Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 8:52 p.m.

LUCRATIVE BUT UNRULY PASSENGER KICKS CABBIE

• A deputy was called to a Packwood home about 2:30 a.m. on Friday after a resident allegedly stiffed a taxi driver on a $400 fare, a ride into Morton for some drinks and a ride home afterward, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office said that on the way home, the 63-year-old man had the cabbie stop at the Shell Foodmart to hit up the ATM as was their ordinary routine, but for whatever reason it didn’t work and he said he could pay when they got to his house on Cannon Road. The cab driver told a deputy that when he tried to collect his money, his passenger kicked him in the stomach. “The victim did not want to press charges for the assault, he just wanted to get paid,” Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The case is being referred to prosecutors with a recommendation of a charge for third-degree theft, according to the sheriff’s office. The amount owed included another $200 for a cleanup fee because the customer urinated in the front seat, Brown said.

FAKE MONEY

• Two Centralia men were arrested last night after they allegedly spent a counterfeit $20 bill to make a small purchase at the 500 block of South Tower Avenue and then used the change to buy beer at another store, according to the Centralia Police Department. An officer called about 9:30 p.m. arrested Luke T. Baker, 43, and Thomas J. Roy, 39, for forgery and booked them into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. Sgt. Kurt Reichert said his department is aware of seven or eight fake $20 bills passed in the recent past. How many more are out there? Reichert said he has no idea. Baker is being released without charges pending further investigation. Roy is being held on a warrant.

FAKE NAME

• A 31-year-old Toledo woman was arrested for identity theft because she lied about her name to a deputy on Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy responding to a report of suspicious activity at Gee Cees truck stop on Foster Creek Road near Vader contacted the occupants of a vehicle and one of them said she was Sarah Meyer, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the deputy knew Meyer and knew the woman was not her. The female subsequently identified as Michelle Price, was wanted on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant and was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Brown.

WINDOW SMASHED

• Deputies are looking for a 23-year-old Rochester man after he allegedly broke a window at his ex-girlfriend’s home on the 1800 block of Lincoln Creek Road early yesterday morning when she refused to let him inside. A deputy responding about 1:40 a.m. reported the loss is about $100, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Police were called about 7:30 a.m. yesterday about a car prowl on the 500 block of Ash Street in Centralia. Someone broke a window or windows to get inside and took a wallet, a camera and CDs, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called about 12:45 a.m. yesterday to the 600 block of Southwest William Avenue about a laptop computer stolen from a vehicle.

• A 43-year-old Puyallup woman contacted the sheriff’s office about 5 p.m. on Saturday after she discovered someone had prowled her vehicle as it was parked near the Packwood Airport during the community’s flea market event. Missing were two jackets, two Motorola walkie talkies and a GPS device, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It appeared a door was left unlocked, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

• A purse containing credit cards and an iPhone were stolen from a vehicle parked at the 12,000 block of U.S. Highway 12 between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The victim said she left the pink, fabric shoulder bag on the passenger seat of the unlocked locked vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

ILLEGAL WEAPON

• A 35-year-old Salkum man, Larry E. Ridgley, stopped on Sunday evening for driving an ATV on the 700 block of Gore Road with a suspended license was subsequently arrested for possession of a dangerous weapon; brass knuckles discovered in  his pants, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

DRUGS

• A 28-year-old homeless man was arrested for possession of heroin about 1:20 a.m. today when a Chehalis police officers stopped two males on bicycles without proper lighting at the 600 block of North National Avenue. Douglas M. Capelli was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. The officer confiscated about five and half grams of suspected heroin, police said. However, he was charged this afternoon with delivery of a controlled substance in connection with an ongoing case. His defense attorney in arguing for lower bail suggested to a judge Capelli couldn’t be much of a community safety risk given that police didn’t arrest him back in October when they could have. “The reason we’re here now, they’re doing this, is he didn’t follow through on a deal to rat someone out,” Chehalis attorney Bob Schroeter said. His bail was set at $25,000, half of what prosecutors requested.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A former area attorney who was disbarred was charged with second-degree organized retail theft and possession of methamphetamine, both as a principal or an accomplice in Lewis County Superior Court today. Roland T. Hunter, 52, of Tacoma, appeared before a judge following his Saturday arrest at the Centralia Outlets for his alleged role in a shoplifting spree. Matthew D. Drennan, 36, of Edgewood, was arrested at the same time and charged today with the same offenses. Hunter works in Edgewood selling used cars, defense attorney Bob Schroeter told the judge. Bail was set at $10,000 for both men. Centralia police called about 5:30 p.m. to the shopping center on Lum Road found the pair’s vehicle with merchandise taken from several stores. Schroeter said he didn’t remember the details of Hunter’s troubles as lawyer, but thought he worked in Centralia until several years ago.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence; responses for parking lot hit and run, other non-injury collisions, misdemeanor assault, shoplifting, suspicious circumstances, suspected suicide … and more.

SHOP LOCAL, BUT PLEASE PAY UNLESS YOU WANT ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE GRAY BAR HOTEL

• A shopping spree for two Pierce County men ended yesterday with their arrests at the Centralia Outlets for organized retail theft and possession of methamphetamine. Police called about 5:30 p.m. to the 1300 block of Lum Road regarding a shoplifted purse found a pair of suspects in an adjacent store and a vehicle with merchandise inside it from places such as Aeropostale, Corning, Nike, Sunbirds in Chehalis and Sears at the Lewis County Mall, according to the Centralia Police Department. When one of the men was patted down, an officer discovered suspected stolen goods such as sunglasses and gloves, along with a tie from another retailer, Sgt. Kurt Reichert said. “They cuffed him,” Reichert said. One of the subjects was seen kicking a bag under a patrol car; it contained suspected meth, according to police. The total value of the goods was $1,665, but it only takes hitting three or more stores to push a misdemeanor shoplifting offense up to the felony of organized retail theft, according to Reichert. Police counted approximately nine victim businesses. Centralia has lately become somewhat of a destination location for “northerners” engaging in this type of activity, Reichert said. Roland T. Hunter, 52, of Tacoma, and Matthew D. Drennan, 36, of Edgewood, were  booked into the Lewis County Jail.

DRUGS

• A 39-year-old Rochester man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine following a traffic stop about 10:50 p.m. on Friday on West Main Street and North Washington Avenue in Centralia. An officer asked James W. Strothman if he wanted to retrieve anything from his vehicle before it was impounded and he asked for a small black bag, according to police. The officer checked to make sure it didn’t have any weapon inside before handing it over and found a handgun and a baggie of a powdered substance, according to police. The Rochester man was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Centralia police were called just before 9 a.m. yesterday to the 1500 block of South Gold Street after a woman discovered someone had taken her purse and keys from the back of her truck. She was getting ready to leave and set them there while walking a dog, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A leather jacket was reported stolen from an unlocked car at the 1100 block of West Pear Street in Centralia on Friday morning.

WRECKS

• A 62-year-old Olympia man was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital after a single-vehicle collision yesterday evening on Interstate 5 near Vader. Troopers called about 6:30 p.m. to the southbound lanes near milepost 58 found that traffic had slowed in front of Bill Bakke who was unable to stop. Bakke moved to the left into the concrete barrier, then rotated back the other way coming to rest in the right lane, according to the Washington State Patrol. His 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt was described as totaled. He was cited for following too closely, according to the state patrol.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, DUI, 49-year-old woman walking in the middle of the roadway disrupting traffic; responses for possible identity theft, for shoplifting such as a man pushing a baby stroller at Outlet stores, alcohol and energy drink from grocery store … and more.

Homemade mini shotgun discovered with shells in Rochester woman’s SUV. Courtesy photo by Thurston County Sheriff’s Office

SEATBELT VIOLATION LEADS TO HIDDEN METH, SHORT SHOTGUN

• Neglecting to put on her seatbelt got a 23-year-old Rochester woman the attention of deputies last night, who in turn found hidden in the spare tire storage area of her SUV an unspecified quantity of suspected methamphetamine and a tiny home made shotgun. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office was working a seatbelt emphasis patrol at U.S. Highway 12 and Albany Street in Rochester when at about 7 p.m. a driver was spotted without her seatbelt, according to the sheriff’s office. A deputy who pulled her over found suspected meth on her person and so subsequently impounded and searched her vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said it was just a personal amount of meth found on the driver but more found in the storage area. The handheld shotgun shooting device discovered was homemade, spring loaded and illegal, according to Lt. Greg Elwin. Brianna Carrothers, 23, was arrested for possession of synthetic drugs while armed with a deadly weapon as well as unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun, the sheriff’s office reported. Law enforcement officers on Monday began adding extra patrols seeking out motorists who fail to buckle up and those who use cell phones while behind the wheel. The emphasis, which is also taking place around Lewis County  until June 2, is part of a campaign to end traffic deaths and serious injury accidents in Washington by 2030.

POLICE CHASE, TAZE WANTED MAN

• A short foot pursuit and a zap with a Taser ended with a 49-year-old man getting taken into custody yesterday morning near South Gold and East Summa streets in Centralia. Police say when they attempted to contact Jose A. Rodriguez around 8:20 a.m., he ran. He was wanted for an outstanding warrant,  according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers booked him into the Lewis County Jail also for obstructing and resisting, according to police.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• The Centralia mom who gave her toddler a hit off a marijuana bong – which was captured on a cell phone video – will spend six months in jail, a Lewis County Superior Court judge ordered this morning. More to come.

• The lawsuit against White Pass School District – sued by the family of a sophomore who committed suicide – is over, with a Lewis County Superior Court judge ruling this morning school officials had no duty to notify Brian Stephens’ family of a suicide note they learned of or a possible suicide pact between two students. More to come. Meanwhile, for background, read “Packwood teen’s suicide to be revisited, in court” from Sunday July 1, 2012, here

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for shoplifting, misdemeanor assaults, warrant; responses for non-injury collisions, stolen bicycle, gas station drive-off, to assist retrieving a 22-month-old who had locked self inside a bathroom; complaints of someone kicking at the back door to a business at the Lewis County Mall … a complaint by a taxi driver that after he gave a male a ride from Rock Street in Centralia to Yelm yesterday, the customer said he needed to go inside and get some money, but ran down an alley and never returned … and more.

MOM CONFRONTS BURGLARS IN ROCHESTER HOME

• A 28-year-old Rochester mother awakened yesterday morning by noises in her living room confronted two subjects carrying away her television. They dropped the TV, one said sorry, and they ran out the door, jumped in a car and drove away, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called just before 9 a.m. to the home on the 10,800 block of 188th Avenue Southwest said she described the intruders as teenage boys, both about 6 feet tall. Their car was a 1990s dark green “junkie” Chevrolet Impala, Lt. Greg Elwin said. Her door had been left unlocked, he said. They managed to get away with a Playstation II, according to the sheriff’s office.

GAS STATION THEFT

• Someone broke into an outside cabinet at Dave’s Chevron station in Toledo and stole six to eight recycled car batteries, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy who responded to the 400 block of state Route 506 was told it happened sometime between 11 p.m. on Tuesday and 3:30 yesterday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.

LITTLE MOTORCYCLE LIFTED

• Centralia police took a report yesterday regarding the theft of a small, bright yellow “pocket” motorcycle from the 500 block of South Pearl Street.

WHEELS REMOVED FROM VEHICLE

• Centralia police were called to an auto body shop yesterday afternoon at the 200 block of East Summa Street when the victim discovered a car sitting on blocks and missing two of its tires and wheels (wire spoke rims).

VEHICLE PROWL

• Centralia police were contacted yesterday morning about a diamond ring stolen out of a vehicle sometime during the previous two days. The loss is almost $1,000, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Police were called about 3:30 p.m. yesterday regarding a car prowl at the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. It wasn’t immediately obvious if anything was missing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• Centralia police responding to a home on the 1200 block of West Main Street about a dispute just before 11 p.m. yesterday ended up arresting a 35-year-old resident for allegedly having a baggie with pills in her pocket she did not possess a prescription for. Melinda M. Murphy was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called just after 4 p.m. yesterday regarding graffiti spray painted onto an alley-facing garage off Southwest Cascade Avenue. The sliver “bubble” letters are not really decipherable, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

SNOOZING IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

• Centralia police were called about 1:15 a.m. today to the area just north of East Maple Street and Railroad Avenue after a railroad officer discovered a man sleeping inside a locomotive. Dale L. Wester, of Quilcene, was cited for trespass and then released, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ANOTHER CHEHALIS OVERPASS STRUCK BY LOAD

• One lane of northbound Interstate 5 at the 13th Street interchange in Chehalis was shut down for a time yesterday afternoon after a too-tall load on a flatbed trailer struck the overpass and caused some concrete to fall. Troopers and police responded about 3 p.m. found that a forklift being hauled hit the bridge. The truck driver from Ellensburg was cited for a load that was over the legal limit in height, according to the Washington State Patrol.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, failing to register as a sex offender by a transient; responses for misdemeanor theft, alarm, a report of forgery, dispute, parking lot hit and run; complaints of possible inappropriate touching … and more.

DISPUTE

• A 46-year-old Centralia woman was arrested after she reportedly took a swing at a neighbor yesterday afternoon. Police called just before 2 p.m. to the 500 block of South Silver Street were told Patsy A. Bartlett was calling the young woman names and when the young woman made a comment to her companion, Bartlett ran up to her and tried to hit her, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officer Mike Lowrey said it sounds like they are not getting along. Bartlett was booked into the Lewis County Jail for fourth-degree (misdemeanor) assault, according to police.

THEFT

• Centralia police took a report just before 11 a.m. yesterday about kitchenware and fishing rods stolen from a house on the 1000 block of Long Road.

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning about a wallet stolen from an unlocked vehicle on Southwest Fourth Street near Cascade Avenue.

• Centralia police took a report yesterday about mail-order medication that should have but didn’t show up in a mail box on the 700 block of North Washington Avenue in Centralia.

DISORDERLINESS

• Centralia police were called just before midnight to the 600 block of J Street where they were told a 23-year-old occupant used a chair to break out a bedroom window.

DRUGS

• A 30-year-old Centralia man was arrested for alleged drug dealing after he was stopped on his bicycle yesterday evening on Cooks Hill Road in Centralia, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The contact about 7:30 p.m. with Anthony B. Velazquez came from an ongoing investigation, according to detective Sgt. Gary Wilson. Police found in his possession a plastic baggie with about one-eighth of an ounce of suspected black tar heroin and another baggie with suspected methamphetamine, Wilson said. Velazquez was booked into the Lewis County Jail for conspiracy to deliver heroin and possession of meth, according to police.

MORE DISORDERLINESS

• Chehalis police were called about 11 p.m. yesterday by a woman on Southwest 20th Street who said there were three males outside dressed in black and wearing skeleton masks who were yelling, screaming and kicking at each other. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said he knew that a warning was given, but he didn’t have further details.

BONUS QUOTE OF THE DAY

• “We call that a clue.”  – Police Sgt. Gary Wilson about the cash falling out of the pockets of the suspected bank robber when he was pulled over yesterday on Interstate 5 near Kelso.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrant, misdemeanor assault; responses for minor collision, false alarms, disputes, stolen bicycle and other misdemeanor theft, suspicious activity, lost wallet; complaints of kids on the school roof … and more.

Updated at 1:43 p.m.

THEFT AND METH

• Two people were arrested this morning for allegedly stealing a car hoist from a Chehalis business, cutting it up into pieces and selling it to a local scrap yard. Police had been looking for Jeanelle L. Matson and Charles R. Smith since last week when the item was discovered missing from behind an auto shop on Northwest State Avenue, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Sgt. Gary WIlson said he understood they got about $50 scrap value from the $4,000 hoist. He said the Olympia residents – both 48 years old – have been driving around in a U-Haul van. They were picked up about 5 o’clock this morning when Centralia police spotted a woman push open the door to a vacant house on the 1000 block of Eckerson Road. Both were booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of stolen property, he said. Matson was arrested also because she was found in possession of suspected methamphetamine, according to Centralia police.

CYBER “STALKER” REMAINS ANONYMOUS

• Police contacted by a student at W.F. West High School yesterday concerned she was being stalked by an anonymous texter concluded the messages were coming from an unknown person in Memphis, Tennessee. Chehalis detective Sgt. Gary Wilson described it as a random, out-of-the-blue situation and said the girl was advised to block the number.

MORE THEFT

• Centralia police arrested a 33-year-old man yesterday afternoon in connection with a burglary at an apartment complex on Reynolds Avenue in Centralia where he worked as a maintenance man. Police said Joshua J. Meyers used a key to get access and took drills, activity which was captured on security video. Officers continue to investigate since other items have been reported missing from a complex owned by the same person on the 2900 block of Mount Vista Road, according to Sgt. Kurt Reichert. Meyers, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree burglary, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BRUSH FIRE IN DITCH

• Firefighters responded about 2 p.m. yesterday for a brush fire off Coma Road west of Vader. “It was burning in a ditch, starting to get into the timber,” Lewis County Fire District 15 Firefighter Patrick Jacobson said. He estimated the size at 100 feet by 50 feet. Crews from Winlock and Vader extinguished it, he said. Jacobson said he’d only be guessing as to the cause.

WRECKS

• Deputies and aid were called about 9:45 p.m. yesterday to the 300 block of Hewitt Road southeast of Chehalis where a motorcycle struck a deer. The 21-year-old driver from Salkum spoke of leg and arm pain but declined to be taken to the hospital, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. His 2001 Suzuki sustained major damage and was towed, the sheriff’s office said. He was cited for driving without a motorcycle endorsement on his license, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.

• Two occupants of a passenger car escaped serious injury yesterday when they blew a stop sign entering U.S. Highway 12 west of Rochester and were hit by a semi truck. Trooper called at 3:30 p.m. to the scene at Moon Road reported the eastbound big rig had begun to slow because its driver watched one vehicle turn right off Moon Road without stopping and suddenly the second car did the same thing, Trooper Guy Gill said. The pair in the car were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with minor injuries and have been released, Gill said. The driver was cited for second-degree negligent driving he said. Her car was heavily damaged on it left side, according to Gill.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for driving with a suspended license; responses for misdemeanor theft, receipt of a counterfeit bill, suspicious circumstances, complaints of drunken yelling man, noisy dogs … and more.

Updated at 2:49 p.m.

MAN MUGGED IN DOWNTOWN CENTRALIA

• Police were called just before 2 a.m. yesterday to the 900 block of West Pear Street in Centralia where an intoxicated man said that he had been assaulted by a group of people as he walked home from a downtown tavern. The 26-year-old Centralia resident said he was punched in the face and believed the two females and three males took his cell phone, according to the Centralia Police Department. He said it happened by the railroad tracks, and the males were all 6-feet 2-inches tall, but police don’t have any good leads, according to Sgt. Kurt Reichert.

CLOSE CALL WITH TRAIN

• A pickup truck that was parked behind the Hub Tavern in Centralia and too close to the railroad tracks was “side swiped” by a freight train on Saturday night. Nobody was inside it at the time, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers called just before 10 p.m. the area near East Locust noted the truck was dragged a bit and its back end significantly damaged, according to police.

OUT-OF-CONTROL PEDESTRIAN

• A 22-year-old homeless man who reportedly was threatening people with a metal water bottle, stopping traffic and trying to pick fights with random individuals on Saturday afternoon in downtown Centralia was arrested for disorderly conduct, according to the Centralia Police Department. Nathaniel R.H. Beyer, who comes from Hollywood, was contacted at the 100 block of North Tower Avenue and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Police learned yesterday a pickup truck stolen from  I-5 Toyota in Chehalis turned up in Pierce County stripped and abandoned. An officer called about 1 p.m. on Friday to the dealership on the 1900 block of Louisiana Avenue was told the silver 2004 Ford 250 pickup vanished sometime between midnight and 7 a.m., according to the Chehalis Police Department.

POLICE CHASE

• Centralia police say Officer Ruben Ramirez and police dog Lobo were summoned just before 9 p.m. on Saturday to Alpha Way in the Onalaska area to help sheriff’s deputies track a suspect following a vehicle pursuit. The sheriff’s office said it was assisting the state patrol. Further details were not readily available.

POSSIBLE CURRENCY MANIPULATION

• Centralia police are investigating after a male tried to spend two $5 bills which had been cut in half and taped together in downtown Centralia on Saturday. The serial number on one end of the bill was different than the serial number on the other end, so the clerk denied the sale, kept the money and called police, according to the Centralia Police Department. Sgt. Kurt Reichert said if a person has only a portion of a bill – as long as they have more than 51 percent of it – they can turn it in to authorities to get a replacement bill, but it’s not okay to tape it yourself. Theoretically, a person could try to tape together two halves of bills that are each less than 50 percent, he said, which would be criminal.

VANDALISM

• Police called just after 6 p.m. yesterday about a tire slashed on a vehicle at an apartment complex in Centralia arrested a 32-year-old Napavine man. Police were told by a witness they had seen Daniel L. Fuchs do it the night before and when he showed up to the scene at the 2800 block of Russell Road, he was arrested for third-degree malicious mischief, according to the Centralia Police Department. He said the tire on his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle was bald and he didn’t want her driving on it, according to Sgt. Kurt Reichert.

WRECK

• A 43-year-old Morton man was cited for speeds too fast for conditions and failing to wear a seatbelt after a back road, nighttime wreck outside Randle in which he missed a corner on a gravel road and traveled off the roadway and down into a “big valley.” A deputy called about 6 a.m. on Saturday learned the man, whose forehead was cut when he stuck the windshield, walked until he was picked up by a passerby and taken to Taidnapam Park near Riffe Lake to get help, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said it happened on the 320-Line, off the 300-Line from the 108 Bridge sometime between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, protection order violation;  responses for minor collisions, vehicle versus bicycle with no injuries (twice over the weekend), misdemeanor assaults, disputes, burglar alarms; complaints of kids playing in the middle of a street, kids throwing rocks, a male stumbling around urinating in public, complaints of noisy neighbors, noisy dogs … and more.