Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Final results show Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield won the Nov. 2 election with five percentage points above his challenger, a sergeant in his office.

“The people have decided they want me as their sheriff, so I’m here to serve them another four years,” Mansfield said yesterday after the election was certified.

Steve Mansfield

The people’s choice wasn’t quite so clear on election night, with the initial count giving the incumbent sheriff 51.5 percent of the votes.

Sgt. Ken Cheeseman’s showing took many by surprise as less than three months earlier in the primary, Cheeseman had secured only about about 41 percent of the votes.

Cheeseman yesterday said it was a very interesting, educational and fun experience.

“I just thank all the people that voted for me, that helped and were willing to help,” the Randle Republican said.

Ken Cheeseman

It was a real close race, Cheeseman said. That surprised the first-time candidate for public office a little, since any incumbent sheriff ought to have been able to win by a landslide, he said.

“You’d expect the outcome, if he had the support of his peers, his staff and his organization, it would have been huge, but it wasn’t,” Cheeseman said.

He ran because he knew there were people who wanted change, and hopefully the sheriff heard the message behind the closeness of the race, Cheeseman said.

The final tally gave Mansfield 52.44 percent with 14,887 votes and Cheeseman 47.56 percent with 13,500 votes.

Voter turnout was almost 75 percent, much higher than longtime Lewis County Auditor Gary Zandell had expected. Zandell said he had predicted it would be closer to 68 percent or maybe 69 percent.

There were roughly 31,400 ballots cast in a county with a population of some 74,000 people.

An election year is a time to sort out and talk about differences, said Mansfield, who was first elected to the office five years ago after being appointed almost a year earlier to fill out the term of former Sheriff John McCrosksy.

Mansfield, who calls himself a steward of the office, said the ballot numbers suggested to him some of the public was disenchanted with what they were led to believe were problems between his office and the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, and were thinking they weren’t being served.

“I can assure you that was not the case with the sheriff’s office,” he said.

His people have been confronted with one challenge after another this year, including seven homicides, a days-long search for the victims of a fatal plane crash, and handled it well all despite being down 20 positions, Mansfield said.

“Yet we’re still out there making a positive difference in this county,” he said.

Mansfield said he’s especially pleased that while those who work for him lined up on both sides of the race, it didn’t become so divisive as to affect the sheriff’s office achieving its mission.

“I just go back to, I’m really proud of the people who work here, and how they conducted themselves during the process,” he said.

The Winlock Republican also noted he couldn’t be happier the election resulted in a new prosecutor.

“We’re ready to move on and start this new chapter,” he said.
•••

See all the final election results here

Read election night news story, “Mansfield leads, but sheriff’s race undecided” here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Charges have been increased to first-degree murder for the man who opened fire on two suspected burglars at his Onalaska house last April killing one of them.

Ronald A. Brady

Ronald A. Brady, 60, was initially charged with first-degree manslaughter for the death of Thomas McKenzie, 56, of Morton and first-degree assault of McKenzie’s estranged wife Joanna McKenzie, but an amended information has been filed in Lewis County Superior Court.

“Just based on the facts of the case,” Deputy Prosecutor Colin Hayes said today of the thinking behind the change.

According to charging documents, Brady admitted shooting at the pair outside his house he was renovating on the 2100 block of state Route 508, describing to deputies opening his garage door and finding two flashlights shined in his face.

He told sheriff’s detectives he was staying overnight at the unoccupied house in case burglars from earlier in the day returned. Brady resides in a nearby rental home.

Elected Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden wasn’t in today, but Senior Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher described the reason for the the upgraded charge this way:

“This guy laid in wait, based on what the deputies said, he throws the garage door open and, bam,” Meagher said.

The change brings to six the number of homicides this year in Lewis County which have brought first-degree murder charges. No one has been charged in a seventh homicide that occurred earlier this year.

While McKenzie’s death occurred April 19, Brady was not charged until almost the end of September.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield, after his office’s investigation was finished in mid-July, announced he concluded Brady’s use of deadly force was justified and that he would not arrest the homeowner. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, however, passed the case on to the prosecutor for his review.

Brady remains free on a $50,000 unsecured appearance bond.

First-degree murder is a class A felony with a possible penalty of life in prison and a $50,000 fine. Its elements include intent and premeditation.

The amended charge was filed last Thursday.

Brady, a retired bachelor who used to work as an electrical engineer at The Boeing Co. according to his landlord, is represented by Centralia defense attorney Don Blair.

He’s been renting from neighbors Jack and Sharon Tipping for about 15 years, following a fire at his nearby state Route 508 house.

A trial date was set for the week of Jan. 10. It is expected to last five days.

Brady’s defense is general denial and self defense, according to documents filed in his case.

Thomas McKenzie died from a gunshot wound to his chest and leaves behind nine children and other family members.

Joanna McKenzie, 32, escaped the gunfire on April 19 without injury, but she was charged with and made a so-called Alford plea to attempted burglary, not admitting guilt.

As a first-time offender, she was sentenced last month to 15 days in Lewis County Jail.

However, she was jailed last night after police say they found methamphetamine and stolen property from a shoplifting spree during a traffic stop in Centralia.

She hasn’t yet served her 15 days, according to Deputy Prosecutor Kjell Warner. She was charged today with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Joanna McKenzie’s bail was set at $20,000 today.
•••

Other homicides in Lewis County in 2010

• Morton teenager: Austin King, 16, of Morton, was found on a logging dead with a cracked skull on July 20 a month after he disappeared from his home. An acquaintance, Jack Arnold Silverthorne, 20, of Renton, was charged Nov. 10 with first-degree murder.

• Frost Road Trailer Park: Jackie Marie Lawyer, 64, of Winlock, was fatally shot the morning of Nov. 4 in the Frost Road Trailer Park where she lived. A neighbor Richard Joseph Frank Roth, 65, was arrested the same day and charged Nov. 5 with first-degree murder.

• Salkum-Onalaska triple slaying: David J. West Sr. 52, his son David J. West Jr., 16, and Tony E. Williams, 50, of Randle, were fatally shot at the West’s home on Aug. 21. Two men are charged in the case, that included a fourth gunshot victim who survived. John Allen Booth Jr., 31, Onalaska, was charged Aug 23 with three counts of first-degree murder but the charges were upgraded on Oct. 1 to aggravated first-degree murder for the deaths of the younger West and Williams. Ryan McCarthy, 29 of Redmond, was charged Sept 3 with three counts of first-degree felony murder.

• Randle homicide: Guy LaFontaine, 58, of Federal Way, died from injuries following an assault the evening of March 13 at the 11,000 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Randle. A relative was initially arrested and booked for second-degree murder, but was released and no charges have been filed.
•••

Read previous story on Ronald Brady for more details of what prosecutor’s believe occurred:

• “Onalaska man charged in April’s fatal shooting of suspected burglar” from Sept. 24, 2010 here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 68-year-old Olympia man was arrested yesterday for illegal gun sales following an investigation that began with an undercover federal agent purchasing a revolver from him at a gun show in Centralia.

David Devenny, who sometimes called himself “Handlebar Dave”, was arrested after selling firearms to a convicted felon and a second person knowing they were prohibited from possessing firearms, according to the U.S. Attorney’ Office.

Between October 2009 and this week, informants and undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have bought approximately 10 firearms from Devenny at various gun shows in the Western Washington and at his residence, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

Prosecutors allege in the 12-page document he bought and sold at shows without keeping records and in a manner that did not comport with the requirements for private collection sales.

Devenny allegedly sold a gun at a Puyallup gun show that was used a week later to kill Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton on Halloween 2009. He reportedly commented to the undercover agent, he didn’t know who he sold it to because he did not keep records.

The special agent in charge of the ATF Seattle field office called the alleged offenses thoughtless acts that needlessly jeopardize innocent lives in a news release yesterday.

“We stand at the front line against violence, and are wholeheartedly committed to pursuing those individuals who would disregard existing federal firearms laws and selfishly feed the illegal supply of guns that impact out streets and communities,” Special Agent in Charge Kelvin Crenshaw said in a written statement.

Devenny is not charged in connection with the sale of the gun that killed Brenton and is not charged with failing to obtain a federal firearms dealer license.

He is charged with two counts of sale of a firearm to a prohibited person.

In the first count, he allegedly sold a Glock .40 caliber pistol and a Norinko SKS rifle knowing and having reasonable cause to believe the buyer was subject to a court order restraining him from harassing, stalking and threatening an intimate partner.

In the second count, he allegedly sold a Wilkerson 9 mm pistol to a person knowing and having reasonable cause to believe the buyer had been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

Both the felon and the person with the domestic violence conviction were working with law enforcement at the time of the purchases in February and November of this year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The sales were made at Devenny’s residence on the 9600 block of Highway 99 Southeast in Olympia.

ATF agents seized 42 guns and $32,000 cash when Devenny was arrested. Devenny was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma yesterday afternoon.

According to the complaint, Devenny first came to the attention of law enforcement in May 2009 while officers reviewed gun sales activities at gun shows throughout Western Washington.

The forms from Devenny’s purchases from federal firearms licensed dealers showed he purchased 16 handguns in a five month period last year. Prosecutors allege the guns were then sold in private sales with no further records or background checks.

On October 17, 2009, ATF agents began an undercover operation at a gun show at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds in Centralia.

The complaint alleges the following about Devenny:

An undercover agent approached Devenny’s display of about 15 handguns and eight long guns for sale. During the conversation, Devenny explained he had been buying and selling guns for about seven years and made “decent money” doing it.

The agent bought a Taurus .44 caliber revolver for $395. Devenny asked if the agent was a Washington resident, but did not ask to see identification.

In January of this year, the agent visited Devenny at his home, making two more purchases. The agent told Devenny about a friend who wanted to buy a gun, but couldn’t since he had a fight with his wife and indicated the friend had a domestic violence conviction.

When the agent asked if he could bring the friend by, Devenny allegedly responded with “What I don’t know, I don’t care about. Uh, I don’t want somebody coming down here on their own.” and “It’s don’t ask, don’t tell. If I don’t know, then there’s nothing wrong with it.”

On February 5, the “friend” bought two guns from Devenny and the undercover agent bought one more.

When they left, Devenny reminded the “friend” “If it comes along that someone catches you and raises hell with you, you don’t know where those came from, just keep that in mind.”

On Monday, an undercover agent brought a “buddy” he had told Devenny had problems with the law to Devenny’s residence, after Devenny allegedly told him, “Bring a lot of money and get my attention.”

They bought more firearms after the agent reminded the “buddy” he didn’t have a lot of a lot of places he could buy guns, and added, “It’s not like you can go to a gun store and do this legally.” Devenny reportedly then stated, “Then you don’t know where they came from.”

Devenny told the agent he was going out of business, as he was burned out a little.

He said his last gun show was in Centralia a couple months ago.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Three Chehalis teenagers are expected to be charged today, as were three others yesterday, with felonies in connection with a confrontation earlier this week that apparently began with concerns rumors were being spread a teen has herpes.

The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office alleges two car loads of young people showed up a the Boistfort area home of an 18-year-old male threatening to beat him up on Tuesday, even kicking in his front door while his mother was at home.

The 18-year-old, Dallas Wilkins, got them to leave by firing several shots with a rifle into the back window of their car, according to charging documents.

The suspects range in age from 14 to 19. Three of them are under 18 and expected today to face similar charges to the adult suspects, including felony harassment.

All denied the account of events given by Wilkins.

Cody J. Snider, 19; Christopher B. Arkell, 19; and Megan M. Striefel, 18, appeared in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday. Each has been bailed out of jail already.

Two 17-year-old males and a 14-year-old female are being dealt with in Lewis County Juvenile Court.

Charging documents for the adults give the following account of what the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office believes occurred:

Wilkins had been getting threatening text messages, and on Tuesday, received messages from Snider he was going to come and fight him and hurt him physically. Deputies found messages on Wilkins phone of a similar nature from three of the others.

Snider told a deputy Wilkins had spread rumors he had herpes.

Two cars with the group showed up at Wilkins’ home on Pe Ell McDonald Road and when Wilkins didn’t answer a knock from the 14-year-old girl to see if he would come outside, they drove onto the the front lawn and parked.

Arkell and two 17-year-old boys went to the front door and yelled at Wilkins to come out and fight while Snider and Striefel sat in their car with the door open jeering and yelling.

A seventh individual, a 17-year-old boy, was with them, but deputies concluded he had no involvement.

Wilkins told them to leave and closed the door, but when he opened it again as far as the locked chain allowed, Arkell kicked it open and the three continued to call Wilkins out.

Wilkins grabbed his rifle from beside the door, fired shots in the air and threatened to shoot out the windows of one of the cars. When they didn’t leave, he fired into the vehicle. They left.

Deputies, called about 1:15 p.m., stopped a silver Hyundai on Highway 6 near Chehalis, driven by Arkell and carrying four other teenagers. A blue Honda pulled up, driven by a 17-year-old, with six bullet holes in the back window.

Six of the seven were arrested after deputies conducted interviews.

The charges are: harassment – threat to kill, trespass, and first-degree burglary.

When Snider went before Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler yesterday afternoon, he pleaded not guilty.

Arkell and Striefel are scheduled to make their pleas next Wednesday.

Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke, who is handling all six suspects, said he expected to charge the juveniles today.

More than an hour after author Ann Rule's presentation on her book "In the Still of the Night" the line to get it signed reached the top of Centralia College's Corbet Theater

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – Corbet Theater at Centralia College was filled to capacity with folks who wanted to hear true crime writer Ann Rule speak on her new book about the Ronda Reynolds’ case last night and dozens more were turned away.

Rule, the Seattle-based author, was joined on stage by Barb Thompson, the mother of the former trooper who was found with a bullet in her head on the floor of a walk-in closet inside her Toledo home in 1998.

“Something seemed hinky to me,” said Rule, as she shared the curiosities that led her to explore the suspicious death.

While she normally doesn’t write about cases without a criminal trial and a conviction to structure her story around, Rule made an exception, according to Thompson.

A civil case a year ago in Lewis County Superior Court ended with a panel of 12 citizens concluding that the coroner’s determination the 33-year-old committed suicide was wrong, as well as arbitrary and capricious.

Thompson, who lives in Spokane, told of her efforts through the years to get the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and the Lewis County Coroner’s Office to give her answers about her daughter’s death and why she finally turned to the courts for a review.

While a judge ordered elected Coroner Terry Wilson to change the death certificate, he has appealed that, Thompson said.

What happens with the appeal, however, may be moot, Rule said.

“Because he won’t be in office in January, you’ll have a new coroner,” she said.

Her pronouncement was followed with heavy applause and some cheers from the audience of more than 500 attendees.

The draw was so large and so close geographically to the heart of Rule’s story, an off duty officer kept close to the two women throughout the evening.

Rule, whose writing career began penning stories for detective magazines under the pseudonym Andy Stack, offered her twist on the case.

“I don’t think the main suspect in this case is who everybody thinks it is,” Rule told the crowd.

“I put forward in the book anywhere from nine to 12 possible suspects,” she said.

New information in the book tells of an individual who revealed to former Lewis County detective Jerry Berry earlier this year that he and several friends of Ron Reynolds’ sons were partying at the house that night, and that Ron Reynolds wasn’t there.

Berry turned his information over to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office who interviewed him, according to Rule’s book. The detectives concluded he was too “wishy-washy” to be believable, Rule wrote.

Much of the evening was questions and answers. Audience members had several.

Can the prosecutor do anything to insist the sheriff’s office reopen the case? Can you not go all the way up to the FBI?

Why would someone killing themselves bother to cover their face with a pillow?

What time were the crime scene photos taken? Why are there different accounts of where the gun was found?

Rule told the gathering there is a reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of someone who carried out a plan to murder Ronda Reynolds.

Retired Lewis County Sheriff Bill Logan didn’t have a question, but offered advice to the crowd.

“I’m familiar with these kinds of cases,” said Logan whose two terms as sheriff ended in January 1995.

“The sheriff’s people are not magicians, they don’t have any magic to solve these things,” he said.

Sometimes the only way it happens is if someone talks, he said.

With so many in the room so interested in the case, something good could come out of the renewed attention, according to Logan.

He urged those in the theater, if they know someone who may know something, to encourage them to talk.

“Sometimes it takes awhile,” Logan said. “With your help, maybe we can get this thing figured out.”
•••

“In the Still of the Night: The strange death of Ronda Reynolds and her mother’s unceasing quest for the truth” went on sale early last month.

Read my story about the five days in court last November after which “Jury finds coroner erred in ruling former troopers death a suicide” here

Ann Rule, left, and Barb Thompson sign copies of Rule's book about Ronda Reynolds death