Lewis County Sirens.com

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Updated

POINTING GUN AT FAMILY MEMBER

• Deputies are looking for a 40-year-old Chehalis man after he allegedly pulled a gun on his stepfather during an argument yesterday west of Chehalis. Deputies responding about 6:15 p.m. to the 600 block of Curtis Hill Road were told Jason Harding pointed the handgun at the victim but then got in a vehicle and left, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The case against Harding is being sent to prosecutors with a recommendation of a charge of first-degree assault, according to Chief Deputy Stacy Brown.

DOMESTIC SSAULT

• A 28-year-old Winlock man was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly choked his girlfriend until she nearly passed out when she told him she wanted him out of her house. Police called about 1:20 a.m. on Saturday to the 300 block of Cherry Street in Winlock learned it happened after the two had been fighting most of the evening and when she told him to leave and said she was calling police, according to charging documents. He allegedly threatened to kill her and put his hands over her nose and mouth to quiet her when she screamed for help, the documents state. Officers from Toledo and Napavine responded and contacted the suspect near the 800 block of Byham Road and arrested him according to authorities.  Richard C. Bruce Jr. was booked into the Lewis County Jail and charged today with for second-degree assault and felony harassment. Bail was set at $25,000.

THREATENING TO KILL

• A 48-year-old Chehalis man was arrested on Friday afternoon for felony harassment after police were told he was cussing and yelling at people walking by, and others who were looking in his direction, according to the Chehalis Police Department. An officer responding to the approximately 4:45 p.m. call to Chehalis Avenue and Prindle Street learned he frightened one woman so much when he said he would kill her, she ran into her house and locked the door, according to police. Timothy R. Foltz was subsequently arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail.

ZOOM, ZOOM

• A 24-year-old Chehalis man was arrested following a police pursuit involving a motorcycle about 8:45 p.m. on Friday along the 500 block of Southwest Newaukum Avenue in Chehalis. Robert P. Hogan was booked into the Lewis County Jail for attempting to elude, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke said the allegations of the class C felony seemed to be out of character for the individual with no criminal history when he was charged with the same offense in Lewis County Superior Court today. Judge Richard Brosey said 100 mph in the area was “a bit much” and set his bail with a $10,000 signature bond.

MASS CASH MISSING FROM COLLEGE LOCKER

• A 28-year-old woman was arrested on Friday in connection with a break-in to a locker at the gym at Centralia College in which a purse containing $5,000 cash as well as a laptop computer were missing. The victim reported on July 14 someone had cut the lock on her locker and taken her belongings; she said she’d just cashed some checks and had the money in a bank envelope, according to charging documents. A detective was led to the suspect through images from surveillance video which were placed on wanted posters around the college, the documents state. Shinell N.D. Englund told the detective she was showering at the college because her water was shut off, that she found the items on the floor of the locker room and took them hoping to find their owner, charging documents state. Englund estimated there was $1,800, some of which she gave to her roommate and the rest she spent on herself, the documents allege. She was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with first-degree theft and her bail set with a $10,000 signature bond.

BURGLARY TOLEDO

• Sometime between Thursday and Sunday someone stole cash, jewelry, pictures and other items from a home on the 400 block of Smokey Valley Road outside Toledo, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

BURGLARY CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called just before 2 p.m. on Saturday about a burglary at the 1400 block of South Gold Street. Police say jars and other unknown items were taken from a building. The investigation continues, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police took a report on Friday morning regarding $100 stolen from a house at the 200 block of North Ash Street.

BURGLARY MORTON

• Morton police reported this morning they are investigating  the theft of a laptop computer and a cell phone from the  200 block of Seventh Street to a reported stolen laptop and cell phone which was reported on Friday afternoon. The loss is estimated at $700, according to the Morton Police Department.

THEFT VADER

• Someone stole numerous items from the front porch and yard of a Vader home including an ice chest, a camp stove, tools and folding chairs, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. The theft from the 600 block of B Street occurred sometime after 10 p.m. last Wednesday and 8 o’clock the following morning, according to the sheriff’s office.

THEFT MORTON

• Morton police responded to a 6 p.m. call yesterday regarding an apparent attempted theft theft from a coin machine at the 100 block of Mossyrock Avenue in Mossyrock.

BORROWED CAR

• A 35-year-old Centralia man was arrested for allegedly taking his girlfriend’s vehicle without permission on Saturday and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors declined to file  criminal charge against Jose L. Hernandez-Martinez and he was released from jail today.

INVESTIGATION IN CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police were called about 6:45 p.m. yesterday to Southwest 14th Street about an individual allegedly lighting stuff in his room. The incident is under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

FURNITURE DROP LEADS TO JAIL

• A 53-year-old woman was locked up in jail yesterday for allegedly leaving couch cushions by the river at the 500 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. Police responded to a call  just before 8 a.m. from a citizen who reported a suspicious female dumping couch cushions near the 500 block of Harrison Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department. Kristina L. Craighead, from Centralia, was subsequently arrested for illegal dumping and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called to the 800 block of Southwest William Avenue about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday about numerous items stolen from an unlocked vehicle in a carport. Among the missing property was a motorcycle helmet and a can of chew, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police took a report on Saturday night from the 200 block of Southwest 13th Street about a car prowl that occurred a couple of days earlier. Missing from a vehicle which had its window or windows down were itms such as a duffel bag, pocket knives and an iPhone, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Someone took sunglasses and keys from a vehicle at the 700 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

DRUGS

• A 25-year-old man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine early on Saturday morning after an officer recognized him and tried to contact him along Southwest Pacific Avenue in Chehalis. Police say Jacob D. Holmgren, who has a Winlock address, ran off at about 2:30 a.m. but was apprehended by a police dog. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail also for a warrant from the state Department of Corrections, according to authorities.

KID IN CAR ALONE

• A 48-year-old Centralia man was arrested after police were called to Wal-Mart from someone who observed a parent or parent leave a little boy alone in a vehicle. The officer responding to the approximately 12:50 p.m. call on Friday to Northwest Louisiana Avenue contacted the 7-year-old child and waited for his parent to come out of the store, according to the Chehalis Police Department. “The dad said he didn’t realize it was illegal,” detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. Robert L. Griffith was issued a citation for leaving a child alone in a motor vehicle, a gross misdemeanor, and then released pending a date with a judge in Chehalis Municipal Court, according to WIlson.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took reports yesterday morning of “tagging on the side of a business on the 600 block of North Tower Avenue and of someone spray painting over a yard sign at the 500 block of West Cherry Street.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, malicious mischief, misdemeanor assault, shoplifting and other misdemeanor theft, driving under the influence, underage and drunk on vodka at the fair; responses for alarm, dispute, welfare check, hit and run, suicide attempt, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street, dog alone in parked vehicle appearing in distress, person living in a vehicle who used a field for a bathroom, a suspicious person walking around outside a business in the middle of the night who turned out to waiting for an employee, concern about a person riding a motorized skateboard up and down a street … and more.

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CORRECTION: This has been updated so the item labeled “ZOOM, ZOOM” reflects the correct amount for which bail was set.

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CENTRALIA DRUG DEAL UNDER SURVEILLANCE ENDS WITH ARRESTS

• Drug detectives arrested three people early yesterday morning in Centralia after an alleged exchange of $2,100 for a quarter pound of methamphetamine. Fifty-four-year-old Richard F. Kelly was followed from his home to the Jackpot Mart on Main and Yew streets, under surveillance because he’d been the target of so-called controlled buys of marijuana and meth, according to authorities. Police watched a man get into his vehicle and then watched the vehicle travel to Kentucky Fried Chicken where the man got out, and got into a black vehicle driven by a woman identified in court papers as Lori McNeal. Charging papers filed today state both vehicles were followed by law enforcement, with Kelly getting pulled over at the intersection of Summa and Kresky Avenue. Kelly allegedly allowed a search of his vehicle where the meth he had bought was located, according to the documents. Another officer stopped the black vehicle and arrested Conrad J. Perry, 32, of Centralia.  McNeal was also arrested but was released pending further investigation, according to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s office. Perry was charged today with delivery of methamphetamine and Kelly was charged with possession of meth with intent to deliver. When Perry appeared before a judge this afternoon, the judge was told Perry is currently in Lewis County Drug Court and working, but if he was kept in jail he’d likely lose his job. The judge order his bail set at $25,000. Kelly, who lives in Onalaska, is unemployed. His bail was set at $100,000 because he is also newly charged in a separate case involving an alleged incident of sexual contact with a child from back in 2013.

THEFT, THEFT, THEFT

• Chehalis police were called to the 1800 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue about 10:15 .m. yesterday regarding a possible burglary. Further details were not yet available today.

• Police were called to the 300 block of Courtland Street in Centralia yesterday morning about the theft of an engine hoist and an electric grinder.

• Centralia police responded about 11:50 a.m. yesterday yesterday to the 1300 block of Lum Road and subsequently arrested two individuals; Brian J. Olsen, 33, of Longview, was arrested for organized retail theft and possession of methamphetamine and heroin, according to the Centralia Police Department. William E. Leahy, 42 of Longview, was arrested or obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest., according to police. Both were booked into the Lewis County Jail.

• Centralia police were called about 10:20 a.m. yesterday about a vehicle prowl in which someone took a large red suitcase from the 800 block of Hamilton Road. Officers recovered it later in the day at a residence in the 800 block of South Pearl Street and returned it to the owner, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• Chehalis police were called to the home of a 19-year-old on Northeast Franklin Avenue about missing pain pills last night. Chase M. Onstot was subsequently arrested for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, according to the Chehalis Police Department. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

UNFOUNDED COMPLAINT

• At 1:24 p.m. yesterday, police received a report complaining a man in a wheelchair was panhandling and masturbating at the onramp at milepost 77 of Interstate 5. The report was unfounded, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

COLLISION

• Centralia police took note about 3:35 p.m. yesterday that a bicyclist was involved in collision with a vehicle when he failed to yield the right of way to the vehicle and collided with the side of it. The bicyclist received minor injuries, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants,  driving with a suspended license; responses for alarm, hit and run, misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street, dog alone in parked vehicle appearing in distress, small dog on sidewalk just barking at the air … and more.

Fire burns a half acre and three travel trailers. / Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority

Updated

BRUSH FIRE DESTROYS ONE HOME

• Three travel trailers, including one which was someone’s home, were lost when a brush fire broke out north of Littlerock today. Nobody was injured, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. Multiple agencies responded to the approximately 12:30 p.m. call to the 2900 block 85th Avenue, according to Lt. Lanette Dyer. The fast moving fire was made more difficult by shifting winds, dense vegetation, car bodies and building supplies on the property, Dyer indicated. It was confined to a half acre, she said.

GRASS NEXT TO FREEWAY CATCHES FIRE

• Chehalis firefighters were called about 9:30 a.m. yesterday to a “relatively” small grass fire in between the southbound onramp at Main Street and Interstate 5. Fire Capt. Ted McCarty said when they arrived, a crew with the Department of Transportation had a garden hose on it, from their truck. It was stopped at roughly 50 feet by 100 feet, McCarty said. He said he couldn’t say for sure what sparked the fire, but the area was littered with cigarette butts. The ticket for tossing a lit cigarette out of a vehicle is $1,025.

FRAUD

• Chehalis police were contacted by a person from Northeast Kresky Avenue yesterday who discovered someone using their account information to write bad checks. The case is under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ZOOM, ZOOM

• A high-speed police pursuit down Interstate 5 ended with a wreck at Centralia and the arrest of two individuals last night near Mellen Street at around 11:40 p.m. The accident is being investigated by troopers and the pair were turned over to the Tacoma Police Department, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, driving with a suspended license, allowing an unauthorized person to drive; responses for alarm, dispute, disorderly person, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street, possible car prowler in a parking lot … and more.

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CORRECTION: This has been updated to reflect the fire in Littlerock happened today, not yesterday.

Police detain two people after their car wrecks on Interstate 5. / Courtesy photo by Chandra Shilley

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CANNABIS CANDY FOR KIDS

• Centralia police responded to a report just after 11 p.m. yesterday of a 17-year-old boy allegedly handing out marijuana-laced candy to juveniles in his neighborhood. The case is associated with an address on the 1000 block of Scammon Creek Road. Police say that when confronted, the boy’s mother refused to allow him to talk with police.

AUTO THEFT IN MINIATURE

• Someone stole a battery-operated child’s car from a yard on the 100 block of Collar Avenue in Morton last week, but the vehicle was recovered the following day at the 100 block of Wood Avenue, according to the Morton Police Department. It was damaged and its battery had been removed, according to police.

NOT VEHICLE THEFT

• Chehalis police were called about 11:40 a.m. on Monday about the theft of a motorized pedal bike from Southeast Washington Avenue, but shortly after were called back and told the person repairing it had taken it for a test drive.

HOMELESS PERSON STEALS $20 WORTH MATERIAL FROM EMPTY BARN

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday a 29-year-old was arrested the day before for allegedly stripping approximately $20 worth of wiring from a vacant barn on the 200 block of North Military Road in Winlock. A deputy notified at mid-day a woman with a warrant was seen entering the barn subsequently found her hitchhiking, according to the sheriff’s office. The wiring was found on her person and Joanna M. Withrow, described as transient, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for her warrant and for second-degree burglary, Cmdr. Dusty Breen said.

FRAUD

• Centralia police were called about 11:10 a.m. on Monday to the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue regarding the unauthorized use of a debit card.

CAR PROWL

• Police were called about 3:30 p.m. yesterday about a car inside a garage that was prowled on the 2600 block of Howard Avenue in Centralia.

• Chehalis police were called about 12:45 p.m. yesterday to the 1500 block of Southwest Johnson Avenue where they were told someone opened the door of an unlocked vehicle overnight and took change out of the ashtray.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report yesterday evening from an individual at the 900 block of South Pearl Street who said someone had poured sugar in their gas tank overnight.

AND FROM MORTON

• Morton police last Thursday received a report of someone puncturing car tires in the 400 block of Main Avenue, and also along the 100 block of Jastad Drive earlier in the week. The incidents are under investigation, according to the Morton Police Department.

• Police said yesterday they are investigating a suspicious fire, originating at the rear of an apartment complex on the 100 block of Engle Drive in Mossyrock. It was reported about 8 p.m. last Thursday. Nobody was hurt and the damage was limited to the outside of the building, according to Police Chief Dan Mortensen.

WRECK

• A 20-year-old Oakville woman was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital after her car hit a culvert, went airborne and rolled early yesterday morning.  Troopers responding about 6:20 a.m. to the 400 block of Howanut Road on the Chehalis Reservation found the 2014 Chevrolet Sonic was totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol. The driver, Jordan D. Merriman, had been wearing a seat belt, the investigating trooper reports.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor theft, driving with a suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, misdemeanor assault, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street theft of items out of a boat that turned out to have just been misplaced … and more.

Children were removed through the back of a wrecked mini van still in their car seats this afternoon on Interstate 5. / Courtesy photo by Grant Wiltbank

PINNED ON INTERSTATE 5

• Firefighters and medics from four area departments responded to an approximately 1:40 p.m. collision today on northbound Interstate 5 northeast of Winlock. A mini van carrying a man, a woman and three children was pinned against the concrete center barrier by a semi truck’s trailer, according to an off-duty firefighter who stopped to help. Crews quickly stabilized the incident and removed all occupants safely through the rear hatch, with the girls still in their car seats, Toledo resident Grant Wiltbank said. The former fire chief of Toledo’s fire department said they were transported for what were described as non-life threatening injuries. It happened near the U.S. Highway 12 interchange. Another van was also involved but sustained relatively minor damage, he said.  The Washington State Patrol was on the scene investigating, according to Wiltbank.

REAR-ENDED ON INTERSTATE 5

• Two drivers were hospitalized with neck pain after a rear-end-type collision on northbound Interstate 5 near the Mellen Street interchange in Centralia yesterday evening, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

HARASSMENT

• Centralia police were called to the 200 block of North Ash Street about 6:45 a.m. today where an individual reported that during a dispute, a male threatened to kill him. The investigation is underway, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BURGLARY AND THEFT CENTRALIA

• A 24-year-old Centralia man was arrested for residential burglary yesterday in connection with an approximately 9 p.m. call to the 500 block of West Pine Street, according to the Centralia Police Department. James J. Ayres Brewer was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• A 23-year-old Centralia resident seen coming out the back door of a house on the 2300 block of Salzer Valley Road in Centralia at about noon on Friday was arrested for a warrant and for residential burglary. Mykl C.P. Teeter and the female he was with said they were picking up belongings for a past renter and feeding the dogs, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The owner when contacted said they did not recognize the two and had never heard of them, detective Sgt. Steve Aust said. Teeter was booked into the Lewis County Jail for his Centralia warrant and also for burglary, Aust said. He was released today without charges filed pending further investigation.

• Centralia police were called around noon yesterday to the 100 block of West Magnolia Street where an individual reported the theft of tires off their vehicle.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called on Saturday to the 400 block of Southwest 15th Street where sometime during the night someone broke into a vehicle and stole fishing gear.

LOST AND FOUND

• Chehalis police were called about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday about a wedding ring lost in a parking lot on South Market Boulevard.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, urinating in public, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, runaway child, shoplifting and other misdemeanor theft,  issue civil in nature and not criminal, to tell transients to put out their campfire, dogs alone inside presumably too-hot parked vehicle, baby sleeping alone inside inside a parked car in front of a retail store, collision on city street … and more.

A wreck involving three vehicles was cleared from Interstate 5 just after 3 p.m. / Courtesy photo by Grant Wiltbank

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TIMBER FIRE BURNS NEAR ALDER LAKE

• An approximately 25-acre fire burning just south of Alder Lake yesterday afternoon is unsafe and inaccessible to firefighters because of the steep terrain, according to a public affairs officer with the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Helicopters dropping buckets of water have been helpful with the lightning-strike caused timber fire which was reported on Tuesday, according to authorities. The fire is near Elbe and being managed by the Gifford Pinchot and the state Department of Natural Resources. A Type 3 wildland fire management team with approximately 40 firefighters and personnel are assigned, operating at the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District. There is no estimate of containment or control. Officials remind the public of restrictions that began on July 1 all through the Gifford Pinchot that prohibit any kind of motorized vehicles on trails, any smoking outside of buildings or enclosed vehicles and any campfires unless they are built inside the provided metal campfire rings or grills in developed recreational sites.

POLICE: DAYTIME OFFICE BURGLAR APPREHENDED

• Centralia police arrested a 37-year-old Morton man on Saturday after they found him inside a closed business on the 1100 block of Kresky Avenue. Officers were called at 1:20 p.m. by a citizen who saw a male throw a rock through the glass door and enter, according to the Centralia Police Department. When police arrived, the subject was rummaging through the office and “squared off” against an officer, according to police.   Joseph C. Tjelde had allegedly stuffed his pockets with various items of no particular street vale, Sgt. Carl Buster said. Tjelde  was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree burglary.

BREAK-IN

• Police were called to the 500 block of North Rock Street about 10:15 a.m. on Saturday regarding the theft of tools from a residence.

FRAUD

• Centralia police were called about 8 o’clock on Sunday morning to the 1800 block of Shamrock Drive where an individual reported two credit card accounts were fraudulently opened in their name.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespassing, misdemeanor assault, driving with suspended license, violation of an anti-harassment order, unlawful possession of fireworks; responses for hit and run, misdemeanor theft, collision on city street … and more.

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MOTHER NATURE DANGER

• Firefighters were called at 1 p.m. yesterday when lightning strikes to trees caused two brush fires along Lincoln Creek Road west of Centralia. Firefighters with the state Department of Natural Resources were already on the scene at the 2100 block and both fires were small and contained quickly, according to Riverside Fire Authority. It was fortunate it was continuously raining at the time, preventing anything larger from developing, Capt. Erik Olson indicated. Conditions are still very dry and the fire danger remains high, despite the small amount of rain that fell, according to Olson.

CAR PROWL

• Police were called about 10:25 a.m. yesterday to the 2500 block of Kristine Court in Centralia about a flashlight getting stolen from a vehicle.

FAKE BILL COLLECTOR THREATS

• Police and the Centralia Utilities Center are warning customers of a scam involving bogus collection calls. Authorities have gotten several complaints from customers who reported receiving a phone call from a male who said if they didn’t pay their bill immediately, their utilities would be shut off,  according to the Centralia Police Department. Anyone who gets such a call is urged to hang up and then phone 360-330-7657. Police detective Patty Finch said that is the only valid number for the utilities customer service department. Finch indicates it’s a rare occasion the utility will call a customer, and that would be after both a statement and a past due letter have been sent out.

CRIME STOPPERS

• Crime Stoppers of Lewis County and the Chehalis Police Department are seeking help with a burglary investigation involving some $3,000 worth of Ray-Ban and other brands of sunglasses stolen from an optometry business at the 100 block of Boistfort Street in Chehalis. The break-in occurred between 6 p.m. on July 30 and 4 o’clock the following morning, according to authorities. More than 30 pairs were taken. Crime Stoppers pays up to $1,000 for information leading to the clearance of crimes. Anonymous calls can be made to 1-800-748-6422 or information may be shared online at www.lewiscountycrimestoppers.org

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault; responses for collision on city street, collision on Interstate 5 … and more.