Lewis County Sirens.com

BLEAK BLACK FRIDAY FOR SERIAL SHOPLIFTERS CAPTURED IN CENTRALIA

• Centralia police say they broke up a shoplifting ring on Friday afternoon after employees at a Centralia Outlet store called 911 and chased suspects about 4 p.m. near West High Street and Harrison Avenue. Officers were told a woman walked out of the Nike store wearing a pair of their shoes, and one male ran off while another drove away, according to police. Arriving officers found one suspect when he popped out of some bushes and another behind the wheel of his car on Harrison Avenue, Officer Angie Humphrey said. The female was tracked down in Casa Ramos restaurant where she had hid her purse containing the stolen shoes, Humphrey said. Merchandise stolen from as many as a half dozen stores, totaling about $1,200, was recovered from the vehicle, according to police. Booked into the Lewis County Jail for organized retail theft and second-degree theft were Whitley Y. Schiele, 20 and Cedric A. Dorsey, 19, both of Federal Way; as well as a 16-year-old boy from Des Moines, according to the Centralia Police Department.

POLICE: INTOXICATED INDIVIDUAL PUNCHES PATROL CAR WINDOW

• A 21-year-old man was arrested just before 4 a.m. today after he allegedly punched the windshield of a patrol car in Chehalis. A Centralia police officer on his way to work stopped at Maurin and Bishop roads to assist a disabled motorist, according to the Centralia Police Department. It was a father trying to catch up to his intoxicated son, Officer Angie Humphrey said. The son became irate and broke the windshield with his fist, according to Humphrey. Joseph M. Pierce, of Tumwater, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree malicious mischief, according to police.

THEFT

• Centralia police responded to a burglary at a home on the 2000 block of Ahlers Avenue about 4:45 a.m. yesterday. Missing were rings and $2,000 cash, according to police. Someone apparently got in through a window,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

• An officer was called to a business yesterday on the 1200 block of South Gold Street in Centralia to take a report about the theft of several security cameras.

CAR PROWL

• Cash, jewelry and a GPS device were stolen from two vehicles parked on the 1100 block of West Plum Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday morning.

• A Kenwood stereo was reported missing from a vehicle parked on the 1000 block of South Pearl Street in Centralia on Friday morning.

• An iPod and an XPlode stereo were missing from a car parked on the 600 block of Scott Drive in Centralia, according to a report made to police on Thursday morning.

• Centralia police took a report about 3 a.m. on Friday from an individual at the 200 block of Johnson Road in Centralia who said someone broke out the windows of his vehicles sometime during the previous two days.

DRUGS

• A 46-year-old Centralia man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after contact with an officer about 9:30 p.m. yesterday in an alley near the 200 block of South Tower Avenue. James A. Nix was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 60-year-old Centralia woman was arrested for a warrant and possession of methadone about 4:45 a.m. yesterday after contact with an officer on the 900 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. Kathie I. Martin was booked in to the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 36-year-old Seattle-area man was arrested about 7 a.m. on Friday for possession of methamphetamine, according to the Centralia Police Department. Enrique Orozco-Caberra was booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with an officer on Woodland Avenue, according to police.

RV CATCHES FIRE

• Firefighters were called yesterday evening to a fully-involved in flames motor home parked in a driveway on the 2000 block of Cooks Hill Road in Centralia. It was an older motor home, nobody was injured and the cause of the blaze is under investigation, according to Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Erik Olson.

OVERNIGHT ARRESTS AROUND DOWNTOWN CENTRALIA

• A 22-year-old Chehalis woman was taken to jail last night after she allegedly tried to kick a police officer around 10 p.m. when she was detained for leaving her vehicle on railroad tracks in downtown Centralia. Ericka B. Dukeshire-Pogue, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree assault, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Three people were arrested in Centralia last night for driving under the influence of alcohol, all within an hour of each other. According to the Centralia Police Department: Bryan A. Woodhead, 22, of Centralia, was stopped at 1:18 a.m. at the 800 block of South Pearl Street; Ian J. Rust, 21, of Rochester was stopped at 1:52 a.m. at North Ash and West Main streets; and Devin S. Carroll, 21, of Chehalis, was stopped at 2:17 a.m. at North Silver and West Main streets. All were booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• A 21-year-old Centralia man was arrested for fourth-degree assault overnight after allegedly pulling his girlfriend’s hair. Joseph A. Miranda was booked into the Lewis County jail after contact with an officer about 1:20 a.m. at the 200 block of North Railroad Avenue in Centralia,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• Centralia police called about a suspicious person around 5:15 a.m. today at the 1200 block of Alder Street arrested a 25-year-old Centralia resident for possession of heroin. Brandon V. Stray was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT

• Centralia police were called just after 6 p.m. yesterday about a burglary at a home on the 3400 block of Fords Prairie Avenue. Missing is a safe containing cash and jewelry, according to the Centralia Police Department. The loss is estimated at $5,000, according to police.

• Centralia police took a report yesterday evening regarding the suspected theft of funds by an employee at a business on the 700 block of Harrison Avenue. The case remains under investigation,  according to the Centralia Police Department. Further details were not readily available.

NO DRUGS IN COURT

• A 21-year-old woman was arrested when she arrived at Centralia Municipal Court yesterday morning and tried to pass through courtroom security with two syringes on her. They contained suspected heroin residue and Mariah L. Parker, of Toledo, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for a drug violation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

PRESCRIPTION MED MADNESS CONTINUES

• Centralia police took a report yesterday afternoon from the 400 block of North Diamond Street regarding the theft of prescription medication – hydrocodone – from a purse.

• Centralia police a reinvestigating the theft of a prescription pad from the 1800 block of Cooks Hill Road. The incident was reported about 11 a.m. yesterday, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A Chehalis police officer was called to Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon about a forged prescription.

FLASHLIGHTS IN BARN DRAW DEPUTIES

• A deputy called about 3 a.m. yesterday to the 100 block of Swigert Road in Mossyrock – when a man saw flashlights around his barn and heard the sound of a vehicle – found a pickup stuck in the mud and two trespassers, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The men, Jeffrey A. Bennett of Olympia and Jauquin D. Sinclair of Lacey, both 32 years old, were booked onto the Lewis County Jail. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said there was no information about why the men were on the property.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE: MAN BITES WOMAN

• A 23-year-old Centralia man was arrested yesterday evening after he allegedly bit his girlfriend in the stomach and whacked her on the side of the head splitting her ear lobe. Responding deputies at about 6:25 p.m. found a suspect vehicle parked at North Pearl Street near Zenkner Valley Road, but the subject fled on foot into the woods, initiating a dog track, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect subsequently was found back in his driveway on Northridge Drive and ran once again before he was taken in to custody, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Michael A. Hammett, 23, of Centralia, was arrested and booked for fourth-degree assault domestic violence and resisting arrest, according to Brown.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Morton police were called to the 600 block of Temple Avenue about 8:40 a.m. on Sunday about a stolen vehicle. It was found a short distance away but unspecified items were missing, according to the Morton Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Police took a report of a vehicle prowl yesterday afternoon at the 500 block of South Tower Avenue.

• Chehalis police were called to Southwest Snively Avenue yesterday morning about a vehicle prowl that occurred overnight.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG FUNNY BUSINESS

• Chehalis police were called by a woman yesterday who said someone filled her prescription for hydrocodone at Rite Aid. The victim had called the pharmacy to have her prescription transferred to another state where she now lives and learned someone else last week had picked up the pills in her name, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police got a phone call from a pharmacist yesterday who reported a suspected fraudulent attempt to fill a prescription. A female who said she was from Providence St. Peter Hospital called in a prescription for a male but the Rite Aid pharmacist was suspicious, even though she had given a proper identification number, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The doctor confirmed they did not call it in, according to police. The case is under investigation.

BURGLARY

•  Cash and a computer were reported stolen in a burglary at the 500 block of West Pear Street in Centralia yesterday. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VEHICLE THEFT

• The owner of a 2002 International box truck learned it was stolen yesterday morning after it was found rolled over into a ditch on state Route 505 and South Military Road in Winlock. Law enforcement officers arriving after the approximately 10:30 a.m. wreck found no driver, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. They were told a worker known only as “Pedro” stole it to go to the store, according to the sheriff’s office. The truck’s owner, Champion Greens, has contract employees cutting cedar boughs on Wepsala Road, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The damage was estimated at $3,500, Brown said.

• A green 2005 Arctic Cat 400 ATV was reported stolen from property on the 200 block of Lake Creek Road in Chehalis yesterday. Its owner told a deputy it disappeared sometime after 9 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 a.m. yesterday,  according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

RACIST GRAFFITI REPORTED

• An officer was called yesterday about 2 p.m. regarding racial slurs  “tagged” onto the back of a building on the 700 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia. A police spokesperson said no details were available because a report on the incident is not yet written.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Police took a report from the 1100 block of Elm Street in Centralia yesterday of a car prowl. Missing are some CDs, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police took a report yesterday of a window broken out of a vehicle during the night on Northeast Scenic Way. Nothing was missing, according to police.

An apparent grenade was seized from a Centralia home / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff’s Office

Updated at 3:12 p.m.

EXPLOSIVE DEVICE FOUND IN CENTRALIA HOME

• Law enforcement officers looking for drugs got an unexpected surprise in Centralia on Saturday: a grenade. At least it looked like a grenade and was taken away by a bomb specialist with the Washington State Patrol, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies served a search warrant about 9 .m. at a residence on the 500 block of South Street after getting information about possible narcotics there, according to sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Aust. During the search, an improvised explosive device turned up, he said. Aust said he believed it was an empty but real grenade that someone refilled on their own. A small amount of drugs were found, he said. Several firearms were confiscated as well, he said. Nobody has yet been arrested, because the suspect has a medical condition that makes it cost prohibitive to keep him at the jail, according to Aust. The case will be evaluated for possible coming charges, according to Aust.

MAN DEMANDS WOMAN’S CASH

• A 20-year-old Seattle man was booked into jail on Saturday for attempted robbery in the second-degree after he allegedly confronted a young woman on a Centralia street and demanded a she hand over the money he saw her counting. Police were called about 12:10 p.m. to the area of West Pear and South Oak streets were told when she tried to get away, he followed her, according to the Centralia Police Department. Sgt. Carl Buster said the subject apparently ran up to her and said “you’re gonna give me all that money” repeatedly. A suspect, Mohamed S. Mohamed, was subsequently located and arrested, according to police.

SAFE STOLEN

• Centralia police were called to a burglary yesterday morning at the the 200 block of East Cherry Street. A safe was missing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SHOPLIFT

• An unidentified male was seen on security video stealing two cases of beer from the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia on Friday, according to the Centralia Police Department.

PURSE-LIFT

• Police were called to the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia on Friday evening where a female reported the theft of her purse while shopping.

MAIL THEFT

• Chehalis police were called about 5:30 p.m. on Friday to the 500 block of Northeast Jefferson Avenue where they were told an envelope containing $50 left in the mailbox by someone for someone else was missing.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS GONE

• Unspecified medication was reported stolen from the 400 block of South Cedar Street in Centralia on Friday.

• A Centralia man called police after he got a bill for Oxycontin from a Chehalis pharmacy, a medication he didn’t order or receive, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The man told police on Friday it appears to be someone else using his name, according to police.

DRUGS

• A 37-year-old Centralia man was arrested for a warrant and then possession of methamphetamine about 5 p.m. on Friday after contact with an officer at the 900 block of Woodland Avenue in Centralia. Chance M. Allen was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Someone stole chain saws, tools and fuel from a log truck over the weekend, according to a report made to police yesterday from the 1800 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia.

• Police took a report on Saturday from the 100 block of Jalyn Street in Centralia about a car prowl. The victim said someone broke in during the night and took her purse, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Stereo speakers and sunglasses were among the items missing from a vehicle parked at the 1700 block of Southwest Snively Avenue in Chehalis. The report was made to police on Saturday.

• Police were called about a window of a vehicle smashed out on Friday at the 2500 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia.

PORCH CATCHES FIRE

• Firefighters were called about 4 a.m. yesterday to a porch on fire on the 500 block of West First Street in Centralia. Burning were some wooden planter boxes and a small area of the porch, according to Riverside Fire Authority. The cause remains under investigation, according to Fire Capt. Casey McCarthy.

POLICE CHASE ENDS WITH ARREST

• A 20-year-old Tenino man who allegedly led police on a high speed chase from east of Napavine, into Chehalis, onto Interstate 5, and then out state Route 6 and was eventually arrested said he didn’t pull over for the initial traffic stop because he didn’t have car insurance. Christopher A. Carsten was booked in to the Lewis County Jail after the late Friday night pursuit that reached speeds of more than 90 mph on Jackson Highway, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It began about 10:50 p.m. when a sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over an older Ford Mustang because of a loud exhaust and the driver spinning his tires, according to sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Aust. Deputies lost sight of the car west of Chehalis but about 30 minutes later, the individual was found walking on the 100 block of Devereese Road and was contacted, according to Aust. Carsten was arrested for attempting to elude.

WRECK

• A 40-year-old man from SeaTac was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a rollover wreck outside Centralia on Saturday evening. Aid and law enforcement called about 5:30 p.m. to the 1700 block of Salzer Valley Road found a power pole broken and the driver of a BMW ejected into some briars, according to responders. “We think the guy was traveling at a very high rate of speed,” Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Steve Aust said. His injuries were described as severe. His name was not released.

BICYCLIST PULLED OVER BY POLICE

• A 30-year-old man was arrested for a warrant and then possession of an unspecified controlled substance after he was stopped by a Centralia police officer for a bicycle traffic infraction last night. Jerry E. Linthicum was “pulled over” about 10:30 p.m. near Marsh Avenue and Lakeview Drive, according to the Centralia Police Department. Linthicum, a resident of Lewis County, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

DRUG ARRESTS IN CENTRALIA

• Centralia police arrested a 23-year-old man yesterday morning they located at the the Peppertree Motel on Alder Street. Christopher J. King was wanted by another law enforcement agency and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of methamphetamine, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 43-year-old Centralia woman was arrested yesterday morning at the 1200 block of Alder Street in Centralia in connection with a warrant for delivery of a controlled substance. Melissa D. Wollen was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

NIGHT FIGHT

• A 27-year-old man was arrested for misdemeanor assault early this morning when an officer heard and saw a fight going on through the upstairs window of an apartment building on the 300 block of North Tower Avenue. Steven D. Couch was booked into the Lewis County Jail following his approximately 4 a.m. arrest because it a domestic violence incident, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DAYTIME BURGLARY IN CENTRALIA

• A deputy was called about 9 p.m. yesterday when a burglary was discovered at a home on the 200 block of River Heights Road in Centralia. Among the missing items were three laptop computers, a Nikon camera and about $190 cash, and its possible the thief came in the home while one its residents was sleeping, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The woman called 911 after she woke up at 7:30 p.m. and recalled she heard a knock around 11 a.m. while she was in bed, and then heard a male voice and say the name of one of her fellow residents and heard someone go in to another bedroom, according to the sheriff’s office.

BANK CARD FRAUD

• A deputy took a report yesterday afternoon from a Silver Creek resident who found four unauthorized charges on his debit/credit card totaling more than $880. The 40-year-old man said he still had possession of his bank card, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

MISSING GUN

• A firearm was stolen overnight from an unlocked vehicle parked on the 100 block of East Maple Street in Centralia, according to police.

VANDALISM

• Police took a report yesterday that someone spray painted a man’s vehicle with black paint during the night at the 300 block of West Pine Street in Centralia.

Updated at 6:33 p.m.

SUSPECTED CAR THIEF FOUND NEAR PROVIDENCE WEARING ONLY HOSPITAL GOWN

• Centralia police said a search yesterday around Providence Centralia Hospital ended when they found a 21-year-old man who was bloody, cold and wearing only a hospital gown. Jacob D. Mielitz, of Centralia had been left at the emergency room by Centralia police after they arrested him earlier in the morning for allegedly stealing his brother’s car. Centralia police said jail staff had required Mielitz to be checked out at the hospital for possible unspecified health issues before he could be booked so he was released from police custody. He subsequently left the hospital. Officers looked for him because it was wet and cold outside and he was underdressed,  according to the Centralia Police Department. Mielitz was discovered around 9:30 a.m. on the 200 block of Blanchard Road and then booked into jail. The blood was from superficial cuts from blackberry bushes, according to police.

MAN ARRESTED TRYING TO ENTER STOLEN VEHICLE

• A man believed to be 27 years old and from Thurston County was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle yesterday  afternoon in Centralia after an officer responded to a call about suspicious activity at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue. The 911 caller thought it appeared the man was trying to break into a vehicle and the man’s story didn’t make sense, according to police. The vehicle turned out to be stolen out of Lacey, according to the Centralia Police Department. Among the several names the subject gave police was Ralph R. Turpin. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail and the vehicle returned to its owner, police reported.

TOOLS STOLEN

• A bag of battery-powered and other tools were reported stolen from a rental home being remodeled on the 200 block of East Cherry Street in Centralia yesterday, according to police. An officer called about 5:15 p.m. noted there were no signs of forced entry, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SUSPICIOUS CREDIT CARD ACTIVITY

• An officer was called just before 2 p.m. yesterday to the 1500 block of View Avenue in Centralia to take a report about fraudulent activity on someone’s credit card,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

POLICE: SHOPLIFTER ADMITS TO SELLING WAL-MART MERCHANDISE

• A 47-year-old Lacey man is in the Lewis County Jail after he allegedly twice in one week pushed a cart of merchandise out the doors a Wal-Mart without paying. Harry A. Booras III was detained by security personnel at the Chehalis store about 1:30 p.m. yesterday who called police, according to Chehalis Police Department Sgt. Brian Hickey. The employee recognized Booras as the same person who stole a 42-inch television last Thursday, Hickey said. He reportedly confessed he’d sold the television and so he was booked into the Lewis County Jail for trafficking in stolen property, according to police.  Booras was released without charges pending further investigation.

DISORDERLY MAN CITED FOR VIOLATING BAN ON FIGHTING

• Centralia police arrested a disorderly 21-year-old about 2 a.m. today at the 100 block of South Tower Avenue for allegedly fighting in public, a violation of city code. Derek M. Lampert was then released,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MARIJUANA

• Police were called to Centralia Middle School just after 1 p.m. yesterday regarding a student in possession of marijuana. The student was arrested and then released. The case is being referred to juvenile prosecutors for a charging decision, according to the Centralia Police Department.