Lewis County Sirens.com

CLOSE CALL IN COW FIELD

• A 48-year-old Chehalis-area man used one of his cat lives last night when his ATV wrecked into a water-filled drainage ditch while he was riding alone after dark. “He’s very fortunate he didn’t die,” Lewis County Fire District 6 Firefighter-paramedic Matt McCoy said. “The quad was on top of him and it took him 10 to 15 seconds to get it off of himself.” The man was out in a cow pasture off Highway 603 near Tune Road and suffered fairly minor injuries, except he also apparently dislocated his hip, McCoy said. “It took him more than an hour to crawl back to the house,” McCoy said. “As he was getting closer, he was yelling for help.” The 911 call from a housemate came at about 11:30 p.m., McCoy said. The patient was put in an ambulance and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, he said.

UNDERAGE PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS

• A 15-year-old Centralia boy who boarded an out-of-town school bus yesterday evening near the Centralia Middle School was talked to by police and taken away in an aid car because he was so highly intoxicated. Officers responding about 6:35 p.m. to the 2500 block of Pioneer Way also found some suspected marijuana in his pocket,  according to the Centralia Police Department. Police were called about an hour and a half later to Rotary Riverside Park about a male urinating in public and then called an ambulance for the same reason for a 16-year-old there. Neither were passed out unconscious but police describe the reason for the trip to the hospital as possible alcohol poisoning. Both face potential court cases for minor in possession / consumption of alcohol, according to police. Seattlepi.com publishes a report today that initial findings from a study conducted by health officials shows people are making more alcohol related trips to emergency rooms, since broader hard liquor sales went into affect following the 2011 voter initiative closing state run stores. For example, the Associated Press writer notes, during the first 13 months of private-sector spirit sales, people younger than 21 on Medicaid made a third more visits to emergency rooms for alcohol-related reasons.

SPECIAL UN-DELIVERY

• Centralia police were called about 4:35 p.m. yesterday to the 1500 block of Lewis Street regarding the theft of a package that was left on the door step.

VEHICLE PROWL

• An iPod was taken from a vehicle parked at the 1000 block of West Chestnut Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 5 p.m. yesterday.

• Chehalis police were called just before 6 o’clock this morning about a car prowl on Southwest Olympic Drive.

VANDALISM

• A 32-year-old Centralia man was arrested late last night after he allegedly broke the windshield out of a vehicle at the 500 block of South Pearl Street. Juan E. Mejia was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree malicious mischief, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, marijuana possession; responses for alarm, dispute, reckless driver, collision on city street, suspicious circumstances including female walking a small horse around a parking lot in the dark … and more.

POLICE: BOY BULLIED OUT OF HIS CELL PHONE

• A 35-year-old Centralia man was arrested for robbery yesterday after he asked to see a 17-year-old boy’s cell phone in a homeless camp area in Centralia. Police called about 7:40 a.m. to the 2000 block of Borst Avenue found Richard A. Molina hiding in a brushy area, near the dog park where the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers meet,  according to the Centralia Police Department. A K-9 snuck up behind him, and he gave up, officer John Panco said. The teen told police Molina had got in his face as though he were going to assault him, and he feared if he didn’t hand the phone over, he would be hurt, according to Panco. As the two began walking, because Molina wanted the password, the boy told him he was calling for help with another cell phone he had, Panco said. Molina was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree robbery, according to police.

SWITCHED LICENSE PLATES

• Police were called about 3:45 p.m. yesterday to the 600 block of North Pearl Street after a resident discovered her front license plate was missing. When the officer ran a background check on the rear plate, it turned out to belong to a vehicle from Portland,  according to the Centralia Police Department. It’s not clear when the switch could have occurred, police said.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called to Greenwood Cemetery on the 1800 block of Van Wormer Street yesterday regarding several headstones tipped over and damaged, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Morton police responded to the 200 block of Hazel Street in Mossyrock at about 4 a.m. on Sunday where a resident said his vehicle alarm went off and he found the doors open, and the switch had been turned. Nothing appeared to be missing, according to the Morton Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for driving under the influence, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarm, dispute, possible sex crime, parking lot fender bender, protection order violation via pedaling bicycle past residence … and more.

Updated at 1:39 p.m.

VADER CHURCH, FLAG TARGETED BY TEENS

• Four teenagers were arrested after a vandalism spree in Vader over the weekend that involved a church and the old city jail, with one of them taking down a flag, tying it in a knot and setting it on fire before running it back up the flag pole. Deputies contacting the pastor at the  Assembly of God Church learned some of the events were captured on security video and took place between 10 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the youths broke down a door at the jail, cut phone lines at the church across the street, pried open a power box and destroyed security cameras. However, close up views of their faces were found on video images, Brown said. Two lights that shined upon the American flag were stolen as well, Brown said. The teens, all from Vader, ages 14, 15 and 16, were booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Justice Center for third-degree malicious mischief, theft and criminal conspiracy, according to the sheriff’s office.

MAN CONCEALS SELF WHILE RESIDENCE BURGLARIZED

• The sheriff’s office is investigating after an overnight break-in the north end of Centralia in which a 29-year-old resident said he hid in a bedroom while his home was burglarized. Deputies responded about 2 a.m. yesterday to the 3000 block of Lowery Lane following a 911 call in which a man was saying help me, help me repeatedly before the phone disconnected, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. There was a language barrier and it’s not clear what was taken or known who the intruder was, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. Evidence was collected from outside a broken bedroom window which will be analyzed, Brown said.

TENT FIRE

• A 28-year-old man from Lakewood is jailed after he allegedly tried to burn down someone’s tent during the night at a Toledo area campground early on Friday following a dispute. No injuries were reported, except the arrestee who suffered from a dog bite which had occurred earlier, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called about 1:15 a.m. on Friday to the Cowlitz Timber Trails Campground on the 1900 block of Spencer Road found friends of the 23-year-old victim, who is from Lynnwood, had detained the suspect who tried to run away and hide beneath a trailer, according to the sheriff’s office. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office didn’t indicate what the disagreement was about, but said that Justin E. Roberts who was unknown to the victim came to the camp site three times earlier and each time was told to leave.  Then later, someone heard the velcro to the tent being opened and saw the same person light it on fire, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Roberts was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital to be treated for the bite and then booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree arson, she said. Brown said the sheriff’s office had no information about the dog bite.

GIRL FIGHT GOES BAD

• Centralia police are investigating a nighttime meet-up for a fight between two young women that ended with a cracked eye socket for one and a head concussion for the other. Officers were advised yesterday afternoon by Chehalis police that the incident had taken place around 2 o’clock in the morning. The injured had gone to the hospital on their own, according to the Centralia Police Department. Sgt. Kurt Reichert said the initial investigation indicates the two arranged to meet in the Seminary Hill Natural Area to fight and then six or seven others, both males and females, jumped in. As for the reason for the dispute, Reichert would only say they didn’t like each other. The victims are ages 18 and 19 and both from Chehalis, he said. Someone could be in trouble for second-degree assault, according to police.

OUT-OF-CONTROL GROWN SON

• Deputies arrested a 43-year-old Ethel man on Sunday afternoon after a call to the 100 block of Pinkerton Road where his mother and sister advised he was in the house freaking out and broke a window. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office says that during the arrest, Lynn K. Jorgensen injured a deputy’s finger, grabbing it and squeezing it until it “popped.” Jorgensen was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree assault and disorderly conduct, according to the sheriff’s office.

JAIL ASSAULT

• A 24-year-old inmate at the Lewis County Jail found himself in further trouble when he was queried about a broken broom and responded by punching a corrections officer in the face on Sunday afternoon, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office says the jail employee was told Drake A. Lorber had busted the tip off the broom handle and wanted to retrieve it for safety reasons. When the guard told Lorber to come out of the shower, Lorber reportedly jumped out flexing his arms, puffing his chest and screaming “insanity”, the sheriff’s office reports. Staff managed to restrain Lorber who now faces a possible charge of custodial assault, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. The 24-year-old employee suffered soreness to his left cheek, she said. Staff indicated they tried to learn why Lorber acted the way he did, but couldn’t, Brown said.

CAT BURGLAR ENTERS FROM ROOF

• Chehalis police were called about 1:30 p.m. yesterday by the owner of a building on the 1200 block of Northwest Cedar Way after the discovery someone broken in by removing panels from the roof to get inside. Missing are automotive parts; it’s a structure used for storage, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT IN CHEHALIS

• A woman who was in the process of moving called police yesterday after finding while she was gone someone came into the residence near Southwest Seventh Street and Market Boulevard in Chehalis and went through her belongings, taking small items, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT FROM SELF STORAGE BUSINESS

• Padlocks were cut from three customer’s storage units in Randle and multiple items stolen including three ring-type crab pots and a Lincoln wire feed welder sometime between 2 p.m. on Thursday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. A deputy contacted on Saturday afternoon about the burglaries at CVS Storage on the 9400 block of U.S. Highway 12 noted the victims, all Randle residents ages 28, 57 and 80, also lost a rototiller, a Craftsman pressure washer and a chainsaw, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is estimated at $710.

FIREARMS TAKEN IN BURGLARY

• A deputy was called to a home on the 300 block of Howe Road outside Toledo about 6:20 p.m. on Friday where a 32-year-old man said while he was working out of town, someone broke in and stole a Remington 12-gauge shotgun and a Stevens 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

DRUGS

• A traffic stop and a warrant led to an arrest for possession of methamphetamine on Saturday afternoon on South Market and Main Street in Chehalis. When Levi G. Edmonds, 24, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, some suspected drugs were found, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

WRECK TAKES OUT TWO POWER POLES

• A 16-year-old driver from Chehalis was reportedly uninjured when she collided with two utility poles on Sunday morning, sheering one off at its base and coming to rest against the second one. A deputy responding just after 8 a.m. to the 500 block of Highway 603 west of Chehalis found the 1997 Ford F150 pickup truck totaled and learned the girl had taken her eyes off the road when she reached for something on the passenger seat, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. She was cited for speeds too fast for conditions, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, negligent driving, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarms, disputes, shoplifting groceries; complaints of barking dog, house and cars egged, penis drawn onto a car with a grease pen, young women pulling their pants down in public, tent pitched in gully across from mint factory, an energetic medium-sized dog repeatedly running into a retirement home … and more.

•••

CORRECTION: This has been updated to reflect the correct location for the nighttime break-in at the north end of Centralia in which a resident hid in a bedroom while his home was burglarized. It occurred on the the 3000 block of Lowery Lane.

POLICE: WOMAN CHOKED BY BOYFRIEND

• A 30-year-old Centralia man was arrested for second-degree assault after police responded about 9 p.m. yesterday to an incident at the 500 block of Yew Street. Brandon K. Phelps allegedly choked his girlfriend and was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

POLICE: COP KICKED BY DETAINEE

• A 44-year-old Oakville man reportedly kicked a police officer for no reason after he was handcuffed following a domestic dispute early yesterday morning in Centralia. Alfredo Lopez-Menbreno was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree assault following the incident about 12:15 a.m. at the 3200 block of Fords Prairie Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SKATE PARK DISPUTE

• A 27-year-old Tenino man was arrested on Saturday afternoon after he allegedly tried to pick a fight with several kids at the skate park in Centralia. Officers booked Anthony W. Wells into the Lewis County Jail for disorderly conduct following the incident at the 700 block of Harrison Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY

• Centralia police took a report about 10:45 a.m. yesterday where someone tried to kick in the back door of a vacant home on the 1000 block of E Street. They didn’t’ get inside and nothing was taken, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Someone got into a vehicle overnight at East Pine and North Tower Avenue in Centralia and stole “items”, according to a report made to the Centralia Police Department yesterday afternoon.

BONFIRE MISHAP

• A woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after she fell into a fire near Dryad on Saturday night. Firefighters from Lewis County Fire Districts 16 and 11 responded around dinnertime to the incident along state Route 6 near Rainbow Falls State Park. She was transported to Adan High School where she was met by a helicopter, District 11 Chief Michael Krafczyk said. Krafczyk said he understood she suffered second and third-degree burns from the outdoor recreational fire. “How she fell in, I don’t know, or if she’s still at Harborview,” he said this morning.

WSP: SEAT BELTS WORK

• Three people walked away without injuries after a rollover accident involving an elk early yesterday morning on Interstate 5 near Grand Mound. Troopers called just before 5 a.m. learned a northbound semi truck hit the animal which was tossed in front of a car in the far left lane, according to the Washington State Patrol. The dead elk was dragged beneath the car for about 100 feet before the vehicle rolled, Trooper Guy Gill said. The driver and two passengers were all wearing seat belts, Gill said.

AND MORE

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

Car ends up on its top after dragging a dead elk near the exit 88 freeway interchange on Interstate 5 yesterday. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol

TEEN LIFE FLIGHTED AFTER RV HITCHING MISHAP

• A 17-year-old boy was airlifted to Harborview Medical in Seattle yesterday after he was crushed between a pickup truck and a fifth-wheel travel trailer in Centralia. Police called about 11:15 p.m. to the 800 block of West Pear Street say the owner was trying to hook the two together when the vehicle rolled back too far and caught the teen. Arriving firefighters found someone else had already moved the truck and the boy had only been pinned briefly, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Centralia police say he was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital to be evaluated for possible injuries. Firefighter-paramedic Jennifer Ternan said he was then flown to the regional trauma center, but she didn’t have any information about his condition. The case remains under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT, THEFT, THEFT, THEFT …

• A 39-year-old Centralia man was arrested for being in possession of a vehicle stolen out of Port Angeles, which had license tabs on it taken off a different vehicle in Port Angeles and was affixed with a license plate stolen from Centralia. Kelly L. Beckley allegedly left the Ford F-150 pickup truck at Wal-Mart, where he stole a bicycle and pedaled over to K-Mart, where he shoplifted a pair of trousers, according to the Chehalis Police Department. He was greeted by an officer after he had changed into the pants in the restroom there, according to police. An employee from Wal-Mart had called 911 about 2:50 p.m. on Thursday to say Beckley was acting suspicious, when he got on the bicycle and rode away, police said. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday that someone broke into a home on the 3700 block of Russell Road in Centralia. A deputy responding there on Thursday learned that sometime between noon and 3 p.m. entered the residence and left with about $600 worth of valuables, including an HP laptop computer and jewelry, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Centralia police were called about 2 p.m. Thursday about someone stealing a purse from a shopping cart at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue.

DRUGS

• A 23-year-old from Forest Grove, Ore. was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after contact with an officer on Thursday night at the 600 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia. Alfredo Mendoza-Martinez, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• There will be no trial next month for the 2010 drive-by shooting at on Southwest William Street in Chehalis. Prosecutors in April brought their suspect back to Lewis County to face charges, from prison where he is serving more than 100 years for a gang-related shooting incident in Yakima County. Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Mark McClain asked a judge on Thursday to dismiss the charges, without prejudice, meaning they could be re-filed at a later time. “I think there’s something else going on here we need to investigate in a different way,” McClain told the judge when he made his request. Andrew Morales-Loberg, now 22, will be headed back to prison, with a release date in the year 2165. Prosecutors had issued a material witness warrant for one of the victims in the case, Rolando Carrillo-Cruz, who McClain said is in Mexico. The judge signed an order quashing that warrant on Thursday.

CANDLES ARE CULPRITS IN VADER HOUSE FIRE

• A fire that chased a family from it’s Vader area home on Thursday evening was caused by candles. Members of Cowlitz-Lewis Fire District 2 responding about 7 p.m. to the single-story house on the 100 block of Enchanted Valley Drive found smoke billowing out from all the back windows and a resident using a fire extinguisher from outside to get at the flames, according to Chief Richard Underdahl. His son had been working on a computer and noticed flames coming from an unusual interior room inside the residence, according to Underdahl. The father closed that door, made sure everyone was outside and helped contain the fire until crews arrived. The original property owner had built the house around a vintage Airstream-type travel trailer which couldn’t be seen from outside, but when one opened one of the interior doors, they found themselves inside the trailer, according to Underdahl. It’s a room one of the pre-teen-age children and friends had been burning a couple of candles in earlier and they were forgotten about, Fire Investigator Ted McCarty said. It’s interior was burned, but the home and its other contents were mostly saved, Underdahl said. Nobody was injured and some of the roughly 20 firefighters, which included adjacent districts, were on the scene until about 11 p.m., he said.

WRECKS

• A 31-year-old school bus driver was issued a citation after he backed his bus up into an occupied Saturn station wagon on the 100 block of Moon Road west of Chehalis on Thursday afternoon. A deputy responding after the 3:30 p.m. incident found the damage to both vehicles was minor and none of the teenagers on the bus – from Curtis and the Chehalis area – were injured, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday.

• A Tacoma man was injured in a rollover accident overnight on Interstate 5 south of Napavine when he collided with the center barrier causing a rear wheel to come off his car. Troopers responding about 12:40 a.m. to the northbound lanes near Koontz Road found the 1994 Buick four-door was totaled and the detached wheel had traveled to the other side of the freeway where it was was struck by a southbound vehicle, according to the Washington State Patrol. Ernest G. Hartwig, 56, was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, the state patrol reports. He was to be cited for wheels off the roadway.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, shoplifting merchandise such as liquor and groceries, stealing landscaping rocks; responses for alarms, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft, collisions on city streets, graffiti, someone shooting a BB at a car … and more.

A 1994 Buick is prepared for towing after it wrecked on Interstate 5 south of Napavine. / Courtesy photo by Kristal Autumn

Updated at 11:17 a.m.

PUFF PUFF, TAKE THAT

• When a pair of grown brothers who were not getting along called Centralia police to the 1100 block of Cobra Avenue very early this morning, one of them allegedly ripped a cigarette out of his brother’s hand in front of an officer and proceeded to smoke it, prompting his arrest for theft … first-degree, according to the Centralia Police Department. Police say 48-year-old Robeson T. Marvin, from Hoquiam, had earlier been told by police to leave the property and not to return or he would be arrested. However, he went back, confronted his brother and officers responded to a dispute call there at about 2:30 a.m., according to police. Officer John Panco said if one takes something off another person, it is considered theft in the first degree. Unless you use force, then it’s robbery, he said. It’s a a felony with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and / or a $20,000 fine. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

POLICE PURSUIT CENTRALIA

• Centralia police looking for a person on South Silver Street late yesterday afternoon came across a wanted person who led officers on a short chase around city streets at about 5:30 p.m. Officer John Panco said Jose A. Escamilla is a fugitive with multiple felony and misdemeanor warrants. An officer recognized him in the area and not long after, a pursuit began near South Ash and West Cherry streets, finally being terminated near Summa and Woodland Avenue because of the danger posed to the public, according to the Centralia Police Department. The 19-year-old, also known as Angel, remains at large but now faces a possible charge of eluding, according to police.

TWO SELF STORAGE BUSINESSES HIT WITH THEFT

• A 54-year-old Chehalis man reported yesterday someone got into his unit at Chehalis Mini Storage on the 200 block of Interstate Avenue in Chehalis and stole numerous items, including a compressor, a chainsaw, electric hedge trimmers, a leaf blower and a heater. Forced entry was made and evidence at the scene was collected, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The break-in occurred sometime since last Thursday, according to the sheriff’s office.

• A deputy was called yesterday to Reynolds Avenue where someone had broken into a storage unit and left various valuable property untouched, but made off with paperwork containing financial and personal information. The lock was cut at Centralia Self Storage and no other units were affected, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It happened between 11:30 a.m. on Monday and 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

DRUGS

• A 33-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested yesterday evening or possession of methamphetamine and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Michael R. Chown was booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with police at the 1200 block of Alder Street in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MESSAGE ON CAR DRAWS POLICE

• Chehalis police were called about 11:30 a.m. yesterday to the parking lot at the Lewis County Mall on Hampe Way regarding a threatening note left on the windshield of a vehicle. The message included the phrase, ” … karma is a bitc*,” according to police. Police have no firm suspect so a report was taken for informational purposes only, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THREE-FER

• A Rochester resident and two homeless individuals all wanted on various warrants were arrested last night when they were found hiding in a garage on the 1000 block of South Tower Avenue. Booked into the Lewis County Jail after the approximately 9:15 p.m. discovery were Jacob R. Woods, 39, Alyssa E. Taylor, 26, and then Max A. Lyons, 24, from Rochester, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, driving under the influence, resisting arrest; responses for suspicious circumstances, collisions on city streets, to assist a pregnant homeless woman with no place to sleep, to help a pedestrian on a trek long enough there were foot blisters and then a trip to the hospital; complaints of teens smoking pot  … and more.

HAZARDOUS LITTLE HEIST

• Someone managed to break into a Lewis County PUD-owned electrical junction box in Randle and pilfer parts while the wiring was still hot. Three adaptors stolen from inside the metal box along the 1300 block of Falls Road are believed to have been removed around 3 a.m. on May 11, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown indicated it is not known how the feat was accomplished – or how it only now came to light –  but the culprit may have possessed special tools. The loss is estimated at $500, Brown said.

HOMEMADE BANK NOTES

• Chehalis police were called about noon yesterday to a bank on the 400 block of North Market Boulevard when a customer trying to cash three money orders for $875 each got “a little belligerent” when he was told they didn’t appear real. He wanted them back, the teller said no and he left, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

HANDBAG TAKEN

• Centralia police took a report about 9 a.m. yesterday of a purse stolen from the 1300 block of Alexander Street.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, protection order violation; responses for alarms, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft such as tailgate from truck, cell phone; complaints of customers failing to return rented items, chickens wandering loose in their neighbor’s yard, parent late dropping off children to other parent … and more.