Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 20-year-old man has been charged with second-degree manslaughter for an incident in which his brother was fatally shot this past spring  in the Pe Ell home they shared, which a witness described as unintentional.

But Cody A. Smith, 20, was “messing with the gun stupidly,” a female witness told authorities.

Austin Smith, 21, died of a gunshot wound to the chest, Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said at the time.

It happened the morning of April 28 at their residence on the 500 block of Third Street in Pe Ell, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Cody Smith was summonsed to appear in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday and was released on his own personal recognizance. Charges were filed Aug. 1. His arraignment was scheduled for this morning. He is represented by Centralia defense attorney Don Blair.

Charging documents allege Cody removed his brother’s gun from his brother’s dresser and went into the living room, having clipped the holster to his shorts.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer writes that the defendant described what happened in a couple of different ways. He said he tried to pull the firearm and turn it and it went off, according to Meyer. In another conversation he indicated he was trying to put the gun away when it discharged, Meyer wrote.

Cody denied ever removing it from the holster, but the female witness recalled the gun was out of the holster, according to Meyer.

Sheriff’s deputies and aid were called to the home at 8:55 a.m. that day. Austin Smith died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

The allegation is Cody Smith caused the death with criminal negligence. The offense has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

An additional allegation that the defendant was armed with a firearm at the time would mean an additional five years would be tacked on to his sentence, if convicted.

A trial was scheduled for the week of June 24 in Lewis County Superior Court.
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For background, read “Fatal shooting of man by brother in Pe Ell under investigation” from Monday April 30, 2018, here

Updated at 12:05 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 28-year-old Centralia woman whose body was pulled from the Skookumchuck River last month drowned, the  Lewis County Coroner’s Office said today.

Coroner Warren McLeod said his investigation is completed and he is labeling the manner of death for Kimberly A. Gotcher as undetermined. That’s not unusual, he said.

“The vast majority of unwitnessed drownings are listed as undetermined,” McLeod said. “None of us knows how she ended up in the water.”

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has described Gotcher as a homeless person who had a campsite under a bridge nearby.

Deputies called to Schaefer Park just northeast of Centralia about 12:38 p.m. on Oct. 21 recovered Gotcher’s body from the river. There were no obvious signs of what caused her death, authorities said at the time.

The sheriff’s office has not shared information about who found her in the river or who called 911 that day. Today a sheriff’s office spokesperson indicated they won’t talk about the case until after their work on it completed.

McLeod said the autopsy showed indications that she drowned, but he waited for the results of toxicology tests before finalizing his conclusions.

The coroner’s office paid a private lab for the testing, because the turnaround time from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab has, in at least one local case, grown to more than six months.
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For background, read “News brief: Coroner has no cause of death for woman found in river” from Thursday October 25, 2018, here

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THEFT

• Centralia police were called to the 1700 block of Cooks Hill Road about 9:15 a.m. yesterday to take a report that a utility trailer containing contained some power tools had been stolen. There was no suspect information as of this morning, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Officers called about 10:15 p.m. yesterday for a two-vehicle collision at Mellen Street and Airport Road arrested a 29-year-old motorist for driving under the influence. Kasey L. Howard, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, probation violation, reckless driving, fourth-degree assault, second-degree assault, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, trespassing, civil issue, vandalism, vehicle collision,  misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances and more among 170 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Chehalis resident was among 17 people arrested yesterday in a multi-agency law enforcement operation targeting suspects associated with drug trafficking tied to a cartel in Michoacan, Mexico, according to authorities.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon unsealed a nine count indictment charging 22 individuals allegedly responsible for trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine in Oregon and Washington.

Randall Deal Mauel, 47, of Chehalis is charged with conspiracy, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to the indictment, a drug cartel based in Michoacan, Mexico distributed methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine to Victor Alvarez Farfan, 43, of Oregon City, Oregon. Farfan and his associates allegedly manufactured crystal methamphetamine from liquid form and distributed it to other members of the conspiracy for sale in Hillsboro, Gresham, Portland and Hood River, in Oregon, and Tacoma, Washington.

“Stopping these transnational organizations requires steadfast and responsive law enforcement partnerships at all levels of government,” Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon stated in the press release. “Today, thanks to the vigilance and sustained cooperation of law enforcement agencies across Oregon, this cartel’s efforts to maintain their foothold in our communities has been dealt a lasting blow.”

Among the agencies involved in the early morning arrests were the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, as well as regional task forces and numerous sheriff’s offices and police departments in Oregon.

The indictment alleges members of the organization conspired to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine; use a communication facility, including cellular telephones, in the commission of a controlled substances felony; and maintain drug-involved premises to manufacture and distribute controlled substances. Other charges include the interstate distribution of drug proceeds and money laundering.

Mauel was sentenced in 2014 in Lewis County Superior Court following a plea agreement that would send him to prison for a year and a day for drug possession. A raid that took place on Dec. 9, 2013 at the 2500 block of Jackson Highway allegedly turned up a one-gallon freezer bag nearly filled with chards of meth and more than $11,000 worth of heroin, but an issue with the search warrant meant the drugs were not available to be used as evidence.

The rest of the 17 named defendants in the new case are from cities in Oregon including Gresham, Salem, Hillsboro, Portland, Astoria. One person charged is from Vancouver, Washington.

The identities of the five remaining defendants remain under seal. All defendants are expected to make their first appearances within one week, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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WANTED PERSON TRACKED BY K-9

• A police dog was summoned and nearby schools alerted after a 34-year-old man fled his residence on the 100 block of Jalyn Street as police arrived about 10:20 a.m. yesterday. The K-9 tracked to an area near an apartment complex on Mount Vista Road and  Joshua D. Johnson was subsequently located inside an apartment, according to the Centralia Police Department. Johnson was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Lewis County Jail for an outstanding warrant and possession of methamphetamine, according to police.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police called to the 500 block of Northwest St. Helens Avenue just before 5 p.m. yesterday learned that during the night, someone had prowled three locked vehicles. Door handles were broken on two of them and stolen were a Pioneer stereo and subwoofer, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Centralia police were called to the 1400 block of Johnson Road about 11:50 a.m. yesterday when a witness reported seeing a man open the door of a vehicle and remove something, before leaving in another vehicle. A wallet was stolen from the victim’s vehicle, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were contacted about 11:45 a.m. yesterday regarding a vehicle prowl. Further details were not available.

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

• Officers were called to the 1400 block of Maple Valley Drive about 4:30 p.m. yesterday where a 32-year-old man had allegedly pushed a female and later stole her backpack from her parked vehicle. Police found the backpack a short distance away but were unable to locate their suspect, according to the Centralia Police Department. A summons has been sent to the suspect, a Centralia man, for fourth-degree domestic assault and third-degree theft, according to police.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, third-degree theft, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, trespassing, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 144 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Authorities are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in the river yesterday near Schaefer Park just northeast of Centralia.

Deputies responded about 12:38 p.m. to the county park at state Route 507 and Big Hanaford Road for a suspicious circumstances call.

Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said deputies pulled her from the water. There were no obvious signs of what caused her death, according to Breen.

He described the woman as a 28-year-old transient of Centralia.  She had a campsite under a bridge near the river, he said.

Breen said he wouldn’t comment on questions of who found her in the river or who called 911 due to the active nature of the investigation.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday and will likely include toxicology tests, according to Breen.