Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 6:56 p.m.

SHOE BOX SCARE AT CENTRALIA CITY HALL

• Police shut down a portion of North Pearl Street in Centralia after a small box was discovered sitting on a sidewalk next to City Hall, specifically outside police department offices, at about 9 a.m. this morning. Bomb technicians from the Washington State Patrol were summoned, who X-rayed what Police Chief Bob Berg said he thought was a shoe box, finding it empty. Nobody was evacuated, but personnel moved to a different part of the building, Berg said. The chief said it was sitting atop an access grate. The street was reopened about 11:45 a.m.

FIREFIGHTERS EVACUATE CHEHALIS MOVIE THEATER

• Firefighters summoned last night about a smokey haze inside the movie theater in Chehalis searched the building and finally discovered the transformer that feeds a neon sign above the concession stand had shorted out. Employees suspected it was the popcorn machine and didn’t evacuate the building until after firefighters arrived, according to Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Rob Gebhart. The call to the Midway Cinemas on Northeast Hampe Way came about 8:30 p.m., he said. After a manager noticed the sign wasn’t illuminated, crews found the charred wiring, Gebhart said. Gebhart said workers asked movie-goers in each of the theaters to exit the building, and estimated some 50 customers waited outside for 10 to 15 minutes before they were allowed back in. Gebhart said it was odd in that the incident didn’t trip the circuit breaker, but an electrician was going to come out today.

REALLY? ON VOICE MAIL?

• A 27-year-old Winlock man was jailed on Friday after he allegedly left voice messages for his girlfriend of five years following their break up saying he would kill her and dispose of her body where it wouldn’t be found. Ross C. Lawrence was contacted and arrested for felony harassment, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

BUSTING IN TO THE MASONIC TEMPLE

• Chehalis police were called just after 7 a.m. yesterday when someone observed a subject break through the front door window of the Masonic temple on the 100 block of West Main Street. Arriving officers searched the building and found a trail of blood – presumably from a glass cut – leading out the back door, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Nothing was taken, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said.

SNEAKING INTO GIRL’S HOUSE

• Police were called about 7 p.m. on Saturday when someone saw a subject crawl through an upstairs window at a neighbor’s home on the 600 block of Southwest Pacific Avenue in Chehalis. Officers caught a 15-year-old boy coming back out the window, police said. It was his former girlfriend’s house, nobody was home at the time and the teenager was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center for burglary. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said he didn’t know what the teen was doing there.

GLENOMA BURGLARY

• A deputy was called about 1 p.m. on Saturday to the 7500 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Glenoma where someone had gone into a mostly empty residence and stole a blanket, pillows, a fishing vest, jumper cables and a Garth Brooks CD collection, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

COINS, CURRENCY MISSING FROM CENTRALIA HOME

• A 45-year-old Centralia man called the sheriff’s office to his home on the 1500 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia on Friday afternoon after discovering someone had got into his gun safe and stolen numerous collectible currency and coins, including a Kennedy half dollar. No forced entry was found into the residence or the safe, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is estimated at $500.

DRUGS

• A 31-year-old Centralia man was arrested in Centralia on Friday in connection with an ongoing Chehalis Police Department investigation into alleged drug dealing. Joseph L. Nickols was booked into the Lewis County jail for delivery of drugs and also possession of a controlled substance because he had a patch of Fentanyl – a potent pain medication –  without a prescription, detective Sgt. Gary WIlson said.

ALLEGED VANDALS CAPTURED

• Centralia police arrested three teenage boys after they were caught spray painting graffiti on a business at the 1900 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia yesterday afternoon. Further details were not readily available.

GRILL TAMPERING

• Centralia police were called about 3:50 a.m. today to the 500 block of North Pearl Street where an unknown subject apparently had entered a fenced area, turned on the propane to someone’s gas grill and then left.

WRECK

• A 17-year-old Mossyrock girl escaped with minor injuries when  she lost control of her car on the 400 block of Salmon Creek Road, traveled down an embankment, impacted a tree and landed on its top on Friday night, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The girl said it happened about 9 p.m. and she walked home, according to the sheriff’s office. Her Ford Focus was totaled, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. She was cited for wheels off the roadway and will likely be in trouble for driving with a suspended license, the sheriff’s office reported.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• The man who found himself shot when he confronted a resident inside an unlocked rural Chehalis home one night in February has pleaded guilty and apologized for what he did. Brian L. Creed, 51, was high on methamphetamine when he encountered an armed and just-awakened young man inside the manufactured home on the 400 block of Highway 603 west of Chehalis, according to authorities. Court documents say 24-year-old Joshua Norman ordered Creed out, but Creed charged him, Norman fired his 40 caliber handgun and then Creed tackled Norman on February 10. Norman held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived. Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke said Norman and his wife didn’t attend Friday’s court hearing in Lewis County Superior Court, but Creed read aloud a statement in which he told them and the court he was sorry. He pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary, although O’Rourke indicated it still wasn’t exactly clear what Creed’s intentions were for entering a stranger’s home. Creed, who was shot in the abdomen and hospitalized for about 10 days, was sentenced to just shy of three years in prison. He was also sentenced to 90 days for a separate second-degree trespass. He has two past convictions for felony theft and two more for misdemeanor theft.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants; reports of shoplifting; responses for burglar alarms, suspicious circumstances, a high school student who was “verbal” to staff at the school; complaints of loud neighbors, a woman’s child’s grandparents harassing her on Facebook … and more.

CHARGES FILED IN GAS STATION SHOTS FIRED CASE

• Bail was set at $100,000 for Gilbert Borquez after prosecutors filed charges in connection with Tuesday’s events outside an Adna gas station. Borquez, 36, told detectives he accidentally fired his sawed off shotgun into the ground when he and a group of others from Raymond were attempting to get a stolen car back from someone. Borquez on Friday was charged with first-degree assault, drive by shooting, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of an illegal firearm. Prosecutors state in charging documents that a 911 operator was told one of the males fired a shotgun at a newer four-door vehicle. The participants and victim had fled by the time law enforcement officers arrived to the morning mayhem at the corner of Highway 603 and state Route 6.

BREAKING AND ENTERING

• A 45-year-old Centralia man was arrested last night after he was caught inside a vacant building at the 400 block of South Iron Street taking unspecified property. Brian H. Jones was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police took a report on Friday morning of someone breaking into a house under repair at the 1200 block of Delaware Avenue in Centralia and posting graffiti.

• Someone broke into an empty garage on the 500 block of South Silver Street in Centralia and left with a wheelbarrow from the yard, according to a report made to police on Friday.

MISSING TRUCK

• A black Chevrolet S10 was stolen from the backyard of a home on the 500 block of East Maple Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 1 a.m. yesterday. It has a license plate of B20781K, according to the Centralia Police Department.

K9 FINDS WANTED SUBJECT UNDER BRUSH

• Police dog Lobo was called in to track down a wanted person just after 7 p.m. on Friday in the area of North Tower Avenue and East Third Streets in Centralia. Michael E, Bicker, 27, of Centralia, was located hiding under bushes behind a business on B Street and booked into the lewis County Jail, according to police.

OOPS

• Police called to the 1500 block of Windsor Avenue in Centralia for a dispute over a laptop computer late Friday afternoon discovered it was stolen. Officers will be working with Amtrak police to get it back to its rightful owner, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VEHICLE PROWL

• A shopper at the Centralia Outlets off Lum Road returned to their vehicle to find someone had broken in and stolen a backpack and two Xbox 360 game systems just after 9 p.m. on Friday, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report from a citizen yesterday that someone had broken out a window at the Borst home in Fort Borst Park.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants; reports of misdemeanor thefts … and more.

TEMPER TANTRUMS

• A 31-year-old man was arrested yesterday after deputies were called about someone breaking windows at the Mineral Post Office. The suspect, David J. Otis located in Morton, said he was having a bad day, and admitted to throwing a rock and an ash tray at the building, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The Mineral resident was booked into jail for second-degree malicious mischief, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The damage is about $1,000, according to Brown.

• A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening for assaults after deputies were called to the 100 block of Sunflower Lane in Onalaska. Eric C. Neilson, of Toledo, had gone to his mother’s home to pick up rent and allegedly swung a metal fence post a driver’s side window of a vehicle and broke out the rear window with a rock as well as shoved and punched people there, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Neilson was located down the road and told deputies he “wanted his money,” Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Brown.

THEFTS OF WIRING

• Centralia police were called about 1:30 p.m. yesterday to a vacant residence on the 1000 block of South Pearl Street where someone had broken in and ripped out wiring and fixtures.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said this morning deputies took reports of pieces of copper ground wire stolen from multiple utility poles along the 2100 block of Cispus Road in Randle and also the 200 block of Mineral Road South. The loss to Lewis County PUD is more than $4,500, according to the sheriff’s office.

VEHICLE VERUS BICYCLIST

• A 23-year-old woman on a bicycle was struck by a vehicle which then drove away yesterday at the 400 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia. Police, called about 4 p.m., say the back tire on the bike was hit causing her to spin around. Her injuries were minor, according to the Centralia Police Department.

WRECK

• Centralia police were called just after 8 a.m. yesterday to Fremont Avenue and North Pearl Street where a motorist struck the rear of one of four vehicles which were stopped in a line. Injuries were minor, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, misdemeanor assaults  … and more.

Updated at 3:30 p.m.

DRIVE-BY SHOOTINGS?

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office booked a man into jail about 10:30 p.m. yesterday for drive-by shooting and first-degree assault. The jail roster lists him as Gilbert Borquez. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office confirmed the arrest, but declined to release any details on any assault or the arrest.

• Centralia police were called just after 1:30 a.m. today after someone shot out windows of an SUV belonging to a woman in her 20s and at the windows of her house with a BB or pellet gun at the 600 block of Alder Street. Images of an unknown suspect pulling up in a vehicle were captured on surveillance video, according to police.

MISSING JEWELRY

• A deputy was called about 5:30 p.m. yesterday for a burglary at a vacant house on the 300 block of Burchett Road in Onalaska. The owner, a Puyallup man, said sometime since April 1, someone forced open a door and left with what the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office described as miscellaneous jewelry totaling at least $70.

GARAGE BREAK-IN

• Morton police reported yesterday they are investigating what appears to be forced entry into a garage on the 100 block of Collar Avenue, and indications someone has been using the place to “hang out” in.

MISSING UTILITY TRAILER

• Someone stole a utility trailer from the 1000 block of J Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday morning. It has wood sides and a license plate of 8029XX, according to the Centralia Police Department.

POLICE: REPEAT SHOPLIFTER NABBED

• A 42-year-old man caught allegedly shoplifting tools from Lincoln Creek Lumber in Centralia was arrested yesterday at the business on the 1600 block of Harrison Avenue and accused of stealing from the store three times in the past several weeks. Police officers called about 11:30 a.m. concluded John L. Lybert’s image is on videotape committing the crimes,  according to the Centralia Police Department. Lybert was booked into the Lewis County Jail for a felony, organized retail theft, because of the repeated offenses within the same 180-day period, according to police.  However, prosecutors are referring the case back as a misdemeanor offense for municipal court.

VANDALISM

• Police took  report of graffiti on a shed last night at the 1300 block of Oxford Avenue in Centralia.

LOST AND FOUND

• Morton police said yesterday that the bones a citizen found last week are probably deer bones; an examination concluded they are not human. Chief Dan Mortensen said he believes they were discovered along state Route 508.

• A Morton police officer found a portable radio in the area of the 600 block of Main Avenue which can be claimed by its owner if they can identify it, according to the Morton Police Department.

ALLEGED GANG MEMBER ACCUSED OF INTIMIDATING WITNESS

• A judge ordered 32-year-old Centralian Joshua Rhoades held without bail this morning, less than a week before his trial is to begin in Lewis County Superior Court. Rhoades is charged with second-degree assault in connection with a late January incident in which a 17-year-old boy was jumped on a Centralia street. Police and prosecutors say it was gang-related. Deputy Prosecutor Joely O’Rourke said Rhoades was previously held on $100,000 bail, but bailed out of jail pending trial. However, O’Rourke alleged today that Rhoades violated conditions of his release by intimidating a witness. O’Rourke said a new charge is pending. “He denies that,” defense attorney Chris Baum said, noting his client has been out of town and wouldn’t have been in the area when the alleged intimidation occurred. The parties were in the courtroom in Chehalis today to confirm if they are ready for trial. Baum this morning asked Judge Richard Brosey to postpone the trial, as he hasn’t yet interviewed the victim. Baum said the contact information he was provided was inaccurate, and he wasn’t able to reach the teenager. Brosey ordered prosecutors to make the victim available for the defense attorney to talk with, and said the trial would remain scheduled for next Wednesday.

SEXUAL ABUSE TRIAL PUSHED TO JULY

• A trial scheduled for next week for a 32-year-old man charged with sexual abuse of a 13-year-old relative of his wife’s who was living in their Centralia home has been postponed. Marty R. Heap remains held in jail on $75,000 bail. He was arrested and charged in early March not long after taking a polygraph test about alleged incidents that had been brought to the attention of Centralia police in May of last year. The girl revealed Heap had sexually assaulted her, telling a detective she had thought it would stop, but it never did and that she didn’t want his son to grow up with a father in jail, according to charging documents. Heap denied the accusations and has pleaded not guilty. He is charged with three counts of second-degree child rape and one count of molestation. This morning attorneys agreed with a Lewis County Superior Court judge the trial could begin in mid-July.

VEHICLE VERSUS PEDESTRIAN

• A 13-year-old boy escaped with relatively minor injuries after he was hit by an SUV in a crosswalk this morning in Chehalis. Police and aid were called just before 8 a.m. to Northeast Cascade and Washington avenues where the boy was knocked about 15 feet out of the crosswalk, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Witnesses said the boy spotted his school bus arrive and darted across the street, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. The driver was probably traveling less than 20 mph, but already in motion from having just left a stop sign, Wilson said. The boy suffered scrapes, bumps and bruises, Wilson said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assaults, reports of suspicious circumstances; a report of possible child abuse that turned out to be mark left on a little one’s back from falling off a tricycle … and more.

GIRLS MUGGED BY OLDER GIRL

• A 14-year-old Chehalis girl was arrested last night after she allegedly confronted two younger girls and stole $6 from the pocket of a backpack one of them was carrying. It happened around 6 p.m. as the 600 block of Cascade Avenue in Chehalis where what police label a second-degree robbery involved pushing grabbing and pulling hair, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said the victims – ages 12 and 13 – who were just walking somewhere, didn’t fight back. Wilson said those involved knew each other. The teen was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center, according to police.

BOYFRIEND ARRESTED AFTER KNIFE THREAT

• A 26-year-old Chehalis man was arrested after he allegedly threw a knife at his girlfriend who was trying to leave him. Police called a little after 11 a.m. yesterday about the dispute at the couple’s home on the 100 block of Southwest Fifth Street were told Cory Aldrich assaulted the woman then pointed the folding knife at her, threatened to kill her and flung it. It hit the floor, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The woman also turned over a gun she said belonged to Aldrich, so he faces a possible charge related to that as he’s not supposed to have guns, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. Aldrich was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

POLICE CALLED TO WAL-MART ABOUT BOSTON BOMBING MESSAGE

• Wal-Mart called Chehalis police just before 6 p.m. yesterday after a threat was found written on the inside of a stall in the women’s bathroom. The message referenced the bombings in Boston and indicated a time and day for an incident here in Chehalis, according to the Chehalis Police Department. An officer responding to the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue indicated it was up to management if they wanted to evacuate the store, as most of the time similar messages are simply political rants, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. They didn’t shut down the building and nothing happened, Wilson said.

PROWLERS AND POSSIBLE PROWLERS

• Centralia police were called about 4:30 p.m. yesterday to the 1100 block of Alder Street about an aquarium stolen from a back porch.

• Chehalis police were called about 8:50 a.m. yesterday to a home on Southwest 20th Street where it appeared someone had been messing with a back door.

• Chehalis police were called about 11:30 p.m. yesterday about noises outside a bedroom window on Southwest 12th Street and about 45 minutes later to a home on Southwest McFadden Avenue where a 13-year-old boy awakened to noises outside a door at his home. Nobody was found in either case, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ALCOHOL SHOPLIFTING

• A 16-year-old boy was stopped by store security as he attempted to leave a Centralia grocery last night with a bottle of vodka and a bottle of whiskey. Police called about 10:30 p.m. to the 500 block of South Tower Avenue will refer the case to juvenile prosecutors for a possible charge of theft, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• Police say an officer recognized someone with a warrant yesterday evening at the Pepper Tree Motel on the 1200 block of Alder Street in Centralia and when arresting the man, found suspected methamphetamine. Austin A. Lasky, 24, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with police at about 6 p.m., according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants; responses for shoplifting, possible disputes, suspicious circumstances; complaint about parking and complaint about neighbor’s dirty diaper trash  … and more.

THEFT

• A 47-year-old Wal-Mart employee was arrested last night for first-degree theft, for allegedly stealing iPods at her workplace. It was an internal investigation with suspected losses of about $3,000 in merchandise, Chehalis Police Department detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. Theresa L. Carter, 47, of Salkum, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Wilson.

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning by a Shelton resident who said they found their stolen boat offered on Craigslist, for sale in Chehalis. Officers are waiting for further information to determine if it the same boat and if it is actually in Chehalis, according to police.

•  Chehalis police were called about 4:40 p.m. to Wal-Mart for an individual who allegedly stole a Sonicare-type toothbrush and exchanged it for a gift card. Officers chased down a 23-year-old man  and discovered he had an outstanding warrant, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Fernando Aguilar, a homeless person from the Centralia area, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to detective Sgt. Gary WIlson. The toothbrush incident will be passed along to prosecutors for a possible charge of second-degree theft, Wilson said.

FIGHT

• Chehalis police were called last night to Green Hill school to take a report about multiple assaults between inmates. Further details are not readily available.

DRUGS

• A 27-year-old Centralia man was arrested for possession of heroin after his warrant arrest about 1:50 p.m. yesterday at West Cherry and South Pearl streets in Centralia. An officer saw a couple walking, knew the woman had an outstanding warrant, stopped and found David J. Lyon had a warrant as well, according to police. Lyon had a trace amount of suspected heroin on his person, Sgt. Kurt Reichert said. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. Samantha H. Jackson, 21, also of Centralia, was booked for her warrant, according to police.

VANDALISM

• Police took a report about 11 a.m. yesterday from the 1300 block of Eckerson Road in Centralia that someone shot at a window with what appeared to have been a BB gun.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants; responses for family disturbance, suspicious circumstances; complaints of someone sleeping in an apartment complexes common area, loose dog chasing cars, vagrants walking between retail stores … and more.

Updated at 2:57 p.m.

DRUGS

• A 38-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested when police served a search warrant an apartment on Southwest Chehalis Avenue on Friday afternoon. Heather L. Smith was booked into the Lewis County Jail for delivery of drugs based on an ongoing investigation, according to Chehalis police. Officers found pills and suspected heroin they are getting tested, detective Sgt. Gary WIlson said. One 11-year-old child was taken into the custody of Child Protective Services and another female spotted in the area was arrested in an unrelated matter; for an outstanding warrant, Wilson said.

NAPAVINE BURGLARY ARREST

• Napavine police said today they arrested a suspect in last week’s Frosty’s Saloon and Grill burglary in which thousands of dollars were stolen. Lonzo W. Lawson III was arrested on Friday at a motel in Chehalis on Southwest Interstate Avenue, Napavine Officer Silas Elwood said. Elwood said they had some cooperating witnessing, tips, that led police right to him. Elwood described Lawson as a transient with no known connections to Frosty’s. However, Elwood said, it sounds like Lawson had information from someone who knew the building and its possible another arrest could follow. Lawson was booked into the Lewis County Jail for burglary, theft and trafficking in stolen property, Elwood said.

ATTEMPTED BREAK-INS

• Centralia police report the back door to a vacant residence was found kicked in yesterday at the 900 block of North Washington Avenue. Nothing appeared to b missing and no other damage was discovered, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called to to Southwest Fifth Street on Friday morning where it appeared someone tried to pry open a garage door, according to police.

WRECKS

• A 26-year-old Chehalis man ended up with several broken bones in his legs when he allegedly blew a stop sign and struck a pickup truck at Highway 603 and Harmon Road northwest of Napavine on Friday, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. The unnamed motorist was cited for driving recklessly and with a suspended license after the two-vehicle collision just before 2 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. He was also flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with non-life threatening injuries, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Brown said his 25-year-old passenger from Morton was transported to Provide Centralia Hospital with a possible broken leg and two men in the 2001 Dodge pickup which was involved were taken to Providence to be checked out. The causing driver’s Honda Civic was described as totaled.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a stuck accelerator is the cause of an 11 p.m. Thursday single-vehicle wreck in Onalaska in which a 26-year-old man ran into a utility pole. It happened at Leonard Road and Main Street, according to the sheriff’s office. The driver suffered scratches, bumps and bruises and totaled his Dodge pickup, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. He was cited for no insurance, according to Brown.

• Nobody was hospitalized but two vehicles sustained major damage  when they collided just before 11 a.m. on Friday at Jackson Highway and Bishop Road outside Chehalis. A 50-year-old motorist from Chehalis turned in front of a 38-year-old Chehalis motorist attempting to make a left turn, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

NOT A WRECK

• A 52-year-old Toledo man was jailed on Saturday evening when he was found passed out behind the steering wheel of his vehicle parked behind a gas station at the 400 block of state Route 506 in Toledo. A deputy arrested Keith F. Tabor at about 8 p.m. for being in physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, DUI; responses for non-injury collisions, people accidentally dialing 911; complaints of disorderly persons, complaints of noisy neighbors, complaints of people behaving strangely,  … and more.