Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 1:54 p.m.

GUN THREAT LANDS MAN IN JAIL

• A 22-year-old Chehalis area man was arrested last night after he allegedly said during a dispute with a woman outside a home on the 200 block of Clinton Road he was going to shoot her current boyfriend in the head. The 32-year-old boyfriend told deputies he was inside the residence, could hear the remarks and was in fear the threat was going to be carried out, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responding just before 9 p.m. were told by another individual they had seen John R. Estes III holding a 9 mm pistol in his hand, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning. Estes was located outside a home on the 400 block of Spooner Road, unarmed, and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Brown. Brown did not say why Estes was upset.

VIRTUAL THREAT LANDS BOY IN LOCKUP

• Centralia police arrested a teenage boy on Wednesday night for cyberstalking, after he allegedly threatened on the Internet to kill someone. Further details were not readily available, although the case is associated with an address on the 1500 block of Lewis Street in Centralia.

ATTEMPTED CONVERSATION GETS MAN JAILED

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports this morning they arrested a 46-year-old man who allegedly early on Wednesday morning crawled through a window of a residence in Toledo where a woman and her six children had a protection order against him. Joel Harger, of Rochester, said he wanted to talk, a deputy was told. Harger subsequently turned himself in and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for residential burglary, according to the sheriff’s office.

VIOLENCE AND THEFT

• Centralia police were called yesterday afternoon to a motel on the 1000 block of Eckerson Road where a boyfriend allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and took her debit card. The boyfriend is being sought for questioning for robbery, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 26-year-old homeless man was arrested for second-degree robbery yesterday after he allegedly fought with store security who attempted to detain him for shoplifting. Police responded about 5:35 p.m. to the 500 block of South Tower Avenue and subsequently booked Martin A. Ridinger into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT IN CENTRALIA

• A home on the 1000 block of Eckerson Road in Centralia was burglarized, according to a report made to police about 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

• Police were called about 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday to the 1200 block of Elm Street in Centralia where a garage was broken into.

FRAUD IN CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police were contacted yesterday by a cardholder alleging fraudulent purchases associated with a location on Northwest State Avenue. An officer is waiting for further information, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police took a report yesterday afternoon of a vehicle prowl on Southwest Third Avenue in which medication and a CD case were missing.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A Centralia father accused of shoving his 6-year-old child’s head into a wall pleaded guilty yesterday to a lesser charge, in a negotiated plea agreement. Aaron R.J. Zucati will be sentenced on Feb. 11 in Lewis County Superior Court. Zucati made a so-called Alford plea to fourth-degree assault, not admitting guilt but agreeing if a judge or jury read and believed the prosecutor’s version of events, it would be highly likely he would be found guilty. Zucati, 33, was charged in November with third-degree assault of a child following an investigation by Centralia police. Prosecutors alleged he shoved the little girl’s head into the wall, angry because she and her four siblings were talking and not just eating dinner quietly. Police found a hole in the wall Zucati said came from the child’s elbow. Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead told the judge yesterday that while the other children’s version of what occurred remained pretty consistent, the 6-year-old said her head was slammed against the wall 10 times and later said it was one time. Halstead also noted numerous issues behind the scenes between Zucati and the mother with allegations of manipulation of the children. Fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor, carries a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.

FIRE INVESTIGATION

• The cause of a fire last week at Winlock home remains under investigation. Firefighters called about 12:45 p.m. a week ago Wednesday to the 400 block of Northwest Columbia Avenue found fire in an area of a garage converted to living quarters, according to authorities. “We got a pretty good knock down and that helped, but there was a lot smoke damage,” Firefighter Patrick Jacobson said. Winlock Police Department Chief Terry Williams said he’s still waiting to hear back from the investigator as to what ignited the fire.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for misdemeanor theft; responses for alarms, misdemeanor domestic assault, shoplifting and other misdemeanor theft, collisions on city streets and county roads … and more.

Updated at 11:58 a.m.

ANOTHER ELDERLY PERSON VICTIMIZED BY PHONE FRAUD

• A 91-year-old Toledo area woman was suckered out of $28,000 before a family member discovered someone had been phoning her and claiming she’d won a lottery worth a half million dollars, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports this morning. Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said the incidents took place between mid-December and yesterday, and the woman had been told she needed to send money, which she did five times. The family was able to intercept two checks for $10,000, Brown said. The family closed the woman’s checking account and changed her phone number, Brown said. Local law enforcement has been urging the public to be proactive and take time to educate and inform their older family members about the various schemes, as there has been an increase in such scams in Lewis County.

MORE FRAUD

• Chehalis police are investigating a possible fraud case in which a female has been getting notifications of purchases she did not make. It was reported yesterday, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AUTO THEFT

• A white 1997 Honda Civic was stolen from the 600 block of M Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 4 p.m. yesterday. The car has a license plate reading AJN 9380, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called yesterday by an individual whose cell phone was possibly stolen from their vehicle while parked at Wal-Mart.

CLOSE CALL ON BRIDGE

• Centralia police report that two vehicles struck mirrors while passing on the North Pearl Street bridge near Reynolds Avenue about 8 p.m. last night and one of them continued on without stopping.

MAN AIRLIFTED AFTER CRASHING INTO TREE

• A driver was injured when he was ejected in a single-vehicle rollover accident yesterday afternoon in Grand Mound. Firefighters called about 3:30 p.m. report the car collided with a tree near James Road and Denmark Street. The lone occupant, an adult male, was airlifted out of Rochester High School, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. Department spokesperson Lt. Lanette Dyer said she believed the man was being flown to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, but they may have diverted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

ELK VERSUS PICKUP TRUCK

• Two men were reportedly uninjured when their vehicle collided with two elk yesterday on U.S. Highway 12 just east of Packwood. Deputies responded about 5:45 p.m. to the scene where the 2013 Toyota Tundra sustained major damage, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The driver, a 38-year-old Longview man, was traveling eastbound when the elk ran into the road, according to the sheriff’s office. Both men had been wearing their seat belts, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said. The driver was cited for no valid operators license.

LOG TRUCK LOSES LOADED TRAILER

• A 35-year-old log truck driver from Pe Ell man escaped with only minor injuries and a citation when his trailer disconnected from his truck yesterday afternoon north of Winlock. The 1993 Kenworth was traveling along the 300 block of Pleasant Valley Road when the coupling device malfunctioned, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The incident caused the loaded trailer to go into the ditch and the truck to rollover, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said. Firefighters responding around 2 p.m. report he had only minor injuries. The sheriff’s office reports he was uninjured. The man was cited for defective equipment and the truck and trailer, both totaled, were taken out of service, Brown said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarms, collisions on city streets, motorcycle wreck on county road … and more.

RECKLESS WRECK

• A 32-year-old Centralia man was cited for reckless driving after he reportedly struck an oncoming car while trying to pass along the 2200 block of Harrison Avenue yesterday evening. in Centralia. Deputies called at 6:20 p.m. were told that James M. Sedrick was making unsafe passes and may have sideswiped another vehicle before the accident, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A witness said when Sedrick tried to pass another vehicle he attempted to get back into his lane, but there wasn’t enough room, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said his 1996 Suzuki Swift and the 1999 Honda Accord were both totaled. He, as well as the three occupants of the Honda, were all wearing seat belts, Brown said. All four went to the emergency room at Providence Centralia Hospital, according to Brown. None of the injuries were described as serious.

BURGLARY

• Centralia police were called about 1:30 p.m. yesterday regarding a break-in to a business not currently occupied at the 800 block of North Tower Avenue. The owner is compiling a list of missing property, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• Suspected methamphetamine was found in the pocket of a shoplifting suspect last night at a Centralia Outlet store on the 100 block of West High Street in Centralia, according to police. JoAnne C. Ackley, 31, of Elma, was contacted about 6:50 p.m., found to have a stolen item and was subsequently booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of methamphetamine,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence; responses for suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft, broken windows, a vehicle getting “keyed” … and more.

Updated at 3:10 p.m.

LOST AND FOUND ALERT

• Somebody lost a bunch of money at the Twin City Town Center and one honest citizen picked up what was left of it, according to the Chehalis Police Department. A 25-year-old Centralia woman called police about 2 p.m. yesterday to turn in cash that had been blowing around in the parking lot near Grocery Outlet at the 1300 block of Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis, according to police. She said she saw people picking up money and she was able to collect what remained, according to police. She also found an envelope in the lot marked with a dollar amount that it may have been in, Chehalis Police Department spokesperson Linda Bailey said. The difference in the amount she found and the number on the envelope is roughly $200, according to police. Bailey is hoping the owner can contact the office and describe the envelope and how much they lost so it can be returned.

BREAK-IN AT GAME STOP

• Chehalis police responded about 4:45 a.m. today to a burglary at the Game Stop store on the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue. Officers are investigating and don’t yet know exactly what is missing, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ASSAULT

• Centralia police took a report about 2:15 p.m. yesterday from the 1400 block of Lewis Street where an individual was struck with a metal bar, allegedly by an acquaintance who left before officers arrived. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Two men were arrested for disorderly conduct following a fight at a bar on the 500 block of North Market Boulevard in Chehalis on Saturday night. An officer responding to the 8:40 p.m. call witnessed one of them strike the other in the face repeatedly, and the men were separated, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Stafford P. Horner, 48, of Arlington, said Phillip N. Spruell, 72, of Chehalis, hit him first, according to police. Neither wanted to pursue assault charges so they were issued their citations and then released, according to police. Both appeared to be intoxicated, department spokesperson Linda Bailey said.

THREAT OF ASSAULT

• A 36-year-old Mossyrock man was arrested last night for allegedly threatening to cut his ex-wife’s throat, in a phone call. A deputy responding about 10:15 p.m. to Cinebar to talk to the woman listened to the suspect call her names as he phoned twice while the deputy as there and she put him on speaker phone, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.  When the deputy went to the man’s home, he could see through the window and hear the man on the phone, yelling and cussing at the woman, according to the sheriff’s office. Shane C. Goin was booked into the Lewis County Jail for harassment, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said.

• A 26-year-old man was arrested for harassment on Saturday after he allegedly threatened to use a computer monitor to break an employee’s nose at the drug and alcohol treatment center on the 500 block of Southeast Washington Avenue in Chehalis. Anthony Balay Magana, from Grandview, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

UNDER INVESTIGATION

• Chehalis police took a report on Saturday morning about alleged sexual misconduct. The matter is still under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS AND THEFT

• A 30-year-old Winlock resident was arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing two boxes of personal checks from her boyfriend’s mother’s bedroom and using them on five occasions to obtain $690. Deputies investigating were able to get video images on Friday from the Cedar Village IGA store showing their suspect cashing a stolen check and on Saturday made a traffic stop of a vehicle in which she was a passenger, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Lucia D. Spross was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail on an outstanding warrant, as well as 60 counts of second-degree theft and the case was referred for other possible charges such as forgery and third-degree theft, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Stacy Brown said Spross admitted also to a small baggie of suspected methamphetamine found in her purse.

AUTO THEFT

• A vehicle stolen from Longview turned up in Centralia yesterday, stripped and abandoned on the side of the road at the 200 block of Tilley Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Morton police called about 8:35 p.m. yesterday to the 600 block of Main Avenue ended up arresting 22-year-old Jacob E. Olson for second-degree vehicle prowl and trespass, according to the Morton Police Department. An individual said they’d seen Olson getting into a vehicle in the driveway, but he left, according to police.

DUI WRECK

• A 45-year-old Onalaska man was arrested for driving under the influence after a deputy responded about 7:15 p.m. yesterday to a single-vehicle collision into a ditch at the intersection of Middle Fork and Krueger roads in Onalaska. Roderick D. Johnson was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, probation violation, driving under the influence; responses for alarms, disputes, suicide attempt, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor domestic assault, misdemeanor theft, collision on county road … and more.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report about 8:20 a.m. yesterday of graffiti spray painted onto a building at the 1000 block of Mellen Street.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor  theft, collision on city street … and more.

FINN SAYS, ‘DON’T FUMBLE’

• Trooper Will Finn reminds football fans and others the state patrol will step up patrols this weekend, in an effort to eliminate DUI-related collisions. They will partner with county and city law enforcement agencies to remove impaired drivers from the roadways, in an effort to reach zero serious injury and all traffic fatalities by 2030, according to Finn. He advises people to be responsible, reminding it only takes a few minutes to make a plan that could prevent a tragedy with life-lasting impact. “Some good alternatives might be designating a sober driver, taking a taxi, calling a sober friend to drive or staying put until you are completely sober,” Finn states. The Washington State Insurance Commissioner joins the state patrol’s call to be extra careful tomorrow, citing some numbers from Nerd Wallet: The cost of a driving under the influence (DUI) ticket in Washington state ranges from $6,500 to more than $10,000, including fines, attorney’s fees, ignition interlock fees and insurance rate increases. Auto insurance may increase from $500 to $1,000 per year after a DUI conviction, according to Kreidler. Finn adds: It is important to remember, in Washington state, impaired driving is defined as:
• Driving while impaired by alcohol
• Driving under the influence of any drug, including marijuana
• Driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or above

DOMESTIC DISPUTES

• Centralia police arrested a Portland man yesterday for unlawful imprisonment after he allegedly refused to let his passenger out of the vehicle as they were traveling in through Centralia. Officers were called just before noon to the area of South Gold and Floral streets about a couple walking down the street arguing, according to the Centralia Police Department. They were in town shopping and began to argue and at one point, he locked the vehicle’s door, Officer John Panco said. “Finally when he slowed almost to a stop, she was able to jump out,” Panco said. The man, 38-year-old Derek Gannon, parked and followed her, according to Panco. Gannon was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• A 27-year-old Toledo man who called 911 to say during an argument after he told his girlfriend to leave, she began knocking things over in the home, was subsequently arrested for second-degree assault. Deputies responding about 1 p.m. on Tuesday to the 200 block of Kangas Road however were told he slapped the 19-year-old, dragged her by her hair knocking items off the counter, choked her and even broke down a bathroom door when she locked herself in, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Her injuries and other evidence suggested Marcello Ruiz-Zueger was the primary aggressor, according to the sheriff’s office. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said.

• A 33-year-old Chehalis area man was arrested for second-degree assault following the events that transpired after his girlfriend told him to move out, including him allegedly putting her in a chokehold as well as wrapping her in a mattress and jumping on it as hard as he could. The pair are both mixed martial arts fighters, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called on Tuesday to the 29-year-old woman’s father’s home where she went for help learned  there were children in the house when it happened and the woman was able to get them outside and into a car, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Deputy Brown Stacy Brown said the deputy was told that Joseph R. Whearty at one point laid down on the ground behind her car tires, and as she managed to maneuver around him, he jumped on the car and punched its windshield, cracking it. Whearty was contacted and booked into the Lewis County Jail Brown said.

PURSE SNATCHING FOILED

• A 48-year-old Seattle man was arrested after he allegedly tried to steal an employee’s purse from a downtown Chehalis restaurant and pushed the cook who confronted him as he went out the back door. Officers called about 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday to the Royal Buffet on the 500 block of North Market had help from a police dog who tracked a suspect to an area off Prindle Street where he was hiding in or under a piece of equipment, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Shelton L. Hayes was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree robbery, according to police.

BURGLARY AND THEFT

• Centralia police yesterday said they were investigating a report of a burglary at the 3200 block of Galvin Road in which cash, a debit card and gaming system were taken.

• Centralia police were called just before 11 a.m. yesterday to the 1000 block of Swanson Drive regarding fraud on an individual’s bank account, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Police took a report of the theft of a door mat from the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia on Tuesday morning.

CAR PROWL

• Someone smashed a vehicle’s window and stole a CD while it was parked at Steck Clinic on the 1200 block of Bishop Road in Chehalis sometime shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Someone threw an egg at a vehicle parked on the 600 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police last night.

• Chehalis police said yesterday they couldn’t place a value on a homemade lighted SeaHawks sign that someone smashed when they came onto a porch on Southwest Fifth Street the day before.

DRUGS

• An individual detained for shoplifting merchandise – including a cell phone cover and tweezers – from Wal-Mart overnight was arrested for possession of drugs. An officer responding about 1:50 a.m. to the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue found suspected heroin, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Jeremy W. Schrader, 36, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• An officer was called to the 1800 block of Taylor Street yesterday about the theft of three pills, narcotics, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A traffic stop on U.S. Highway 12 in Glenoma for expired tabs on a camping trailer led to the seizure of 14 marijuana plants yesterday afternoon, and the vehicle, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers and deputies observed the potted plants, ranging in size from one to two feet tall and were granted a search warrant, according to the state patrol. Patrol spokesperson Trooper Will Finn said the driver, Shawn Adam Dickinson, 33, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for felony possession of marijuana and intent to manufacture marijuana after the approximately 2:40 p.m. stop. An individual with the same name was released from the jail a couple of hours later, according to online jail roster. Under the state’s ever changing laws, recreational pot users may not grow their own, according to Finn. At the same time, a qualified medical marijuana patient may grow a limited amount for medicinal use, under certain conditions, according to Finn. Those patients may grow up to 15 plants and possess up to 24 ounces of medical marijuana, Finn says.

OTHER

• Chehalis police were called about midnight on Tuesday to Southwest Newaukum Avenue to a report of a hysterical naked woman who ran through someone’s yard. Officers and a police dog that was brought out to help search the area could not locate the woman, according to the Chehalis Police Department. They were able to get a pretty good idea of where she may belong, but their knock on the door of that residence went unanswered, according to police.

• A 40-year-old motorist was hospitalized with minor injuries after she took out a steel gate, clipped a garage and came to rest in the front yard of a residence at one of the 90 degree turns on Rice Road outside of Chehalis yesterday morning. Deputies and a police dog responded after the approximately 4:15 a.m. wreck, as the woman said she was driving fast because she’d just discovered there were two males behind her inside her vehicle, but they ran off, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. She said she was headed from home to get gas at Interstate Avenue and when she exited the freeway, she saw two bald heads behind her, according to the sheriff’s office. The woman was unable to provide more of a description and said they didn’t say anything to her the entire time, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said. A search of the area, an examination of the rear of her BMW sport utility vehicle and a track by the K-9 turned up nothing to indicate there had been any passengers, Brown said. The deputy found inconsistencies in the situation that led to calling off the search. The Chehalis woman was cited for wheels off the roadway, according to Brown.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespass, shoplifting, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, misdemeanor theft, unruly bar patron, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street, collision on county road … and more.