Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office yesterday reported they investigated after a Morton teen shot himself with a gun he thought was unloaded over the weekend.

The 19-year-old was wounded by a bullet that struck him at the bottom of his neck, traveled through his mouth and was lodged behind his nasal cavity, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies called to Morton General Hospital about 10:15 p.m. on Saturday spoke to the victim and two of his friends, and learned it occurred at a residence on the 800 block of Davis Lake Road, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

The 19-year-old had entered a bedroom to retrieve a 22 caliber handgun, was unaware the firearm was loaded and intentionally pulled the trigger, Breen said. The friends drove him to the hospital.

While deputies were at the hospital, the victim was being prepared for airlift to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for surgery, according to Breen.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 44-year-old motorist was arrested at gunpoint yesterday after allegedly firing a shot into another vehicle during a road rage incident on Interstate 5 near the Lewis-Cowlitz county line.

Darrin R. Odell, from Snoqualmie, was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

Law enforcement was notified that about 5 p.m., a 53-year-old Camas man was traveling southbound when he tried to pass a Cadillac sedan in the slow lane and the fast lane and saw the other driver had a firearm, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim said the motorist fired once, striking a camera inside his vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

When he called 911, the victim was transferred to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office because of his location at the time of the call, but it was later determined the incident occurred in Lewis County around milepost 59, Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey said.

A Cowlitz deputy located the suspect on Old Pacific Highway near Burma Road and arrested him at gunpoint, Kimsey said.

The Washington State Patrol conducted an investigation for driving under the influence. Odell was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault and second-degree malicious mischief.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 33-year-old Chehalis man is in custody after allegedly taking a knife off a police officer as they scuffled yesterday morning near the Amtrak station in Centralia.

Matthew E. Eastman allegedly had told a transit employee three times he was going to kick his f-ing ass and officers were called just before 8 a.m. to the 200 block of North Railroad Avenue.

Eastman had outstanding warrants and as Officer Doug Lowrey attempted to arrest him, a struggle and short chase ensued, according to authorities.

He allegedly took a knife from Lowrey’s vest, opened it and standing about two feet away, told Lowrey, he was going to f-ing kill him.

Lowrey drew his firearm. Eastman threw the knife.

He was Tased at one point, but it was ineffective because of his heavy jacket, Officer Angie Humphrey said.

Humphrey said officers know Eastman, who is involved with a Cascade Mental Health program.

He was taken into custody when other officers arrived, Humphrey said.

Lowrey received a hand injury and Eastman was treated for a cut to his hand, according to Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer.

Lowrey’s knife was found near the railroad tracks.

Eastman has several convictions for custodial assault, according to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office. He is pending charges of interfering with a health care facility, criminal trespass, unlawful transit conduct and urinating in public.

He was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault and also his warrants.

Today in Lewis County Superior Court, he was charged with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, disarming a law enforcement officer, felony harassment and misdemeanor harassment.

His bail was set at $75,000.

Jian Le Chen takes a seat at the defense table in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  After several attempts at driving by a rural Chehalis home to catch the scent of marijuana, drug detectives yesterday decided to knock on the front door and ended up seizing hundred of illegal plants and arresting four people.

Twenty-seven-year-old Jian Le Chen was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with one count of manufacture of marijuana. The other three individuals were released today from the Lewis County Jail pending further investigation

Chen was brought before a judge this afternoon for a bail hearing, but a Cantonese interpreter was unavailable so they rescheduled it for tomorrow afternoon.

Charging documents in the case state that in January, a neighbor off the 300 block of Brockway Road advised a family had purchased the property, were doing lots of construction in a detached shop and they suspected a grow operation there.

Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective Matt Schlecht inspected the power records for the property and saw a large increase in the electrical usage, according to Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joel DeFazio.

Yesterday when Schlecht and other members of the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, along with a special agent from an unspecified agency, made the decision to conduct a knock and talk at the residence, Schlecht was able to smell the odor of fresh growing marijuana coming from the shop, according to DeFazio.

They spoke with Chen who allegedly told them there were approximately 500 plants inside and that he was not authorized to grow marijuana, the documents relate.

Charging documents go on to offer the following information: A security sweep, for officer safety, was conducted of the house and shop and a male and a female were located. A telephonic search warrant was granted.

Three of the five rooms in the shop contained growing marijuana plants, one room held a cooler with trimmed and dried bud and another room just had growing equipment. A total of 862 plants, including 279 starter plants, were seized.

Also confiscated was the growing equipment and Chen’s mini van.

Chen allegedly stated he was growing the marijuana for someone else, and also that he just grows it for himself because he smokes a little bit and lets the rest sit.

He said he was from China but moved here from New York last year, and the house belonged to his cousin.

Chen is expected to be brought before a judge again in Lewis County Superior Court at 4:15 p.m. tomorrow.

Jeremy L. Francis, seated, faces a judge in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  A 35-year-old Centralia man arrested in November for rape after an encounter that began as consensual but turned violent was sentenced today to 14 months in prison.

Jeremy L. Francis went before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court where his attorney and a deputy prosecutor made the agreed recommendation to the judge. Judge Andrew Toynbee went along with their advice.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said the plea deal was made with the approval of the victim. She just wanted to make sure he would have to register as a sex offender, he said.

Francis pleaded guilty last month to third-degree rape. He had been originally charged with second-degree rape.

He was arrested on Nov. 11 after the mother of a 23-year-old woman called 911 to report to Centralia police her daughter had been raped.

Francis was represented by defense attorney Shane O’Rourke. After his release, he will be on community custody for three years.
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For background, read “Centralia man charged with rape, held on $100,000 bail” from Tuesday November 14, 2017, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 44-year-old man wearing body armor was arrested yesterday in Randle after allegedly telling his passenger he was going to run his vehicle into a tree and kill them both.

The 50-year-old victim told deputies that when the car slowed along the 9800 block of U.S. Highway 12, he rolled out, ran for help and called 911.

Deputies called about 1:10 p.m. located the suspect vehicle on the 200 block of Silverbrook Road, but the driver ran off into the trees, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

A Taser was deployed but was ineffective because of the body armor, however, a deputy and a trooper took the suspect to the ground and into custody, Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey said.

John Desmarais, 44, from Goldendale, allegedly tried to stash a small vial of a white powdery substance while enroute to Morton General Hospital, Kimsey said. The substance field-tested positive for amphetamines, Kimsey said.

Kimsey said it’s unclear how the two knew each other, but at one point authorities were told they may have been headed to the Cispus area to camp.

The threat occurred somewhere along U.S. Highway 12 when Desmarais allegedly made statements to his passenger that he was angry about his ex-girlfriend and other things going on his life, that he was going to cut off his hands and crash the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

The victim is a 50-year-old Centralia man.

Desmarais was booked into the Lewis County Jail for unlawful imprisonment and a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

He had outstanding warrants from the Yakima area for attempt to elude and from Klickitat for malicious mischief, according to Kimsey.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Centralia police are investigating after credit card skimmers were discovered on two pumps at a local gas station yesterday.

The case is being investigated as possible fraud and theft, but it is unknown if there are victims at this time, according to Officer Angie Humphrey.

Police were called to the Chevron at the 1200 block of Mellen Street just before 12:15 p.m. yesterday when the devices were found by a state inspector.

Humphrey said at this point, they have no idea how long the skimmers were in place. They were on outside pumps, she said.

Police collected the two devices and are contacting a specialized team with the Washington State Crime Laboratory to examine them. She said she doesn’t yet know if credit card information would have been collected remotely or if whoever installed them would have had to physically retrieve the skimmers to get customers’ data.

Humphrey recommends the public to be vigilant with their accounts.

Anyone who detects a false charge should contact their credit card company immediately and also report it to police, she said. Humphrey also advises people to check their credit reports on a routine basis.

The gas station owner is putting extra security measures in place, she said.

The inspector with the weights and measures unit who found the items told Humphrey he has found a couple of other skimmers in Lewis County in the recent past.