Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 5:50 p.m.

STOLEN TRUCK

• Police were called to the 800 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia yesterday afternoon about a stolen truck and trailer. The vehicle is a red 1993 Chevrolet with a license plate reading A05994P, according to the Centralia Police Department. The license on the car trailer is 7933UY.

SHED BURGLARY

• Police were called just after 10 a.m. yesterday to the 100 block of Jefferson Street in Centralia where a shed had been broken into. The victim did not know if anything was missing, according to police.

FRAUD

• Centralia police are investigating after a call yesterday from an individual who said someone wrote a fraudulent check on his disabled brother’s account for $86.

STOLEN BICYCLE

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office took a report yesterday of a bike stolen from where it had been parked at a church on the 1000 block of Boistfort Road sometime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. a week earlier.

DRUGS

• A 20-year-old Centralia resident was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after contact with a police officer about 8:30 p.m. yesterday at the 500 block of South King Street in Centralia. Tanner Z.R. Russell was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 42-year-old driver from Ketchikan, Alaska stopped for speeding on Interstate 5 in Chehalis was booked into the Lewis County Jail early Tuesday after troopers found more than four and half pounds of marijuana and more than a half pound of dry hashish in his vehicle. John D. Murphy was traveling 80 mph in a 70 mph zone and when he rolled down his window, a trooper smelled the “distinct oder of fresh marijuana,” according to charging documents. Murphy was arrested and then charged later Tuesday with felony possession of marijuana, according to charging documents. The traffic stop was just before 1 a.m. near milepost 76, according to Trooper Ryan Tanner. Murphy said he was traveling to Mount Hood and a friend had left a bag in his vehicle, charging documents say. Bail was set at $10,000.

DRUGS

• A 40-year-old woman and  48-year-old man were arrested for possession of methamphetamine after they were detained on outstanding warrants about 2:45 a.m. today on the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. Felicia F. Harris, of Centralia, and Gregory A. Brown, from Castle Rock, were booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. They are being released with no charges pending further investigation.

• A 33-year-old Rochester man was arrested about 4:45 p.m. yesterday at the 500 block of South Market Boulevard in Chehalis for a suspended license warrant and possession of suspected heroin was booked into the Lewis County Jail, and released a few hours later.

• A 27-year-old woman from Auburn was arrested for alleged illegal possession of prescription morphine and other drugs following a traffic stop on Friday night at the 1100 block of North National Avenue in Chehalis, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Jennifer D. Anderson was released without charges pending further investigation.

• The case of a 28-year-old Centralia woman was referred for a possible charge of possession of heroin following a traffic stop about 4:15 p.m. on Friday at the 400 block of South Market Avenue in Chehalis, according to police.

CAR PROWL

• A cup holder containing some change was stolen from a vehicle parked on the 1900 block of Southwest Snively Avenue in Chehalis, according to a report made to police about 6:30 a.m. today. The vehicle may have been left unlocked, police were told.

VANDALISM

• Police were called to the parking lot at Wal-Mart on Friday morning where someone had smashed out the window of a vehicle parked there overnight, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

CRASH

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a 51-year-old Randle man was unhurt but intoxicated when he rolled his Chevrolet pickup truck off the 600 block of Cispus Road in Randle just before 2 o’clock on Saturday morning. The vehicle sustained extensive damage and James J. Sharples was booked into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence, according to the  Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

HOUSE WARMING INTERRUPTED

• A 77-year-old woman’s Toledo-area barn was apparently home – even if only briefly – to an otherwise homeless person who was arrested Saturday for allegedly making and using a fire pit inside of it. A deputy called early Saturday morning to the 100 block of state Route 506 noted what looked like a bed of hay and a smoldering pit just feet from a stack of firewood, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The fire was extinguished. The woman said she had seen smoke coming from the barn the day before as well, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. An arriving officer detained a man covered in ashes who smelled of smoke and was walking away from the area, Brown said. Forty-nine-year-old Hoa Minh Trang was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for trespass and reckless burning, according to the sheriff’s office.

BAD HOST

• A 34-year-old Chehalis man was arrested for second-degree assault after he allegedly pointed a shotgun in a friend’s face and then fired it into the floor toward the friend’s feet at an Adna home over the weekend. It happened Saturday on the 200 block of Bunker Creek Road and both men were believed to be intoxicated, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Jeffrey Evans was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail yesterday, also for unlawful possession of a firearm, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

ASSAULT

• A 51-year-old Winlock man was arrested after he allegedly punched his girlfriend in the head at least 10 times and pushed her down early on Sunday morning at the 700 block of Frost Road in Winlock. A deputy was called to Providence Centralia Hospital where the woman was being treated and Gerald W. Allison was subsequently arrested for second-degree assault, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The woman had a possible broken finger as well as bruises, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning.

IDENTITY THEFT

• Centralia police took a report on Saturday from a woman who told them her sister used her name during a traffic stop six month’s ago that led to the victim’s license being suspended. The case is under investigation, according to police.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 8:20 a.m. yesterday about a gray 1993 Honda Accord stolen from the 1800 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia.

• A deputy was called to the 200 block of Dorning Drive in Winlock on Saturday after a 70-year-old man discovered his bottle of Hydrocodone tablets was empty. He had no idea where the 42 pills had gone, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’ Office.

• A 2500 watt Coleman generator was reported stolen from a vacation cabin on the 100 block of Rainier Vista Drive in Mineral sometime between Dec. 6 and Friday, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said this morning.

• A burglary was reported about 3 p.m. on Friday at a home on the 1100 block of Eckerson Road in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department. Exactly what was taken wasn’t available at the time, according to police.

• Centralia police took a report on Friday about copper pipes removed from a vacant residence on the 1000 block of South Pearl Street sometime since August.

• A snowboard went missing from a garage on the 900 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia sometime in the previous two weeks, according to a report made to Centralia police yesterday morning.

• Centralia police took a report yesterday that a vehicle had been rummaged through at the 300 block of West Pine Street in Centralia.

DRUGS

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a deputy learned over the weekend who had been causing all the damage at the Packwood Fire Department over the previous month – a 45-year-old local man who said he didn’t have a problem with the fire department, he was only trying to quiet the voices in his head. A suspected meth pipe was found in his vehicle when he was pulled over on Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office. The loss to the fire district is estimated at $4,300, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The office is referring the case for possible charges of three counts of malicious mischief.

• A 52-year-old Randle man was arrested for possession of heroin after contact with a police officer about 12:40 a.m. today on the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. Brian E. Bridges was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 29-year-old Centralia man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and outstanding warrants after contact with a police officer on the 2300 block of North Pearl Street about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Centralia Police Department. Christopher A. Caulfield was booked into the  Lewis County Jail, according to police.

WRECKS

• A 31-year-old Toledo man was arrested for hit and run last night after he reportedly drove into a neighbor’s fence and drove away, but left his license plate behind. A deputy called just after 9 p.m. to the 200 block of Collins Road outside Toledo tracked the plate to Aaron R. McKenzie, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. McKenzie was cited and then released.

• A driver reportedly avoided any injury when he totaled his car crashing it into a tree on the 100 block of Coal Creek Road in Chehalis on Friday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called about 11:15 a.m. to the scene reported the 19-year-old Bellingham resident was given a citation, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning.

DRUGS

• A 44-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for possession of methamphetamine last night in Centralia, according to police. Ronnie L. Lawrence was booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with an officer about 7:15 p.m. at North Gold Street and Roswell Road,  according to the Centralia Police Department. Lawrence’s case was also referred for a potential charge of driving under the influence, according to police.

• A 50-year-old Rochester man was booked for possession of controlled substance after a traffic stop about 9 o’clock last night at Southwest 11th Street and Cascade Avenues in Chehalis. Stephen D. Gentz was found to have a warrant and a syringe was subsequently found on him, according to police. A drug dog “alerted” on is car and a search turned up some “crystalline matter and some vegetable matter”, Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

THEFT

• Grounding wire was cut from a power pole at the 1000 block of Davis Lake Road in Morton, according to a report made to the sheriff’s office yesterday. It happened sometime between Dec. 1 and yesterday. The loss is estimated at $150, according to the Lewis County Sherif’s Office.

• Centralia police were called about 10:50 a.m. yesterday to the 300 block of North Tower Avenue where someone had broken out a window of a vehicle and stolen an HP laptop computer.

Firefighters used water and foam to extinguish a burning truck on Interstate 5 north of Toledo. / Courtesy photo by District 5 Chief Eric Linn

TRUCK FIRE SLOWS TRAFFIC ON I-5

• Firefighters called about 1 p.m. today to Interstate 5 just north of the Winlock-Toledo interchange found the cab of a semi-truck fully engulfed in flames, but the driver had already exited the vehicle. Nobody was injured, according to Lewis County Fire District 15. The northbound lanes were shut down to just one lane until the fire was knocked down, Firefighter Patrick Jacobson said. Jacobson said he did not know what ignited the blaze.

THEFT

• A deputy took a report yesterday of a burglary at the 100 block of Lacey Lane near Toledo in which an estimated $2,300 of valuables were stolen. Taken sometime since last Thursday were a 3000-watt generator, a John Deere mower, a Franklin wood stove, a camp griddle and other items, according to the Lewis County Sherif’s Office.

• A brass plumbing fixture was stolen when someone broke into an unoccupied house on the 1000 block of Roosevelt Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday afternoon.

• Police were called yesterday morning about an apartment burglary on the 3000 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia where appliances and unspecified fixtures were taken, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Somebody snipped neutral lines inside locked junction boxes to shut off power before stealing copper wire south of Glenoma early yesterday morning, according to the Lewis County Sherif’s Office. It happened sometime between 3:30 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. along Conlay Road, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. It also started a small fire, she said. The loss, including 24 feet of wire, amounts to about $5,800, Brown said.

• Centralia police were called yesterday evening about the theft of a wallet from a locker at the 2000 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia.

• Chehalis police were called just before 3 a.m. today to the parking lot at Wal-Mart on Northwest Louisiana Avenue where a driver found someone had tried to break in to his car. An old worn out gold Honda key as found in the passenger door of the parked Honda, the window was down a little bit and there some damage but it didn’t appear they got inside, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called about 3:15 p.m. yesterday to the 1400 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue when a woman returned to her vehicle after paying for her gasoline and discovered her purse with a large amount of cash was missing. She said she might have left her door open a bit and wasn’t positive it happened there, police said.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report about 9:30 a.m. yesterday of a window being broken out of a vehicle at the 200 block of East Summa Street.

THEFT

• A deputy was called about 2 o’clock this morning to the 2200 block of Seminary Hill Road outside Centralia where someone stole $900 out of an unlocked parked truck. Also missing was an Eclipse CD player and CDs, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Morton police reported yesterday a purse was stolen from an unlocked vehicle on the 400 block of Second Street sometime before 3 p.m. on Dec. 27. The loss is estimated at $50.

• Tools and gasoline were stolen from a city of Toledo shop on the 1100 block of state Rout 505, according to a report made yesterday morning to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Also taken in the burglary that occurred sometime since Dec. 30 was a “Chicago” welder belonging to a city employee valued at $220, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

• Someone stole a $1,000 solar panel from a flashing a school zone speed sign in Boistfort, again, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday. It happened sometime between Thursday and Friday, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown, and happened before in mid-August.

VANDALISM

• Somebody shot two pellet holes into a window at the Onalaska School District Office on the 500 block of Carlisle Avenue sometime between Dec. 20 and yesterday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

DRUGS

• Centralia police arrested a 31-year-old man for possession of heroin after contact on the 500 block of Northeast Washington Avenue in Centralia about 7:30 p.m. yesterday. Eathon A. Wesen, no hometown noted, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SMOKE IN HOUSE, NEW FIRE CHIEF

• Lewis County Fire District 6 called about 7:45 a.m. today to a house on the 600 block of Logan Hill Road outside Chehalis found a malfunctioning heat pump that spread light smoke throughout the home, according to new Fire Chief Tim Kinder. Kinder, 49, said this morning he took on the new role in the middle of last month after 10 years as a firefighter-paramedic with the mostly volunteer department. Kinder has been a paramedic for 27 years.

TRIPLE-FATALITY: DRIVER INTOXICATED

• The Grays Harbor County Coroner said the driver in the New Year’s Eve day crash that left him and two others dead died from blunt force injuries, but alcohol intoxication as well as cardiovascular disease were significant conditions that contributed to Gregory D. Martin’s death. Martin, 49, was driving a small pickup truck along the 400 block of Brooklyn Road west of Oakville when it ran off the road into some trees. Dead at the scene were Martin, of Rochester; Travis W. Bennett, 26, and Jessica L. Brick, 22, both of Centralia. Passenger Colleen L. Stuart, 49, of Rochester, was flown to to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the 5 p.m. wreck, but has been released. Coroner Dan Burns said he wouldn’t know the level of alcohol in Martin’s system until after toxicology reports come back.

Deputy Chris Fulton, right, and Ransom pose with cash and drugs found in a vehicle on Saturday in Ethel. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff's Office

DRUGS, DRUGS, DRUGS

• Eight thousand dollars cash wrapped with a rubber band and six and half ounces of suspected methamphetamine were seized after a 31-year-old Chehalis man was contacted by a deputy on Saturday afternoon at the 700 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Ethel, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. John D. Lopez was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession with intent to deliver and violations of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. Lopez was contacted during a traffic stop regarding a possible malicious mischief, Brown said. Deputy Chris Fulton and Ransom, the sheriffs office’s fairly new 2-year-old drug-detecting Shepherd-mix canine have only been working together a few weeks and Ransom “alerted” on the scent of drugs in the car which was subsequently searched. Lopez’s vehicle was also seized.

• A quarter pound of suspected methamphetamine was found after a 35-year-old Chehalis man was stopped for driving with a suspended license in Centralia last night, according to police. A drug dog called after the incident about 9:15 p.m. on the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue sniffed around and the four ounces of suspected drugs were discovered in a a backpack in the trunk, according to police Sgt. Carl Buster. Jose F. Lopez Jr. was booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession with intent to deliver, according to Centralia police.

• A 29-year-old woman was arrested on Saturday for allegedly stealing a large amount of narcotics from the Onalaska veterinary clinic where she worked. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said Melissa Jo Baier, employed at the Timberland Veterinary Clinic between October of 2010 and last month, stole more than 2,800 tablets of a drug called “Tussigon.” The Onalaska resident was arrested late Saturday afternoon for first-degree theft, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning. The value of the missing medications is estimated at more than $2,000, Brown said.

• Steven P. Kirby, 35, of Centralia, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and a small amount of marijuana when he was contacted by police about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Sixth Street viaduct in Centralia, according to police. After a struggle, Kirby was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Centralia police.

• A 41-year-old driver was arrested for possession of methamphetamine following a traffic stop on the 100 block of Cope Road in Winlock about 11:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A small baggie of suspected meth was found on the vehicle’s transmission “hump”, according to the sheriff’s office. Kelly W. Benefield was booked into the Lewis County Jail, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. He is being released with no charges.

• A 28-year-old Rochester man was arrested for violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act after a traffic stop about 9:45 p.m. Friday at the 3700 block of Harrison Avenue outside Centralia. David L. Denton was found to have a baggie of prescription pills in his pocket, plus a small amount of marijuana, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

WRECKS

• A 31-year-old Randle man was arrested for eluding after an attempted traffic stop near the 900 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia about 12:20 a.m. on Sunday. Centralia police reported the driver sped through a parking lot, crashed his vehicle onto a sidewalk and then fled on foot, leaving his passengers behind. A police dog sniffed out a jacket Robert J. Spradlin reportedly dropped and followed its scent down the block to where Spradlin was walking “like nothing happened,” according to the Centralia Police Department. Police say he fought and resisted, fearing arrest because he was driving with a suspended license and was under the influence of drugs. Spradlin was booked into the Lewis County Jail for attempting to elude, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A pair of Puyallup residents escaped serious injuries when the GMC Yukon they were traveling in spun out on some ice, went over an embankment and struck a tree near Packwood on Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called just before 11 a.m. to the Butter Creek Bridge on the 400 block of Cannon Road found the vehicle sustained major damage but the 39-year-old driver and her 41-year-old passenger declined aid, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called just before 4:15 a.m. today about a stereo stolen out of a vehicle on the 1400 block of Lewis Street.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, NOW GET DOWN!

• Chehalis police were called just after midnight Sunday to a home on Southwest Fourth Street when four small children were seen playing on the roof. A warning was issued.

LOST AND FOUND

• Search and rescue personnel joined members of three fire departments when a 5-year-old girl was reported missing on Sunday afternoon from a trailer park on the 2900 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Silver Creek. The child was found about 45 minutes later hiding under a tarp in the park, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning.