Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 2:53 p.m.

TWO INJURED WHEN MOTORCYCLE WRECKS ON I-5

• Two men were hospitalized after they were ejected from a motorcycle southbound on Interstate 5 near Vader yesterday.The Washington State Patrol reports they were traveling at a high rate of speed when the driver attempted to pass another vehicle and lost control. The 1994 Harley Davidson slid across the lanes and came to rest on the right shoulder, according to the state patrol. They both were wearing helmets, the investigating trooper reports. It happened about 1:30 p.m. near milepost 57. The passenger, Woody D. Pittman, 33, from Olympia, was airlifted to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, according to the trooper. The driver, Thomas C. Gibbs, 58, from Rainier, was reportedly transported to Providence Centralia Hospital. Gibbs was to be cited for negligent driving and other offenses, according to the trooper.

ATTEMPTED AUTO THEFT CENTRALIA

• Centralia police responded just after 9 p.m. on Saturday to the 700 block of Harrison Avenue after an individual came out to her vehicle to find its door open and a “shaved” key stuck in the door lock, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MORTON BREAK-IN

• Morton police are still investigating a burglary discovered on Wednesday at a home on the 100 block of Third Street. The homeowner returned after being away for a few weeks to find someone had gotten inside and some items were missing, according to the Morton Police Department. It’s not yet known exactly what was stolen, according to police.

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

• Officers were called to the area of Division Avenue and Seventh Street in Morton at 10 p.m. on Friday after a suspicious vehicle was seen driving slowly around the neighborhood. Officers made contact with the driver who stated she was looking for her friend’s house, according to the Morton Police Department.

SHERIFF: USE THE OFFICIAL DETOUR PLEASE

• Newly sworn in Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza wants drivers to use the official detour route around the temporarily closed bridge on state Route 508 at the east end of Onalaska. The South Fork Newaukum Bridge near Magnus Road was shut down a week ago Sunday and residents in the areas of Jorgenson Road, Burnt Ridge Road and Johnson Road have seen an increase in traffic in their neighborhoods due to drivers not using marked and recommended Washington State Department of Transportation detour routes, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies are increasing their traffic enforcement in those areas, and citizens are advised to follow speed limits and all traffic laws, because safety is important to Snaza, according to a news release. Snaza says drivers should plan ahead and give themselves time to use the official detour, however. The 1930-built bridge carried about 1,400 vehicles each day, according to DOT. Because overweight vehicles continued to cross the aging span, DOT decided to install a temporary bridge until they can begin building a new bridge late next year, a bridge expected to be completed in 2018. The temporary bridge is expected to be ready for traffic on Thursday, according to DOT. Until then, the official detour route for  eastbound drivers is to take Leonard Road to U.S. Highway 12. Westbound drivers should take Cinebar Road to Silver Creek Road (state Route 122) to U.S. Highway 12. Once opened, weight restrictions will be lifted and traffic will alternate directions across the single-lane temporary Bailey Bridge. According to DOT: Stop signs at both ends of the bridge will be in place along with directions for drivers to allow on-coming traffic to clear before proceeding across, and it will be reopen to all legal loads, with a reduced speed limit of 25 mph across the nine-foot wide lane. For the most current information, see DOT’s blog.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, hit and run, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license … and more.

The temporary bridge getting installed about five miles east of Onalaska. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Department of Transportation

Updated at 7:29 p.m.

CRASH CENTRALIA-ALPHA ROAD

• A 38-year-old Winlock resident was injured last night when he wrecked his truck on the 2200 block of Centralia-Alpha Road southwest of Chehalis, in the same area where a Centralia man was killed early last month after he lost control of his car and struck a tree. Deputies and aid called about 8:20 p.m. to the scene near Senn Road found the Ford F350 pickup had been westbound and rolled into a tree, creasing the passenger compartment on its top. The driver got himself out, but he had a head injury and possibly broken hand, according to Lewis County Fire District 6. “He does not remember how the collision occurred,” Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Chief Stacy Brown said. The patient was transported with advanced life support medics to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to District 6 Fire Chief Tim Kinder. Kinder said the accident was within about 100 yards of the Dec. 6 incident that took the life of 25-year-old Dustin N. Meyer. It’s a stretch of road that’s seen many collisions, according to firefighters. “I think it’s uneven, or it dips, or it does something odd,” Kinder said. “If you come around the corner not paying attention, or going too fast, it’ll kick you into the trees.” Last night’s driver was expected to be cited for wheels off the roadway, the sheriff’s office reports.

WRECK STATE ROUTE 7

• Two people were injured and one airlifted to a Seattle hospital after an overnight single-vehicle wreck about two miles north of Morton. Troopers responding about 1:30 a.m. report a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse was southbound on state Route 7 when it veered to the right, striking a guard rail and then veered off the left side of the roadway striking the dirt embankment. The driver, Kara D. Bovee, 23, from Tacoma, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the Washington State Patrol. She faces a charge of driving under the influence, according to the state patrol. Her passenger, Shaun L. Sanchez, 26, from University Place, was transported to Morton General Hospital, the investigating trooper reports.

BIG SPENDERS CHEAT RETAILER

• Chehalis police were called to Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon following the discovery that someone had passed 11 fake $20 bills. It happened sometime between 4:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., and a look at security video indicated it was a male and a female, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The counterfeit money was taken into evidence and the investigation continues, according to police.

EASY PICKINGS

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports someone prowled a truck on the 100 block of Mienars Road in Morton sometime between 7 p.m. on Tuesday and 10 a.m. the following morning. Stolen from the unlocked Toyota Tacoma was a generation five iPod and a digital camera, according to the sheriff’s office. “This is an excellent time to remind people that they really need to keep their vehicles locked and not give thieves easy access to valuables inside,” Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said. Better yet, don’t leave valuables in vehicles to entice them, Brown says.

CHIMNEY FIRE

• Winlock firefighters were called out about 6 p.m. yesterday for a chimney fire on the 300 block of Southeast Front Street. “Crews arrived pretty fast, we extinguished it in the chimney,” Firefighter Patrick Jacobson said. “We checked for extension, and there was none.” Firefighters like it when they stay in the chimney, he said.

FENDER BENDER

•  A driver pulled out of a parking lot in front of a Centralia police car yesterday causing a minor collision. Nobody was hurt and the damage was minor, according to the Centralia Police Department. Further details were not readily available.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, domestic misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, protection order violation, driving with suspended license; responses for disputes, harassment, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street … and more.

TOLEDO MAN INVITES PIPE BOMB ARREST

• A nighttime report of a man with guns wearing combat attire knocking on doors in a Longview neighborhood led to the arrest of a 34-year-old Toledo resident early yesterday. They were air guns, according to police, but Matthew Enbody was cooperative and during a search his vehicle, officers found homemade pipe bombs, according to the Longview Police Department. The Portland bomb squad responded to take care of those, detective Sgt. Chris Blanchard stated. And a search of Enbody turned up brass knuckles and suspected methamphetamine, according to Blanchard. The sergeant indicated he didn’t know why Enbody was knocking on doors at 1 o’clock in the morning.

FELONY ARREST FOR PEPPER SPRAYING

• A 33-year-old woman was arrested yesterday after she allegedly pepper sprayed a man during a household dispute at the 2400 block of Fords Prairie Avenue in Centralia. Police were called about 1:50 p.m. and subsequently arrested Rose A. Blanchette for third-degree assault, according to the Centralia Police Department. She was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

CHILD TAKES DOG’S BONE

• A Morton dog is in trouble after he bit a 5-year-old boy in his family last night. A deputy called about 6:30 p.m. regarding the incident at the 100 block of Chapman Road learned the child took the dog’s bone. The little boy’s wound on his lower back was superficial, but he was examined at Morton General Hospital, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The blue heeler mix was quarantined, the sheriff’s office reports.

FLOWERS MISSING FROM CEMETERY

• Centralia police got  report about 9:50 p.m. yesterday regarding the possible theft of two flower pots from a grave site at the cemetery on Van Wormer Street.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, protection order violation; responses for disputes, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, help with a person who was hallucinating; complaint of dogs repeatedly “going” in a yard that is not theirs… and more.

Updated

LOST AND FOUND

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning regarding someone during the night opening the door to a company vehicle on Northwest Chehalis Avenue and vomiting inside; dropping and leaving their cell phone in the process. The phone’s owner can retrieve it from the police department’s lost and found, according to police.

• Centralia police were called about 7 p.m. yesterday to the 1000 block of South Tower Avenue where a baggie of suspected heroin was found in a residence by a family member. A “person of interest” was identified as the possible owner, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called about 2 p.m. yesterday after suspected marijuana was found in an unused locker at W.F. West High School on the 300 block of Southwest 16th Street. An officer was asked to come and get it, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

SUSPECTED FRAUD

• An officer was called just before 7 p.m. yesterday to the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia to a report a female attempted to pass a forged prescription. Police know who she is, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BOOZE AT SCHOOL

• Police responded to the 900 block of Johnson Road in Centralia about 1 p.m. yesterday regarding a juvenile who allegedly brought alcohol to school, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for dispute, disorderliness, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances … and more.

Updated at 7:18 p.m.

FATALITY COLLISION IN ADNA

• A 65-year-old motorist lost his life on the road this weekend when his pickup truck wrecked west of Chehalis. Deputies and aid called about 9:50 p.m. on Saturday to the 400 block of Penning Road found neighbors who heard the crash were performing CPR, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Clarence Avron, 65, Chehalis, however died at the scene, according to authorities His Ford Ranger had crossed the centerline and continued off of but parallel to the roadway knocking down several fence posts and striking a utility pole, before rolling to the opposite side of Penning into a ditch, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. He was not wearing a seatbelt, according to Brown.

VICTIM: ROBBED IN CHEHALIS

• A 30-year-old Olympia man called police just before 7 p.m. yesterday and said he was assaulted and robbed of cash and prescription medications at the Twin City Town Center on Northwest Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis. Police are investigating, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. Wilson said he wasn’t aware of any witnesses.

SOME FRIEND

• A 27-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for second-degree burglary after an incident at a residence on the 200 block of Southwest Second Street in Chehalis in which he allegedly took items from an acquaintance’s home while there. Police called about 2:30 p.m. on Friday subsequently located Dylan E. Pirtle and recovered some jewelry, according to the Chehalis Police Department. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. Pirtle was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with residential burglary, a class B felony with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. His bail was set at $10,000.

FRAUD

• Their cards were not stolen but someone used account information belonging to a pair of Centralia residents to spend just over $728 at Home Depot in Chehalis and also Lacey, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. The purchases were made between Nov. 8 and Dec. 4, according to the sheriff’s office.

NOT QUITE AUTO THEFT

• A vehicle said to be stolen in Centralia on Friday was found just before midnight on the 300 block of Northwest Chehalis Avenue occupied by two individuals, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The case was turned over to Centralia police who arrested one of them, according to police. Tedy M. St. John, 25, was arrested for allegedly stealing the vehicle but he was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with taking a motor vehicle without permission. St. John, who lives with his mother on North Iron Street but displaced by the flood has no criminal history, defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told a judge. He was released from jail on a $10,000 signature bond.

ANIMAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATION

• Chehalis police were called yesterday to the 600 block of Northwest Middle Street in Chehalis regarding the suspected abuse of a dog, which was possibly injured. The case is under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Police responded about 9 a.m. yesterday to the 2600 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia where someone had sprayed paint on a vehicle during the night.

• Morton police are investigating an incident reported last Wednesday morning in which an Onalaska man found someone had slashed both rear tires of his vehicle while it was parked for two hours the day before on the 100 block of State Street in Mossyrock. The loss is estimated at $565, according to the Morton Police Department.

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

• Morton police responding about 7:30 p.m. on Friday to a report of a suspicious person throwing the contents of his car onto the 100 block of Main Avenue learned from the individual that he had misplaced his car keys and was looking for them.

WRECK

• A 1998 Jeep Cherokee was totaled in a wreck along the 1800 block of Salzer Valley Road outside Centralia early on Sunday morning, but its driver was not found, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. The vehicle, which was discovered in a ditch was impounded, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, domestic misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, third-degree malicious mischief, hit and run in a parking lot; responses for disputes, suspicious circumstances … and more.

BIG OOPS

• Centralia police pulled over a stolen vehicle performing a “high-risk” stop yesterday morning detaining four occupants before discovering the driver was actually the owner of the vehicle. The driver had not yet informed police they’d gotten it back, according to the Centralia Police Department. It happened about 9:35 a.m. along the 600 block of South Pearl Street, according to police.  All parties were released at the scene, according to a brief summary from Sgt. Carl Buster.

REAL LIFE GOLDILOCKS

• A medic returned their quarters in Winlock to find an intruder, who had made herself at home last night. “She had some food out, had an employee’s sweatshirt on and had a little dog running around the house,” Lewis County Medic One Paramedic Clayton Skinner said. “She said she was traveling and wanted to get some rest and a shower.” Firefighters and such are known for having a standing invitation to other firefighters who travel, but this wasn’t anything like that, according to Skinner. At first the medic thought she was a volunteer he hadn’t met yet, but then he realized that wasn’t the case. By the time the sheriff’s office arrived, she had left, Skinner said.

VEHICLE VERSUS BICYCLE

• A child bicyclist was taken to the hospital yesterday after running into a vehicle on Northeast Park Street in Chehalis about 1:30 p.m., according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

CENTRALIA HOUSE BURNS

• A number of small pets perished when a fire broke out at a single-story home in Centralia yesterday evening. Firefighters called about 6:20 p.m. to the 600 block of Jefferson Street found the house with a well-involved fire but were able to quickly knock it down, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Nobody was home at the time but the residents did arrive while crews were still on the scene, according to Fire Capt. Erik Olson. The residence sustained extensive fire and smoke damage and the Red Cross gave assistance for shelter for the two occupants, according to Olson. The cause is under investigation.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, underage drinking, driving under the influence; responses for vandalism, protection order violation … and more.