, Gebhart said. Nobody was home at the residence, he said. Firefighters and police spoke with some kids across the street, but nobody saw anything, Gebhart said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, underage drinking, malicious mischief, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street … and more.

Updated

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Chehalis automobile salesman was carjacked during a test drive this morning, with what turned out to be a toy gun.

A 21-year-old man is in custody, after a high-speed chase that ended in Cowlitz County.

The red 2011 Ford F150 pickup sustained some damage when the suspect drove it through a fence near a weigh station about five miles south of Castle Rock, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Cmdr. Dusty Breen said it began at I-5 Toyota on Northwest Louisiana Avenue where the supposed customer and the sales person departed for a test drive.

They were traveling on Hamilton Road south of Chehalis when the 21-year-old ordered the man out at gunpoint, Breen said, or, with what appeared to be a handgun.

“The salesman is able to flag somebody down for help,” he said. “Deputies were dispatched.”

That was around 11:20 a.m.

The sheriff’s office and the state patrol began a pursuit that took Interstate 5 as well as some backroads at speeds of 80 and 90 mph, and ended when the driver ran through the fence and bailed out, he said. They were joined by Cowlitz deputies as well.

They got a call from a woman who said there was a man inside her house, out of breath and asking for water, and he borrowed a pair of sunglasses from a person there, put them on and hid under a porch, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.

That was on Pleasant Hill Road, and that’s where law enforcement officers took him into custody.

Cmdr. Breen said Huber Juarez-Arellano, 21, is from Vancouver, Washington. Cowlitz County identifies him as Huber Juarez-Vasques, 22, of Kelso.

Breen said the suspect tossed the weapon out along Barnes Road, and when it was recovered, it turned out to be a painted Airsoft gun.

Nobody got hurt in the incident, he said. The sales associate is a 46-year-old Centralia resident, according to the sheriff’s office.

The suspect was transported back to Lewis County to be booked into the jail for first-degree robbery and felony eluding, Breen said.

The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office reports it will be considering charges of eluding and trespass.

The suspect had left his identification at the dealership before the test drive, according to Chief Deputy Stacy Brown.

•••

SHOPLIFTING

• Centralia officers “physically subdued” a 25-year-old homeless woman who was running from a store security person last night following an alleged shoplift. Police called to the 500 block of South Tower Avenue just before 10 p.m. arrested Shila K. Brennan, 25, for third-degree theft and booked her into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWLING

• Chehalis police were called a little after 2 o’clock this morning to the 400 block of Northeast Adams Avenue where a woman said she’d gone out to her car to get something and found a man inside it with a flashlight. He ran off and was not located, according to the Chehalis Police Department. It appeared a neighbor’s vehicle had also been prowled, police said. The suspect was described only as white and in his mid-20s, with short hair or bald and wearing “skater” shoes, according to police.

BAD CHECK

• Chehalis police were called about 2 p.m. yesterday regarding someone trying to fraudulently cash a check at a bank on the 1400 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue. The case is under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ASSAULT

• The Olympian reports a 37-year-old Centralia man accused of choking and beating another man at a mobile home near Rainier a week and a half ago pleaded not guilty yesterday to second-degree assault and felony harassment in Thurston County Superior Court. News reporter Amelia Dickson writes the victim’s girlfriend and children witnessed the altercation that began with Mike J. Poulton banging on the man’s door while he slept.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, probation violation, driving with suspended license; responses for dispute, shoplifting, suspicious circumstances … and more.

•••

Updated at 3:19 p.m.

PARACHUTING ACCIDENT

• Medics and firefighters were called to the airport in Toledo today for an injured skydiver, who they were told passed out on his way down. The man landed on the tarmac and suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to Lewis County Fire District 2. Firefighter-EMT Tracy Summers said the patient was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital following the approximately 12:45 p.m. call to the airfield off Jackson Highway.

DEER BREAKS MAN’S LEG

• Deputies responded to the 600 block of West Reynolds Avenue in Centralia after an approximately 2:40 p.m. incident yesterday when a deer ran into the side of motorcyclist traveling down the road, breaking the driver’s leg. The 61-year-old Rochester man’s Harley Davidson was undamaged, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

PEDESTRIAN INJURED

• Police were called about 8:20 p.m. yesterday to Reynolds Avenue and Pearl Street for a pedestrian versus vehicle accident. A boy, whose age was not readily available, was transported to the hospital for minor injuries, according to the Centralia Police Department. The driver was issued a citation, according to police.

BICYCLIST HURT

• A bicycle rider was transported to the hospital with minor injuries after a collision with a vehicle at about 7:20 a.m. yesterday at Pearl and Maple streets in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

UNWANTED VISITOR

• Police were called yesterday by an individual at the 200 block of Southwest Lewis Street in Chehalis who said sometime during the night someone came onto their deck and knocked over planters, and stole one of them.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Police were called about 5:30 a.m. yesterday to the 1100 block of South Pearl Street in Centralia after the discovery someone got into a parked car and removed its stereo, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police took a report yesterday from the 1000 block of South Pearl Street regarding a car prowl the evening before in which someone broke out the window and stole a purse. Among its contents were money and credit cards, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FRAUD

• Centralia police took a report yesterday from an individual who said his wallet, with credit card, had been stolen from his home on the 200 block of East Chestnut Street and he learned someone else made charges on his account.

DRUGS

• A deputy serving an arrest warrant at the 200 block of Panisco Road in Cinebar yesterday morning ended up arresting a woman for possession of methamphetamine. The deputy reports the woman attempted to walk away and after she was placed on the ground to be handcuffed, she tried to throw a glass tube, which contained a white crystal powder, that field tested positive for meth, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Bobbie H. Valentich, also known as Bobbie Hansen, age not readily available, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

LOST AND FOUND

• Centralia police were called yesterday morning by the owner of a 5-month-old Australian cattle dog who said the pup went missing from their yard on the 1200 block of Alexander Street. Police describe the pet as mostly white with a hint of gray. Officers took note a scraggly looking stranger had been seen in the area, but the man was not located, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Police and deputies searched for a 4-year-old child reported missing about 10 a.m. yesterday by his father at the 2000 block of Johnson Road. The investigation revealed the child was not missing and in fact was safe with his mother in the Rochester, according to police.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarm, hit and run, suspicious circumstances, possibly suicidal person, dog left alone inside parked vehicle, keys found at Penny Playground, someone letting the air out of someone else’s tires, suspected stolen iPad that was found, suspected stolen purse that was found … and more.