Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 36-year-old Thurston County woman was arrested this morning after law enforcement was notified of a tip from the FBI of a message which stated in part, “I’m about to shoot up a school full of children just to be heard.”

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office was notified at 6:19 a.m. today, and deputies went to her home and based on her demeanor and answers to their questions, believed she posed a threat, according to Lt. Cliff Ziesemer.

They took her into custody and booked her in to the Thurston County Jail for felony harassment, he said.

School had not yet started, so schools weren’t notified at that time, Ziesemer said. All law enforcement in Thurston County was notified of it, however, he said.

The lieutenant said details are not yet known, such as if the woman had a particular school in mind or if she had taken any substantial steps toward such action. She lives in the Steam Boat Island area outside Olympia, he said.

Ziesemer said Karen M. Kibler had access to weapons, but there were none in her home.

“It appears that she’s ‘mental’,” he said. “She’s been diagnosed with mental problems.”

The information came from the FBI’s Guardian Operations Unit, a group he hadn’t heard of until this morning, he said. The alert read as though Kibler had given the information about herself to them, he said.

The unit said it got the tip at 5:26 a.m. EST., according to Ziesemer.

The investigation will continue, he said.

Kibler’s first court appearance will be at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, in Thurston County Superior Court, according to the sheriff’s office.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Two people from Vader were injured when their stolen car crossed a centerline and hit a pickup truck head on yesterday on a Clark County highway.

Troopers responded about 5:15 p.m. to state Route 503 about seven miles north of Battle Ground where they observed both vehicles were totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Both Jeffrey D. Tester, 32, and his passenger, Heather A. Johnson, 26, were wearing their seat belts, as was the driver of the Ford F-150 pickup truck, James C. Davidson, 55, Yacolt, according to the state patrol.

All three were transported to  PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, in Vancouver, with unspecified injuries, the investigating trooper reports.

Tester is facing charges of driving under the influence, possession of a stolen vehicle and driving with a suspended license, according to the state patrol. The stolen vehicle is described as white 2004 Nissan Altima.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The victim from the boating accident on the Chehalis River on Monday is a 61-year-old man from Marysville.

Paul A. Philips drowned after he and his friend bailed out of their little fishing boat that began to sink when they ran into rapids and rocks, according to authorities.

It happened near Rainbow Falls State Park, off of state Route 6 west of Chehalis.

The survivor was able to find his friend, drag him to shore and performed CPR, but then had to swim across the river in search of help. He, a 43-year-old Chehalis area resident, was hospitalized for hypothermia.

The sheriff’s office estimates almost an hour passed from the time of the accident until he found a bicyclist on a trail to call 911 on a cell phone.

Philips was not wearing a life jacket, but his friend was, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Guerrier Road off state Route 508 about two miles east of Interstate 5 is among those that flooded. / Courtesy photo by Jonah Nutt

Updated at 7:09 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Authorities have asked anyone with flood damage from earlier this week to phone in a report.

Those within the city of Centralia can call 360-330-7662. All others should phone 360-740-1152.

Information from Lewis County Sheriff’s Office on behalf of the Lewis County Emergency Operations Center noted four houses in the county reported water damage. Two of them were on Rosebrook Road. The other two were off of Jackson Highway near the Newaukum River, according to the sheriff’s office.

No injuries were reported due to flooding.

Lewis County Assessor Dianne Dorey reminds property owners they may file, if applicable, what’s called a a destroyed property claim for the purposes of valuation assessments which will affect taxes.

The forms can be obtained by calling or visiting her office in Chehalis – 360-740-1392 – or online by going to the Assessor’s Office homepage at www.lewiscountywa.gov/assessor

Many roads were closed during the worst of it on Monday, and some remained closed on Tuesday, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

In a news release,Tim Elsea, Lewis County public works director and county engineer stated he was proud of the work the road crews did, saying they were inundated.

“The crews worked tirelessly to get roadways opened as soon as possible for the traveling public,” Elsea wrote. “Crews worked into the night, graveling and grating Guerrier Road so residents, who were otherwise stranded, could travel to and from their homes.”

Several pockets of low areas in Centralia and Chehalis were inundated as well on Monday.

Forecasters on Sunday said heavy precipitation and rising snow levels were expected to cause problems, although probably not an episode of widespread major flooding. They initially predicted, however, the Newaukum River could rise to 13.67 feet, beyond its 1996 record of 13.54 feet.

The Newaukum River which winds through Onalaska, Napavine and Chehalis crested Monday afternoon just barely below that, at 13.1 feet, according to Brown.

The Skookumchuck River crested at 3 a.m. on Tuesday below minor flood stage.

The Chehalis River crested at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, also below minor flood stage.

Monitor conditions for yourself anytime a flood watch is issued, using links always available on the right-hand sidebar of this news site under “Other useful web links. Direct from the National Weather Service.

• “Weather alerts, forecasts“: Click on the map to find your current and forecast temperature and other weather information, as well as alerts for hazardous weather conditions.

• “River levels“: Graphs show you what level your river has been at, where it’s at right now and where it is projected to be.

• Also, quickly and easily get information directly from others in the community by viewing or joining Lewis County Sirens on Facebook.

Brenda Wing, left, talks with her lawyer while her husband Danny Wing speaks with his attorney.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Danny and Brenda Wing remain locked up as they await trial in the death of a 3-year-old boy they were caring for, and will be waiting a little bit longer after a hearing today.

The Vader couple went before a judge when lawyers in the case asked for more time to prepare.

The trials were scheduled for the week of Jan. 26, before separate judges, but now they are on the court calendar for the week of May 11.

The toddler, Jasper Henderling-Warner, died on Oct. 5 from what the coroner called chronic battered child syndrome.

The Wings were charged in early November with homicide by abuse or, in the alternative, first-degree manslaughter. The two crimes have widely different penalties. Each of the two are charged as either the principal or accomplice. Both have pleaded not guilty.

This afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court, each consulted with their attorney for several minutes while the judge stepped off the bench.

Brenda Wing’s lawyer John Crowley is based in Seattle. Her husband’s lawyer Todd Pascoe, is from Vancouver, Wash.

Prosecutors today filed a motion to join the two cases together for one trial. A decision on that has not been made.
•••

For background, read:

• “Coroner: Ongoing physical abuse led to Vader toddler’s death” from Friday November 7, 2014, here

• “Defendants in Vader toddler death case want out of jail until trial” from Monday November 10, 2014, here

• RCW 9A.32.055: Homicide by abuse, here

• RCW 9A.32.060: Manslaughter in the first degree, here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 50-year-old Lewis County man was finally located at his home after law enforcement personnel discovered an unoccupied  pickup truck wrecked amongst the trees yesterday morning south of Chehalis off U.S. Highway 12.

Deputies summoned just before 9:30 a.m. believed the driver must have had severe injuries because of the enormous amount of damage to the 1993 Ford Ranger, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It appeared as though the vehicle was traveling on Meier Road and blew the stop sign at the highway, striking two trees and hitting a third tree head on, according to the sheriff’s office.

Rocky D. Briggs, 50, was finally found sleeping at his residence on the 300 block of Meier Road, with injuries to his face and chest, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Firefighters called to the home about 10:40 a.m. transported him to Providence Centralia Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Lewis County Fire District 15.

It’s not clear how he got home.

Briggs told deputies it was about 4:45 a.m. when he was driving through thick fog and had to swerve to miss elk, according to Brown. Briggs was cited for hit and run with property damage as well as first-degree driving with a suspended license, Brown said.