Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 6:50 p.m.

SMALL FIRE CAUSES EVACUATION AT NURSING HOME

• A good portion of patients at a Centralia nursing home were evacuated today when a fire started inside a closet. Crews called just after 1 p.m. to the 1300 block of Alexander Street found smoke in the hallways and a wall burned. A heat lamp placed in the utility room that included the fire sprinkler controls had shifted its position and ignited the wall, Riverside Fire Authority Acting Capt. Jennifer Ternan said. Someone on the scene had already used a fire extinguisher on it, she said. Nobody was injured and nobody was treated for smoke inhalation, according to Ternan. She praised the staff of Riverside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for getting the residents outside in an organized and safe manner, even grabbing their medications and bringing a cart of water to the parking lot. They were allowed to return after about 40 minutes, she said.

MATTRESS NEXT TO HEATER IGNITES

• Firefighters were called to the 100 block of Meadow Drive in Adna just before 8 o’clock this morning when a small mattress pushed up against a wall heater caught fire. The residents were just getting ready to leave when a smoke alarm alerted them, according to Lewis County Fire District 6. Nobody was hurt, the fire was small and it was extinguished, Firefighter Kyle Eiswald said.

THEFT

• A 27-year-old Centralia woman was arrested after she was allegedly seen in someone else’s garage on the 400 block of Jefferson Street in Centralia yesterday morning. Some items were taken and some were recovered, such as jewelry, according to the Centralia Police Department. Santana L. Sanchez was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree burglary, according to police.

DRUGS

• A 45-year-old Centralia man contacted by a community corrections officer was subsequently arrested for both an outstanding warrant and possession of methamphetamine yesterday morning. Dale A. Drew had some “scraper baggies'”which field tested positive for the drug, according to the Centralia Police Department. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• The former Thurston County Superior Court judicial assistant charged with growing marijuana was convicted in a bench trial yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court. Debbie Requa, 60, said it belonged to someone who rented her garage space and she thought what he was doing was above board. Judge James Lawler found her guilty of manufacturing marijuana. Lewis County Chief Criminal Prosecutor Brad Meagher said Requa faces a sentence of zero to six months in jail as a first-time offender.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, misdemeanor assault; responses for stolen / missing cash, building tagged with graffiti, a call about a male walking with a military-looking gun that turned out to be a kid who purchased an Air-soft gun at a pawn shop and was on his way home; complaint someone else’s vehicle is parked in caller’s spot, upstairs apartment neighbors are noisy; other as in a found wallet with cash and credit cards turned into the police department … and more.

WRECKS

• A 19-year-old Toledo resident escaped injury yesterday morning when a deer ran out in front of him as he was driving along the 600 block of Smokey Valley Road near Toledo. A deputy responding to the approximately 6:15 a.m. wreck learned that Cassius Hughes tried to avoid the animal, stepped on his brakes and went into a ditch, causing major damage to his 2008 Ford Focus, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A 29-year-old Toledo woman wrecked her vehicle but was unhurt when she lost control of her Toyota Forerunner, left the roadway, hit the ditch and rolled it onto its top. It happened about 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon at the 200 block of South Military Road near Winlock; the driver was Natasha Pogue, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. There was no mention of a deer.

FROM THE COURTS

• Former Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Hal Sprouse  won’t be getting his job back after the state Supreme Court denied his petition for review yesterday. Sprouse was fired in January 2010, and his termination was upheld by Lewis County Civil Service Commission. However, a Cowlitz County Superior Court hearing his case ruled in Sprouse’s favor. But Sheriff Steve Mansfield appealed the decision and won. In part, according to case documents, it was related to Sprouse’s actions after he received a letter of discipline as sheriff’s office command staff investigated a leak to the press of an outside investigation of the sheriff. Sprouse was let go after he claimed witness tampering to a deputy prosecutor, something the sheriff’s office felt was vindictive. For more background and links to some of the documents, look here.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, shoplifting; responses for disorderly subjects, protection order violation; complaint of a speeding blue Jetta; fire department response for a tree falling onto a power line, a minor collision between a car and a semi truck on Interstate 5 near the Chamber of Commerce Way interchange … and more.

Updated at 6:04 p.m.

EAST END COFFEE STAND HIT BY ARSONIST

• Someone tried to burn down an espresso stand in Packwood last night and the fire is under investigation. A deputy was called about 11:30 p.m. to the 12000 block of U.S. Highway 12 after crews extinguished flames on the exterior of Cowboy Espresso, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Two separate spots on the outside were burned, Sgt. Rob Snaza said. Nothing inside was damaged, Snaza said. The same coffee stand was burglarized in mid-September.

POLICE: INTOXICATED THIEF RIDES BIKE DOWN STAIRS

• Police were called about 1 o’clock this morning to an apartment building in Centralia after a 63-year-old man allegedly stole a bicycle and rode away on it. He didn’t get very far though, according to police. Apparently he got on it outside an upper-level apartment, rode it down a long flight of stairs and crashed head first into a wall at the bottom, police said. Gerald R. Loveless was conscious, but injured and had been drinking, Sgt. Kurt Reichert said. It happened about 1 a.m. at the 300 block of Centralia College Boulevard. Loveless was issued a citation for third-degree theft by police, buckled up with a cervical collar onto a backboard by medics and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital. The damaged 10-speed was returned to its owners, police said.

DISPUTE

• A 46-year-old Chehalis man was arrested after police were called to a dispute on the 200 block of Southwest Chehalis Avenue which spilled out onto the street at about 10 p.m. yesterday. Wayne H. Reed became confrontational and was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to detective Sgt. Gary Wilson. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN

• Chehalis police responded to the 600 block of Northwest Ohio Avenue about 9:30 a.m. yesterday after the discovery someone kicked in a door. It’s not clear yet if anything is missing, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT

• Centralia police were called just after 5 o’clock this morning to the 500 block of Hemlock Street regarding the theft of a debit card. The investigation continues, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A 47-year-old Rochester man was sentenced today in connection with a Memorial Day weekend incident at a small gathering near Adna after the bars closed in which he allegedly took advantage of a young woman who was extremely intoxicated. Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke told the judge the case was complicated and a charge of second-degree rape was pleaded down to third-degree rape with a recommendation the defendant spend six months in jail. O’Rourke said there was a question if the victim was actually unconscious, and therefore unable to give consent, and the DNA evidence was “by no means helpful to the state.” Defense attorney Don Blair said his client Michael T. Taylor has said from the beginning the two of them were messing around and both took their clothes off. They were prepared to go to trial but decided not turn down jail time because losing at trial meant a potential punishment of 10 years, Blair said. “The report said none of my client’s DNA was there,” he said. “What it did say there were three other DNAs there.” Blair asked for four months. Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler said he didn’t see a reason to go below the standard sentencing range. He imposed the top of the standard sentencing range of 17 months. Lawler also gave Taylor three years of community custody following his release during which he may not drink alcohol. “As the parties are well aware, I’m not bound by any deal anyway,” Lawler said.

WRECK

• A woman and two girls were taken to Morton General Hospital yesterday after the car in which they were passengers struck the rear end of a stopped SUV on U.S. Highway 12 in Glenoma. The Acura Integra which 20-year-old John O. Salts of Randle was driving was described as totaled. A deputy called about 1 p.m. to the 8200 block of Highway 12 determined both vehicles were westbound and the Chevrolet Blazer driven by a 25-year-old Randle man was preparing to make a left turn into a driveway, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Salts was cited for second-degree negligent driving, according to the sheriff’s office. Sgt. Rob Snaza said the 27-year-old woman, the 9-year-old girl and the 7-year-old girl sustained minor injuries.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, shoplifting; responses for collision of two parked cars, suspicious circumstances, bicycle found in the middle of a street; complaint that a vehicle is in someone’s parking spot … and more.

BIG GUNS AT BIG RETAILER

• Chehalis police were called by Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon when at least one customer came into the store carrying a military-style rifle. There was no threat, there was no crime but the employee wanted to know whether it was legal or not, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said the employee was told it’s a matter that’s up to the store and up to their policy as to whether they allow it or not. Wilson said he didn’t know the details because he wasn’t there and no report was written. Openly carrying a firearm in public is okay under Washington’s open carry laws, however, he said, it depends on where a person is at since it’s also subject to the rules of the property owner and different governmental jurisdictions have certain prohibitions in certain places.

ASSAULT

• Chehalis police were called yesterday about an assault earlier in the day at Green Hill School for boys that may have involved several individuals. The case is still under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police are looking for a man who may have broken his hand when he punched a vehicle window during an encounter with a  female on the 400 block of South Market Boulevard. An officer was called about 11:20 a.m. yesterday because he allegedly also grabbed the female, and there is a protection order in place, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT

• Police were contacted by a Centralia man yesterday who discovered someone had charged approximately $350 worth of clothing on his Visa card at the Centralia Outlets.

• An officer was called yesterday afternoon to the 1300 block of Alexander Street in Centralia about a ring which was either lost or stolen.

WARRANT ARREST, SCUUFFLE AND POLICE DOG

• A 22-year-old Centralia man was arrested overnight after an officer contacted him on a neighborhood street and attempted to detain him for a warrant. It was about 1:30 a.m. near the 900 block of F Street in Centralia and police say Ronald A. Yeager Jr. and the officer tussled a bit before Yeager slipped out of his sweatshirt and ran. He was located about two blocks away a short time later by a police dog, according to the Centralia Police Department. Yeager was taken to be checked for for his dog bite and then booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

WRECK

• A 21-year-old Centralia man was arrested for driving under the influence following a collision near Harrison Avenue and Johnson Road in Centralia about 5:30 p.m. yesterday. The fire department said nobody was transported to the hospital but police report Monte W.R. Sellards was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, shoplifting; responses for alarms, minor and non-injury collisions, complaint by a man that his wife forged a check … and more.

UNRULY INMATE

• An 18-year-old inmate-student at Green Hill School for boys was arrested for custodial assault after allegedly kicking and punching workers who tried to remove him from his cell when he broke something with a toilet seat. It happened on Friday morning at the state-run juvenile detention facility on Southwest 11th Street in Chehalis, according to police.

STOLEN STUFF

• Police were called just after noon on Friday to the 400 block of West Main Street in Centralia regarding the theft of gas and parts stolen from a vehicle. Police have identified a suspect, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DISPUTES

• A 33-year-old Centralia man was arrested about 11:20 p.m. on Saturday for allegedly fighting in a park on the 700 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. James D. Sutherland was arrested for disorderly conduct and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Deputies called about 9 p.m. on Saturday to a physical dispute at the 1400 block of state Route 6 west of Chehalis ended up arresting Jamie L. Costalaz, 34, Chehalis, for possession of methamphetamine. One count of misdemeanor assault will be recommended in connection with the case as well, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

DRUGS

• Police arrested a 37-year-old Centralia woman for possession of methamphetamine and a warrant about 11:15 p.m. on Friday after contacting her at the 500 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia. Kati J. Bocook was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 28-year-old man from Kent was arrested for possession of both methamphetamine and heroin after he was contracted by police at the 1500 block of Delaware Avenue in Centralia on Friday night. Steven C.M. Elmendorf, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.  He is being released without charges pending further investigation.

VANDALISM

• A 15-year-old boy was arrested about 10 p.m. on Saturday after he was caught allegedly painting graffiti on buildings in the 500 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia. The suspect was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Two people fromTacoma were arrested for allegedly attempting to break onto a coin box of the tire air machine at the Shell station on Williams Street in Mossyrock on Thursday. An officer responding around 1 a.m. contacted Benton N. Gilleo, 46, and Kristine D. Riggs, 44, according to the Morton Police Department. Both were cited for numerous misdemeanors and then released pending their court dates, according to police.

WRECKS

• A 20-year-old man was arrested for driving under the influence as well as reckless driving when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree on the 800 block of South Street in Centralia on Friday night. Officers responding about 10:40 p.m. found a passenger was injured, according to the Centralia Police Department. Enrique Z. Tennison, from Spanaway, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• Centralia police responded to a school bus versus vehicle minor collision just before 1 p.m. on Friday at North Pearl Street and Fremont Avenue. There were no injuries, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• The 21-year-old driver of the van that rolled several times before coming to rest on its side in a ditch along the 400 block of Coal Creek Road in Chehalis late Saturday afternoon is to be cited for speeds too fast for conditions, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Melissa R. Hall failed to negotiate a curve, according to the sheriff’s office. The Chehalis woman and her passenger from Castle Rock, also 21 years old, were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital. The 2004 Nissan Quest was described by the sheriff’s office as totaled.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, violating protection order, driving with suspended license, shoplifting; responses for alarms, minor and non-injury collisions, stolen cell phones, bar dispute, family dispute, homeless cats, suspicious persons, possible burglary, suspected drunken driver, vehicle rolling into mailboxes, suspicious circumstances in that lug nuts on a vehicle may have been loosened by someone (or come loose on their own);  complaint of teenagers having sex inside a car … and more.

Multiple vehicles were damaged in a parking lot mishap at Wal-Mart. / Courtesy photo

Updated at 8:10 p.m.

PARKING MISHAP AT WAL-MART

• An 83-year-old motorist was unhurt when her foot apparently slipped as she was attempting to park at Wal-Mart yesterday morning and she crashed into several parked cars. Her vehicle sideswiped two of them, T-boned a third and shoved one into another, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. She also jumped a curb, Fire Capt. Ted McCarty said. Nobody else was injured. Her vehicle wasn’t so bad but there was quite a lot of damage to other cars, McCarty said. A police spokesperson didn’t have any information if the driver was issued a citation.

TREE SAP IS FLAMMABLE

• Firefighters called about 6:40 p.m. yesterday to the 1100 block of Southeast Washington Avenue in Chehalis found flames of 20 to 25 feet climbing up the side of a large fir tree. They were doused with a fire hose. A pair of 13-year-old boys apparently were playing with a lighter, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. “They were lighting the sap, that’s what they told us,” Fire Capt. Ted McCarty said. McCarty said the case will be referred to a fire department program for juvenile fire setters. A police spokesperson didn’t know if any other action would be taken.

MIGHT BE FUNNY MONEY

• Police were called to Applebees restaurant on Northwest Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis about 2:30 p.m. yesterday to a report a woman with children passed a possibly counterfeit $100 bill. Further details were not readily available.

MIGHT BE NIGHT PROWLERS

• Police were called about 2:15 a.m. today to the 1100 block of South Market Boulevard when a man working inside Safeway heard noise on the roof as though a person was trying to get inside the pharmacy. An arriving officer was unable to locate anyone, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUNK AND DISORDERLY

• A 40-year-old Winlock woman was arrested last night after she allegedly kicked and pounded on a neighbors door and windows shortly after “crashing through the door” of another neighbor’s home and “crashing” through their bathroom door. When police arrived to the 400 block of Byham Road they were told Heather Y.M. Caupain and friends had drank a half gallon of alcohol and one neighbor who held Caupain to the ground was left with scrapes, bruises and a scratch, according to charging documents. The neighbor said the woman was scaring his wife and small children, according to court documents. Caupain appeared in Lewis County Superior Court this afternoon where she was released on $10,000 unsecured bond and ordered not to drink. She is charged with residential burglary, misdemeanor assault and second-degree trespass.

ONE ARRESTED AFTER TENINO BRAWL

• The Olympian reports a 35-year-old man was arrested at his Tenino home on Wednesday night in connection with a large weekend fight outside the Eagles lodge in which a 27-year-old woman was found laying in the gravel with broken bones in her face. News reporter Jeremy Pawloski writes the Lacey woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

FELONY DUI ARREST

• Bail was set at $100,000 today for a 58-year-old Packwood man arrested for his sixth DUI. Curt R. Wegner was contacted on the side of U.S. Highway 12 in front of the Packwood Fire Station yesterday evening by a trooper looking for an erratically driven pickup truck which reportedly nearly collided with several vehicles. Charging documents allege Wegner was unsteady on his feet, swaying as much as eight inches in all directions and fell onto the side of the patrol car before falling to the ground. His blood alcohol level was above .25 and he did not have a required alcohol interlock device in his vehicle, according to charging documents. A fifth conviction for driving under the influence over a period of 10 years is a felony. Wegner was convicted of felony DUI in 2010, according to charging documents. The offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

DEER CROSSING

• A 16-year-old motorist escaped injury when he swerved to miss a deer crossing the road and slammed into a tree last night. A deputy called about 8:30 p.m. to the 900 block of Burnt Ridge Road in Onalaska found the Onalaska boy was unhurt but his car sustained major damage, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarms, disorderly person, domestic misdemeanor assault, collisions, someone struck by a soda cup, a man walking down the street yelling at the air, squealing tires … and more.

Updated at 7:52p.m.

CLEAN A CHIMNEY, SAVE A HOUSE

• Since this is the time of year when folks start firing up their wood stoves and fireplaces to keep warm, Riverside Fire Authority is taking the opportunity to remind the public that chimneys should be inspected and cleaned at least once a year. “You get a lot of soot build up,” Fire Capt. Erik Olson said. Just yesterday evening, crews were summoned to a house on the 200 block of North Rock Street in Centralia when a passerby noticed flames above a chimney, Olson said. The fire was basically out, but firefighters had to douse a roof beam which had ignited and was left charred, Olson said. A similar incident occurred in Morton less than two hours later. In that case on Westlake Avenue, firefighters found smoke but only had to unclog the chimney, according to Lewis County Fire District 4.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE

• Chehalis police were called to Northwest Chehalis Avenue yesterday afternoon about a suspicious manila envelope filled with papers left outside Security State Bank. A similar package was found this morning at the farm store on Main Street. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said the writings inside of it make no sense, as though perhaps someone with some type of mental disorder is accusing someone else of doing something. The documents were not threatening, WIlson said.

COMPUTER HACKED

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning to the home of a woman in her 20s on Southwest 11th Street who said someone hacked into her computer. Detective Sgt. Gary WIlson said it began with a phone call earlier that day from someone who said they were from Microsoft and then a link to click on, a request for her password and then her computer froze up. There was nothing he could do for her except advise her in the future not to give out that kind of information to anyone who makes the initial approach with any kind of pitch.

THEFT

• Police responded yesterday morning to the 1400 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia where someone had cut through a fence to steal recycled batteries. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Someone stole tires and various car parts from the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

• Centralia police were called about 3:45 p.m. yesterday to take a report of medications stolen from a purse at the 900 block of South Schueber Road.

DRIVING DRUNK

• A 44-year-old motorist traveling the wrong way on North Tower Avenue was stopped about 8:40 p.m. yesterday and arrested for driving under the influence. Michael D. Hellem, from Auburn, was contacted in the 500 block of the downtown street and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. He was also driving with a suspended license, according to police.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A now 23-year-old man has come forward to claim past sexual abuse by his youth pastor, after initially denying the incidents that allegedly occurred when he was 12 and 13 years old in Winlock. The young man in speaking with a detective said he decided to talk because he now sees the damage that was done, according to court documents. The accused, Michael D. Whitson, now 51, go before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court next week to make his pleas to two counts of second-degree rape of a child. Whitson, who now lives in Vancouver, Wash., made a brief appearance in court Tuesday afternoon where his conditions of release were set with a $25,000 unsecured bond. According to charging documents, the young man said he two had a sexual relationship that began when he was 12. He said he spent quite a bit of time at Whitson’s home as part of the youth group, and because he was having problems at home with his parents, according to charging documents. Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said today often times victims of sexual abuse will delay reporting. The young man told the detective that previously he felt he needed to be loyal and believed he loved Whitson, charging documents state. The charges were filed on Sept. 6. Whitson was not arrested or jailed but summonsed to court for his Tuesday appearance.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants; responses for collision, disputes, suspicious circumstances, possible stolen vehicle; complaint of a computer getting hacked, car doing doughnuts, dogs using neighbors yard for a potty … and more.