Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 8:14 p.m.

TWEEKING WITH A TORCH

• A 35-year-old man was jailed last night for trespass after he, reportedly high on meth, went to his cousin’s Onalaska property waving around a burning torch saying the flame was from heaven and he needed to deliver it to their grandmother. The grandmother is dead, according to the 30-year-old woman from the 200 block of Burchett Road who called 911, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. Lance J. Myhre was found around 10:30 p.m. on timber property in the area owned by his father and arrested for second-degree trespassing, according to the sheriff’s office. Myhre is from Onalaska but currently homeless, according to the sheriff’s office.

SUSPECT IN DV UNLAWFUL IMPRISONMENT PICKED UP

• Police arrested a 27-year-old man this morning at a Centralia residence on Johnson Road who was wanted for an incident two weeks ago in which he allegedly went into his ex-girlfriend’s home – who had a no contact order against him – roughed her up and held her against her will all night long. He also allegedly took her cell phone when he left on Feb. 20, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers recognized Manuel Arceo-Garcia when they went to another Johnson Road residence this morning on an another matter and took him into custody, Sgt. Stacy Denham said. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree robbery (regarding the phone) and unlawful imprisonment, Denham said.

FRAUD

• A Centralia resident in his 20s reported to police yesterday he lost his wallet and discovered someone used his debit card to purchase DVDs or similar items, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 42-year-old man from Algona notified Centralia police yesterday morning someone used his credit card at the 1200 block of Mellen Street.

LEWIS COUNTY FILES CHARGES ALLEGING MORE THAN $14,000 IN IDENTITY THEFT CASE

• The 37-year-old man wanted in Lewis and Cowlitz counties who was found cold, tired and too weary to walk out of the woods near Kelso last week has been charged with using another man’s identity to rack up more than $14,000 in spending at three businesses in Chehalis. Charles R. Reece was picked up by Cowlitz County deputies late at night a week ago Monday after a resident reported hearing someone hollering for help, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. He said his name was Jonathan Benson, but deputies concluded by his tattoos he was Reece, according to authorities. The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday filed charges including nine counts of forgery, identity theft and theft against Reece, in connection with allegedly using the name of Gregory Gaertner to get get credit – and then spending thousands of dollars – in January at Home Depot, Sears and Chehalis Rentals, according to charging documents. He was treated for minor injuries from being lost in the woods and then booked into jail for his outstanding warrants, according to the sheriff’s office.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police are looking for a 27-year-old homeless man they say stole shoes from the Nike store at the 100 block of West High Street yesterday. Sgt. Stacy Denham said Christopher D. Buck is wanted for a burglary as well.

• Gym bag containing identification and cell phone was stolen while a female was working out at the the 2000 block of Borst Avenue, according to a report made to the Centralia Police Department about 4:40 p.m. yesterday.

• Police were called about 9:45 a.m. yesterday to the 200 block of Railroad Avenue in Centralia to take a report of a stolen large chain and binder from a “lowboy” utility trailer.

NOT A THEFT

• The gold wedding band reported missing from one of the Lewis County coroner’s deceased individuals in January turned out not to be stolen at all, just somewhat lost. The county sent a check last week to reimburse the wife of the man who was wearing the ring when he was brought to the Chehalis facility for a planned autopsy, according to Paulette Young, who handles claims against the county. The ring was not returned to her, so she filed a report with police. The man’s hands were never “unbagged” so the ring went with him when he was cremated, Young said today.

AND MORE …

• And, as usual, calls such as report of a bike stolen in Centralia, a bike found in Chehalis, misdemeanor vandalism, responding to an accidental trip of an alarm, questions about vehicles parked where they shouldn’t be, fender benders and complaints about children – playing in the road, on the roof of a car, and shooting a pellet gun …

IMPROPERLY ASSEMBLED HANDGUN LED TO SELF-INFLICTED WOUND IN VADER

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said this morning the accidental gunshot wound in Vader on Friday as a 53-year-old man was attempting to remove a slide from his handgun occurred because the Ruger 40 caliber pistol was improperly assembled. The father had the muzzle in his left hand and the slide and barrel would not come off, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The bullet went through his hand and flying pieces of bone or wood struck his 12-year-old son, leaving the boy with minor injuries to his arm and abdomen, Brown said. The father was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with what the sheriff’s office said on Friday were not life threatening injuries.

SUV STOLEN

• Chehalis police were called about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday regarding a tan colored Yukon SUV that disappeared from the the park and ride lot on West Main Street sometime after about 9 a.m. It has a license plate reading 938 ZZZ, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

FIGHT BREAKS UP BEFORE POLICE ARRIVE

• Chehalis police were called about 1 a.m. on Saturday when a caller said as many as 10 people were fighting outside Garbe’s Bar on the 300 block of Northwest Chehalis Avenue. When the officer arrived, there was no fight going on and nobody was arrested, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ASSAULT AT JUVENILE FACILITY

• Chehalis police were notified about 6:30 a.m. today of an alleged assault at Green Hill School. The victim decided they did not want police to pursue it, according to police.

THEFT OF MONEY

• Police took a report yesterday afternoon regarding the theft of an unspecified amount of money at the 1300 block of View Avenue in which a family member is a suspect, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Police took a report of the theft of what was described as a small amount of money yesterday from the 1000 block of Eckerson Road in Centralia.

• Centralia police were called about 7:30 p.m. yesterday when a business on the 800 block of Harrison Avenue found a counterfeit $20 bill while counting their till.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Snacks and a radio were missing after a vehicle prowl on the 500 block of Woodland Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 6:30 p.m. yesterday.

• Chehalis police were called on Sunday morning by an individual who said while he was inside Sunbird Shopping Center on North National Avenue for about a half an hour, someone got into his vehicle and made off with binoculars, rolled quarters, small tools and other items.

WRECK

• A 17-year-old driver was reportedly uninjured when he ran off the road, rolled his vehicle and collided with a tree on Friday morning west of Winlock. A deputy called about 9:45 a.m. to milepost 8.3 on King Road cited the Chehalis teen for speeds too fast, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

DRUG DEAL RIP OFF

• A 20-year-old man called Centralia police on Friday night to say he was robbed, that someone assaulted him and stole $140 from him. When it was all said and done, it turned out he wasn’t assaulted but apparently did lose $10 to a person he was trying to buy marijuana from according to police. Exactly what happened and where wasn’t clear since the victim wasn’t being truthful, according to Sgt. Stacy Denham. He couldn’t remember the name of the seller, so that person probably won’t be pursued, Denham said.

BREAK-IN CENTRALIA

• Police were called about 2 p.m. yesterday when the back door of a home on the 900 block of Woodland Avenue in Centralia was found kicked in. Nothing appeared to have been taken, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police took a report yesterday evening that someone entered a vacant residence on the 500 block of Hunt Street and stole two drills, sometime during the previous month.

MISSING TRAILER

• Someone stole a black utility trailer from the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 9 a.m. yesterday.

MISSING ICE MACHINE

• Centralia police took a report about scrap ice machine stolen from behind a business on the 700 block of North Tower Avenue on Friday afternoon.

MISSING BACKPACK

• Someone stole a backpack containing a laptop computer and clothing from the 100 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 8 p.m. on Friday.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called about 11:30 a.m. yesterday to the 300 block of West Pine Street where a vehicle had been tagged with spray paint. There is a suspect who lives out of town, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Someone painted a yellow swastika onto a vacant building on the 300 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday morning.

Updated at 6:50 p.m.

WARRANT SEARCH TURNS UP MISSING COMPUTER

• A 34-year-old Centralia woman was jailed after police served a search warrant yesterday at her home on the 400 block of South Silver Street. According to Centralia police, they found a stolen laptop computer and methamphetamine. Maria E. Zuniga was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

PROWLER JAILED

• Police arrested a 50-year-old Centralia man for vehicle prowl and a warrant following contact with him about 5:45 p.m. yesterday at the 100 block of West Street in Centralia. Alan R. Moody was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

POLICE: REPEAT OFFENDER

• A 23-year-old man arrested overnight for stealing a car in Chehalis told police he’d just gotten out of prison for vehicle theft, according to police. Officers saw a car go into a parking lot at Ace Hardware on the 700 block of South Market Boulevard around 2:15 a.m., at about the same time they learned the 1991 Mazda 626 had been stolen from the 1500 block of National Avenue, according to the Chehalis Police Department. They contacted a man walking away and arrested him. Kevin C. Huey, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Officer Linda Bailey.

BURGLARY WINLOCK AREA

• A deputy took a report yesterday of a burglary at the 500 block of Winlock-Vader Road in which several pieces of antique jewelry were stolen as well as a Honda 2000-watt generator. The theft occurred during the daytime on Monday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is estimated at $2,300, according to the sheriff’s office.

DRUGS MISSING

• Pain medications were reported stolen yesterday from the 900 block of South Schueber Road, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called just before 4 p.m. yesterday by an individual who said her pain meds were stolen, although she wasn’t certain where from. The case is being referred for further investigation.

FRAUD

• Centralia police were called about 4:15 p.m. yesterday to the 200 block of Tilley Road where an individual said they learned from their bank that two other people are using their social security number. The matter is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

PORCH THEFT

• Chehalis police were called late yesterday afternoon about a FedEx package believed to have been delivered that morning to Northeast Boistfort Street that was gone by the time the expected recipient got home.

MISSING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

• A trombone accidentally left at the train station in Centralia was nowhere to be found when its owner returned yesterday afternoon to check, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AIRPORT PROWLER

• Morton police say they are investigating if any items are missing after a call last week about someone possibly rummaging through open hangers at the airport.

OVERTURNED BOAT ON MAYFIELD LAKE

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a man in his 40s for boating under the influence after he and his passenger were retrieved from Mayfield Lake this afternoon. A deputy responding just after 3 p.m. to a call about an overturned boat learned that a passersby helped rescue the pair in the area of Ike Kinswa park, according to the sheriff’s office. Timothy L. Smith, the boat’s operator who is from Renton, said his 44-year-old passenger was on the bow of the boat urinating and when he moved, it shook the boat so much he tumbled into the water, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. Then Smith tried to pull him out, flipping the craft, Brown said. Both were hospitalized for hypothermia or possible hypothermia, according to the sheriff’s office.

WOMAN SAYS SHE LOST TODDLER

• An employee at K-Mart in Chehalis contacted police about 7:20 p.m. yesterday to let them know they’d gotten a phone call from a woman who said she forgotten her 3-year-old child at the store earlier. A search of the premises didn’t turn up any unattended children, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Further details were not readily available.

DISORDERLY TRIO

• Chehalis police responded to a complaint about 12:20 a.m. today that three males were sitting at the bus stop on North Market Boulevard with drinks in their hands and were spitting and peeing everywhere. No arrests were made.

WRECK

• A Rochester man was one of two people injured when his car was rear ended by a motor home and shoved into a semi truck on southbound Interstate 5 yesterday near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Troopers called about 1:25 p.m. to the scene reported Jason L. Miller, 33, of Rochester, was driving a Chevrolet Cavalier that was impounded when he was transported to St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood. He was treated and has been released, according to a hospital spokesperson. The cause of the collision remains under investigation, according to the Washington  State Patrol.

TRASH BAG BANDIT STRIKES AT RALPH LAUREN

• Centralia police were called abut 11:10 a.m. yesterday to the Centralia Outlet Mall on the 1400 block of Lum Road after a male filled a garbage bag with about 60 pieces of clothing from the Ralph Lauren store and ran out the door. He waited until nobody was looking, but images were captured on security video, Sgt. Carl Buster said. It was mostly packaged shirts, according to Buster.

GIRL THUGS

• Three strangers who knocked on a woman’s door on the 900 block of K Street in Centralia accusing her of owing money broke a window out of her car as they left yesterday afternoon, according to police. An officer called about 4:15 p.m. was told one of the women was an adult and the other females were younger, according to police. Sgt. Carl Buster said one of them told her she owed her mom $100. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT

• Police were called about 5:20 p.m. yesterday about welding tools and a cell phone missing from the 200 block of Silver Street in Centralia. The suspect is possibly someone she knows, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police a report about 8:50 p.m. yesterday of the theft of money and medication from the 1200 block of Alder Street.

DRUGS

• An 18-year-old Centralia resident was cited yesterday for possession of marijuana after police contacted him about 3:45 p.m. at Pioneer Way and Johnson Road in Centralia. John J. Piper was then released, according to police.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police took reports of several vehicles getting “egged” yesterday morning on Northeast Adams Avenue and then later in the day on Southwest Fifth Street.

• A deputy was called yesterday to Claquato Cemetery on the 100 block of Stearns Road west of Chehalis where sometime since Tuesday a vehicle apparently left the roadway and ran down about 12 feet of hedge.

MOST OF BRIDGE MISSING

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning they have a suspect in the theft of portions of a 40-foot steel bridge missing from where they were being stored on the 200 block of Kruger Road near Onalaska. A Kirkland-based company reported the theft on Friday, after a worker noticed most of the bridge pieces were missing, according to the sheriff’s office. An individual in the Lewis County Jail who allegedly committed another similar theft has reportedly been saying he had permission to take the materials for scrap and is under investigation, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The dollar loss was not noted.

CASH MISSING

• Police were called abut 1:25 p.m. yesterday to the 1300 block of Alexander Street in Centralia to take a report of $20 stolen from a room.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report about 3 p.m. yesterday of a building getting tagged with spray paint at the 600 block of Field Avenue.

• Police were called yesterday about 11:30 a.m. regarding regarding a small hole found in a window on the 1400 block of Harrison Avenue. It’s unknown what was used to cause the damage, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called about 9 p.m. yesterday by an individual who reported someone drove by and threw an egg at their car. The individual apparently followed the culprit through the south end of town but a responding officer was unable to locate the suspect vehicle, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

• Centralia police reported this morning they are referring a case of possession of methamphetamine for a possible charge against a 36-year-old Centralia woman in connection with a location at the 1300 block of Lakeshore Drive. A summary of yesterday’s incidents labels the case as a warrant arrest with no arrest.

WRECK

• A 29-year-old Chehalis driver complained of a sore back after a single-vehicle collision about 6:30 a.m. yesterday on the 1200 block of Bunker Creek Road west of Chehalis. An arriving deputy was told by the driver she didn’t realize there was ice on the road when her westbound car crossed the centerline and ran into a bank, leaving the Toyota Corolla with major front end damage, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. She was cited for speeds too fast for conditions, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE …

• And, as usual, some warrant arrests, assisting another agency with response to possible drug overdose, complaint of family dispute, shoplift and more …

HERD OF SHEEP ATTACKED BY BLACK LAB

• A 12-year-old black lab suspected of killing nine sheep and injuring as many as a half dozen others in rural Chehalis won’t be in trouble criminally, but still faces county “dangerous dog” sanctions. A deputy was called yesterday afternoon to the 200 block of Pattee Road southeast of Chehalis where the owner of a special conservation breed of sheep said he saw the dog chasing and killing them inside their fenced pasture, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The 40-year-old chased the dog away, according to the sheriff’s office. He said he didn’t want the owner, his neighbor, cited because he wanted to be neighborly, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The canine, named Cora, was taken home and her owner told while no criminal citation would be given, the case would be turned over to the code enforcement office for follow up, according to Brown.

BURGLAR TAKES CIGARETTES

• Centralia police responded just before 5 o’clock this morning to the 1300 block of South Gold Street where someone had broken through the glass door of a gas station business and left with three packs of cigarettes. They used a large rock, according to police. The case is under investigation.

TOOLS VANISH

• A deputy was called yesterday morning by an Ethel-based tree company that said sometime between Saturday afternoon and early Monday morning – a week earlier – someone stole a chainsaw’s chain, bar and a small toolbox from where it had been left at a job site in Vader on Sierra Pacific’s Tree Farm, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

WORKPLACE THEFT

• Police were called about 10:20 a.m. yesterday to the 900 block of South Schueber Road in Centralia where they were told by an individual a wallet was stolen while they were at work. Inside it was $60, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FRAUD

• Centralia police were called yesterday to the 1000 block of North Schueber Road in Centralia to a complaint someone tried to open a credit account in someone else’s name.

VANDALISM

• Police were called about 9:45 a.m. yesterday when a hole was discovered in the glass door to a business at the Centralia Outlet Mall at the 1200 block of Lum Road.

WRECK

• Police were called about 9:15 p.m. yesterday after a car and a pickup truck collided at the intersection of Kresky Avenue and Summa Street in Centralia. Two individuals with what police called minor injuries were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BURNING VEHICLE

• Firefighters were called yesterday morning to a car fire at Haywire and Pleasant Valley Road west of Napavine. It was burning in the engine compartment, it was extinguished, the driver got out with no injuries, according to Lewis County Fire District 5.

AND MORE …

• And, as usual, some misdemeanor domestic assaults, warrant arrests, violation of a no-contact order, neighbors arguing loudly, sighting of a runaway juvenile … and more

Courtesy photo by Lewis County Fire District 5