Lewis County Sirens.com

SPENDING SPREE ENDS HERE

• Three people were arrested last night for allegedly passing several counterfeit $20 bills in Centralia, currency that was produced with a copy machine, according to the Centralia Police Department. “They’re not very good copies,” Sgt. Kurt Reichert said. Officers were called just after 7 p.m. to a business on the 600 block of Harrison Avenue by a merchant who was victimized and provided a license plate number of the suspects, according to police. Subsequently located and booked into the Lewis County Jail for forgery were Jake Johnson Jr., 39; Patricia L. Mohar, also known as Patty Dukes, 42; and Tonya L. McNulty, 43; all of Centralia, according to police. Officers allegedly found three more fake bills in their possession. Reichert said the investigation is continuing into as many as four other similar instances in the area in recent weeks, including one in which someone used two phony twenties to pay their court fine.

‘HOT’ WHEELS FOUND AT BORST AVENUE

• A random check of a license plate just after 6 a.m. yesterday led police to contact five people at a Centralia home and arrest one for being in possession of a stolen vehicle, according to the Centralia Police Department. At least one other person was arrested for an outstanding warrant, police said. Officers got a search warrant for the house on the 2500 block of Borst Avenue to look for the vehicle’s keys, according to Sgt. Kurt Reichert. Gabriel Escamilla, 19, who rents a room there was booked into the Lewis County Jail because of the vehicle which had been stolen from Thurston County, Reichert said.

ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN

• Police were called about 5:50 p.m. yesterday to  house on the 1000 block of Woodland Avenue in Centralia where someone had apparently tried to remove the knob from the front door. It didn’t appear they got inside, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• A pair of 15-year-old Centralia boys caught on Thursday allegedly stealing spray paint from a Harrison Avenue business are also in trouble after reportedly admitting numerous taggings throughout the city over the previous couple of days, according to the Centralia Police Department. The cases are being referred to juvenile prosecutors for evaluation, according to police.

NO TURN SIGNAL LEADS TO TROUBLE

• A 28-year-old Centralia woman who reportedly allowed someone with a suspended license to drive her car found herself jailed last night after the driver forgot to use a turn signal, got pulled over and police found a small baggie of suspected methamphetamine. Tasha R. Hernandez was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of meth after the contact with an officer about 6:40 p.m. yesterday at the 600 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to police.

• Spencer R. Barney, 25, of Centralia was arrested about 6:40 p.m. yesterday at the 600 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia, for an outstanding warrant and also for being in possession of a dangerous weapon; a medium sized knife, according to the Centralia Police Department

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with a suspended license; responses for misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor theft … and more.

HOUSE OF RISING SON OWNER BOOKED FOR ALLEGED DRUG SALES

• The woman who opened her Chehalis home to men transitioning out of prison was arrested yesterday in connection with an investigation into prescription drug dealing. Judy Chafin, 61, and Keith D. Williams, 48, were in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation about 3:15 p.m. at Southwest Cascade Avenue and Seventh Street, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Deputy Police Chief Randy Kaut said officers were originally focused on Williams and sales of hydrocodone but came to believe Chafin was involved as well. The pair were booked into the Lewis County Jail for delivery of a controlled substance, Kaut said. Chafin owns House of the Rising Son in Chehalis and managed other similar homes, including one on Nix Road west of Chehalis that became the target of neighbors and the sheriff’s office who didn’t want multiple felons living together out in the county.

SOUNDS LIKE FICTION

• A 48-year-old Centralia woman was arrested for fraud after she allegedly tried to pass a fake $100 bill at several businesses and finally spent it at a coffee shop on the 100 block of South Tower Avenue yesterday afternoon. Geraldine R. Taylor was questioned and said she found it in a fairy tale book about two years ago, according to the Centralia Police Department. “That kind of story didn’t seem credible,” Officer Mike Lowrey said. Taylor was booked into the Lewis County jail, according to police. The Secret Service will be contacted and they may or may not be able to figure out who printed the phony currency, according to Lowrey.

CARIBBEAN CONTEST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

• A Centralia woman in her 60s contacted police on Wednesday after she fell victim to a scam in which she was told she had won thousands of dollars but she first needed to wire $400 to get it. It began with a phone call from someone in Jamaica, police were told. After she paid the money, she got another call asking for more, according to police. Officer Mike Lowrey said it’s a common scheme and folks need to know they should never have to pay anything to win something. Another red flag is being told you’ve won if you haven’t even entered a contest, Lowrey said.

SUPER BAD MANNERS

• A 29-year-old Centralia man was arrested yesterday after a woman spotted him, called police and said he was same man who days earlier pulled his vehicle over as she was walking, opened the car door and was sitting inside with his pants around his ankles. Javier Arias-Lara was arrested for indecent exposure and then released, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT

• A deputy was called yesterday to the 700 block of Cousins Road west of Chehalis where sometime since Sunday someone had stolen a piece of equipment – a DR power grader valued at $1,000, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Sometime between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. yesterday, a television and a box of pictures were stolen from a storage unit on the 3200 block of Ives Road outside Centralia, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A pair of women were arrested for organized retail theft at the Centralia Outlets on Wednesday afternoon. Roberta D. Olsen, 20 of Kent, and Alisha A. Johnson, 29 of Tukwila, were booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A pair of 15-year-old Centralia boys were caught on surveillance video yesterday allegedly for stealing cans of spray paint from a store on the 1600 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. The case is being referred to juvenile prosecutors for evaluation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called to a location on Northwest State Avenue on Wednesday morning about the theft of a hoist.

METH ARREST

• A 27-year-old Centralia man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after he was contacted by police early yesterday morning inside city-owned property at the 1100 block of B Street in Centralia. Michael E. Bieker, a homeless person, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Police took a report regarding a variety of graffiti posted on a vehicle at the 900 block of South Pearl Street early yesterday morning. The obscene pictures and “inappropriate” words were left on the car with a washable pen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police took a report about 7:45 p.m. yesterday at the 500 block of North Tower Avenue regarding a right passenger side window of a vehicle getting shot out with a BB or pellet gun.

WRECK

• A 47-year-old Longview man was cited for driving too fast for conditions after he took a corner in the rain and spun numerous times into the oncoming lane before getting struck by another vehicle. It happened yesterday on the 1500 block of Bishop Road near Chehalis, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. He got a cut on his forehead and the pair of 60-year-olds from Chehalis in the other vehicle were not injured, according to the sherif’s office. His Pontiac Sun and their Toyota Matrix both sustained major damage though, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, misdemeanor domestic assault, failing to register as a sex offender; responses for shoplifting and other misdemeanor theft, the discovery of a counterfeit $20 bill, possible fraud; complaints of loud music … and more.

Updated at 12:56 p.m.

MOVIE HEIST

• A deputy was called about 7:30 p.m. yesterday to an Onalaska-area home where someone broke in and stole 1,000 DVD movies, two large screen televisions and a Playstation. The 30-year-old victim at the 300 block of Burnt Ridge Road said it occurred sometime since Friday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The burglar got inside through an unlocked window, according to the sheriff’s office.

MOTORCYCLE MISSING

• Chehalis police took a report yesterday afternoon regarding a black dirt bike stolen from outside an apartment on the 600 block of Southeast Dobson Court. The Kawasaki 125 was taken sometime between midnight and 8 a.m., according to police.

PHONEY BILLS TO PAY COURT FINE

• An officer was called to Centralia Municipal Court yesterday afternoon after the discovery an individual had paid his fine using two fake $20 bills. The person, who may or may not have known the money was counterfeit, is being sought, according to the Centralia Police Department. The bills had the same serial number, according to police.

THEFT

• Centralia police took a report yesterday afternoon from the 1000 block of Eckerson Road regarding a burglary that occurred a week earlier. Further details were not readily available.

SUSPECTED VEHICLE PROWLER ARRESTED

• A 14-year-old Chehalis boy was arrested last night after a woman spotted three males trying to get into parked cars along Southeast Washington Avenue in Chehalis. She saw one boy manage to get inside one vehicle and rummage around just before 9 p.m., according to police. An officer tracked them down and booked the teen into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center for vehicle prowl, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said.

DISPUTE LEADS TO ARREST

• A 21-year-old man was arrested on Friday night after he allegedly forced his girlfriend up the stairs to their apartment at the 200 block of Main Avenue in Morton. Witnesses said she was yelling for help, according to police. Aaron J. Jacobs was arrested for unlawful imprisonment and booked into the Lewis County Jail but was released yesterday without charges pending further investigation.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called yesterday afternoon to a report of graffiti spray painted on a large portion of one wall of the restroom at Penny Playground on Southwest 13th Street.

NOT IN THE LOST AND FOUND

• A baggie containing a crystal substance found near the front door of a business on the 400 block of Second Street in Morton last week was turned over to police and logged into their property room. The material tested positive for methamphetamine, the Morton Police Department reported yesterday.

WRECK

• A 24-year-old Aberdeen woman was hospitalized after a two-vehicle wreck on state Route 508 about four miles west of Onalaska late yesterday afternoon. Both vehicles were totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers called about 5:20 p.m. said Toni R. Emery was traveling eastbound in a Nissan Stanza when her car crossed the centerline striking the driver’s side  of a Honda Odyssey driven by Iris J. Chung, 44, of Chehalis. The Nissan ended up on its top after hitting one ditch and the Odyssey ran through the ditch on the opposite side of the road, according to the state patrol. Emery was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, the patrol reported.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as shoplifting, domestic misdemeanor assault, minor collision, suspicious circumstances, loud children, a 17-year-old runaway from Centralia located in Sacramento, Calif. … and more.

Updated at 6:35 p.m.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE: BURGLARY TO STORE WAS INSIDE JOB

• Someone broke into the Ethel Market on U.S. Highway 12 about 4:45 a.m. on Sunday and made off with three cartons of cigarettes and $792 cash, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Surveillance video showed an individual used a key to get inside and questioning of all the employees with keys led to the arrest of Jerimy M. Trudeau, 30, of Centralia, according to the sheriff’s office. Trudeau reportedly told a deputy Rachel A. Deckert gave him the key and told him how to get in, the sheriff’s office reported. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the two split the money and merchandise. Most of it was recovered, according to Brown. Both Trudeau and Deckert, 32, of Toledo, were arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for burglary and theft, according to the sheriff’ office.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY

• Police were told someone went into an apartment on the 1500 block of Lewis Street in Centralia and stole medications and a rent check. The incident which was reported on Friday afternoon is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A Chehalis resident returned home to their apartment on Southwest Third Avenue found the front door open and called police about 1:40 p.m. on Friday. Nothing initially appeared to be missing, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Police called to a home on Northeast Washington Avenue in Chehalis on Friday morning were told someone had taken a Trek bicycle from the basement. The value is about $300, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT

• A real estate agent contacted the sheriff’s office on Saturday afternoon after discovering someone had stolen the key lock box from a home on the 100 block of Riffe Hill Road near Morton.

• A Stihl weed eater and two small gas cans were stolen from a building at he cemetery on the 100 block of Mineral Creek Road sometime between Friday and Saturday.

• A wallet and medication were reported missing from a locker at the 600 block of Centralia College Boulevard on Friday morning.

• A 21-year-old Centralia resident was arrested yesterday morning after he reportedly showed up at his parents home on the 500 block of South Washington Avenue in Centralia asking for money even though police had told him before to stay away. Before Matthew D. Christiansen left, he reportedly went into the backyard and took a painting respirator, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers found him and booked him for burglary.

DRUGS

• A 40-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested for possession of methamphetamine when she was picked up on an outstanding warrant overnight at the 300 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia. An officer got a tip about 12:25 a.m. that Tina A. Thode was at a bar and when he contacted her, found suspected meth in her purse, according to the Centralia Police Department. She was  booked into the Lewis County Jail.

• Centralia police arrested a 25-year-old Centralia woman for possession of methamphetamine after responding about 8:10 p.m. on Saturday to a domestic dispute at the 1200 block of Alder Street. Suspected methamphetamine was found in her purse, according to the Centralia Police Department. Kindra M. Powell was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

WRECKS

• A 57-year-old motorist was arrested for driving under the influence after he ran into a light post on the 500 block of North Gold Street in Centralia yesterday and knocked it off its base. Robin D. Hodgins of Centralia was cited and released, according to the Centralia Police Department. He suffered minor injuries and was going to be taken to the hospital by a sober driver, according to police.

• A 22-year-old Mossyrock man was arrested for driving under the influence after a one-vehicle collision yesterday afternoon at the 700 block of Tucker Road in Toledo, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s office. Zachary G. Little was also arrested for driving on a suspended license and being in possession of an illegal “butterfly” knife, according to the sheriff’s office. His vehicle had run into a ditch, according to the sheriff’s office.

• A 50-year-old motorist told police he didn’t stop because he didn’t want to be late for work when he reportedly struck a parked pickup truck on the 1600 block of South Market Boulevard in Chehalis and continued on with one tire missing late Friday night. The subject, Maximino C. Lopez-Ortiz of Centralia, was tracked down in a parking lot on State Street and issued a citation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• An 84-year-old Yakima man was taken to Morton General Hospital to be checked for possible injuries after a single-vehicle wreck on Friday afternoon on U.S. Highway 12 just west of Packwood. Granville L. Parrish was traveling westbound when his pickup truck went off to the right entering a ditch and striking an embankment, according to the Washington State Patrol. A trooper called to the scene about 2:30 p.m. noted Parrish had been seat belted and blamed the crash on inattention.

• A 19-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for driving under the influence and having an open container about 8:15 p.m. on Saturday at the 100 block of Northwest Quincy Place in Chehalis. A deputy subsequently learned Tyler M. McKee has caused major damage to an occupied SUV he struck a few minutes earlier at the 1800 block of Jackson Highway and was cited also for hit and run and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Two young women from New Jersey were hospitalized after a single-car collision yesterday evening on Interstate 5 in Chehalis. Troopers were called about 6:30 p.m. to the northbound lanes near the 13th Street interchange where a 2007 Ford Fusion had hit the jersey barrier, according to the Washington State Patrol. Mikaela N. Sessions, 19, and Victoria M. Abbate, 20, were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital with unspecified injuries, according to the state patrol. The investigating trooper reported Sessions began to make a lane change, found it wasn’t safe to do so and swerved to the left, then over corrected and lost control of her car. The wreck was blamed on inattention.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, suspended license, misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor theft; responses for minor collisions, dog bites, possibly stolen dog, alarm, disputes outside of taverns, suspicious circumstances; complaints about loud music, egging of a house and a vehicle … and more.

OOPS

• A load on a log truck struck the Chamber of Commerce Way overpass on northbound Interstate 5 in Chehalis yesterday afternoon spilling at least some of the logs onto the roadway. Troopers called about 4:15 p.m. cited the driver, Curtis G. Fasano, 50, of Chehalis, for carrying a load over the legal height, according to the Washington State Patrol. There was no damage to his Kenworth truck or the trailer, according to the state patrol.

NO FISHING DAY

• A 77-year-old Centralia man contacted the sheriff’s office yesterday morning after he discovered the electric trolling motor was missing from his boat at his shop on the 2500 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia. He said it was taken sometime between 9 a.m. on Tuesday and 8 a.m. yesterday and realized it was gone when he went to go fishing, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning by an individual who said an iPad was stolen from their vehicle the day before while parked at Wal-Mart.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrant, misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor theft; responses for minor collision, alarm, someone possibly attempting to cash a forged check, a child throwing rocks, suspicious circumstances … and more.

Updated at 8:15 p.m.

THE OPPOSITE OF A JOY RIDE

• A 48-year-old fired carnival worker reportedly took off from the fairgrounds in Chehalis with his employer’s semi truck yesterday, hauling two trailers loaded with at least one kiddy ride. A deputy came upon the big rig abandoned and stuck in a ditch at Tono and Big Hanaford roads in south Thurston County yesterday afternoon; its two trailers tilted over, according to the Chehalis Police Department. A deputy tracked down the driver a few miles away. “The deputy saw a guy sitting on a park bench in Bucoda and put two and two together,” detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. The man was apparently upset because his boss wouldn’t provide him transportation home after discharging him, according to Wilson. He told the deputy that as he was traveling, he noticed the truck was sluggish and looked behind and thought the trailer with the kiddy ride was gone, Wilson said. He tried to unhook the trailer, but ended up getting his bicycle and belongings and taking off, Wilson said. James McGuire, from Salem, Ore. was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for taking a motor vehicle without permission, according to police.

GAMES STOLEN

• A home on the 600 block of South Tower Avenue was burglarized, according to a report made to the Centralia Police Department about 7:40 p.m. yesterday. Missing are Xbox games and controllers, according to police.

HONDA STOLEN

• A silver 1999 Honda Civic was reported stolen from the 1200 block of Alder Street in Centralia about 2:15 p.m. yesterday. It has a license plate reading ADJ 2205, according to police. Officers report they have a suspect and are investigating.

TOOLS STOLEN

• A deputy was called just after 8 o’clock last night to the 400 block of Telegraph Road south of Winlock when a 51-year-old resident saw three males trying to get into his shop. The subjects ran north and a vehicle was heard starting up, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The same building was broken in to sometime after 5 p.m. the night before, with an estimated $2,500 loss of various tools, according to the sheriff’s office. Nobody was found, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police reported this morning they are recommending charges of forgery and theft for an 18-year-old Centralia man in connection with an issue at the 1000 block of South Tower Avenue. Further details were not readily available.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called about 11:20 a.m. yesterday to the 1400 block of Lum Road where a stereo and a garage door opened were stolen from a vehicle while its owner was at work.

• An officer responded about 9:12 a.m. yesterday to a vehicle prowl at the 1000 block of E Street in Centralia. Missing were a purse and a GPS unit, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FUNNY MONEY

• Police were given a license plate number for a vehicle that fled the 600 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia abut 9:30 p.m. yesterday after one of its occupants attempted to pass suspected fake $20 bills, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A warrant arrest about 1 o’clock this morning led to a jail booking for possession of methamphetamine as well. Wilbert Stovall, 44, of Centralia, was arrested after contact with police at East Summa Street and Roosevelt Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A response by police about 3:30 p.m. yesterday at the 300 block of Bryden Avenue led to a recommendation of charges of possession of marijuana by three teens. One is 16 and two are 17, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police contacted a couple engaged in an intimate encounter in a car parked next to Fort Borst Park about 5 o’clock this morning and booked the 29-year-old Centralia woman in to the Lewis County Jail for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. Krista R. Cate has been scheduled to be released from jail this afternoon.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A June court hearing was set for 32-year-old Centralian Joshua D. Rhoades, after his lawyer filed a motion for a new trial, in the case of a street fight in which a 17-year-old boy was knocked unconscious. Rhoades was convicted by a jury in Lewis County Superior Court two weeks ago of second-degree assault. His attorney said today he filed the motion after he got information from his client that jurors may have seen him being handcuffed. In general, the custody status of a defendant is supposed to remain unknown to jurors, according to Baum. Baum said he hasn’t investigated the issue yet and will be doing so and filing a more detailed motion. Rhoades’ conviction came with a deadly weapon enhancement and a so-called aggravator that the incident was intended to enhance his affiliation in a gang. The extra findings mean a judge would be free to send him to prison for as long as 10 years.

• A 38-year-old Randle man arrested in November was found guilty yesterday of five counts of rape of a child in connection with sexual assaults of a young relative over a three year period beginning when she was 13 years old. David C. Haviland, who worked at Hampton mill for 16 years, according to his attorney, remains in jail following his three-day bench trial in Lewis County Superior Court. Judge James Lawler scheduled Haviland’s sentencing for June 19. According to court documents, his wife told authorities he told her he was drunk, he felt horrible and would take it back if he could.

BUSTED

• Police say the 14-year-old arrested after he was caught spray painting graffiti on Railroad Avenue in Centralia defaced at least 18 rail cars and tagged one piece of heavy equipment. He and an 18-year-old man ran when a deputy tried to contact them about being on railroad property at about 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Centralia Police Department. One of them was carrying a backpack containing numerous cans of variously colored spray paint as well as large permanent markers, according to detective Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald. The boy was taken to the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center; the case involving his companion – whom police think had more limited involvement – was referred to prosecutors for evaluation of charges, Fitzgerald said in a news release. While the tagging can probably be removed by less costly means, a verbal estimate by a BNSF employee placed the cost of repainting just one rail car at about $10,000, Fitzgerald said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, DUI, underage person in possession of alcohol, violation of a no contact order; responses for minor collisions, disputes, misdemeanor theft, children breaking off flowers, suspicious circumstances such as a stranger ringing someone’s doorbell at 5:30 a.m. to ask for a cup of coffee and someone who looks like a tweaker in a passing car making gang signs at another driver … and more.

CORRECTION: This has been updated to reflect accurately who David C. Haviland allegedly told he was drunk, he felt horrible and would take it back if he could, regarding the rape of a child case.

Tagged rail car in Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Centralia Police Department