Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The (Aberdeen) Daily World reports that 11 criminal charges including extortion and bribery were filed yesterday against a Pacific County sheriff’s deputy following an investigation conducted by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office at the Pacific County sheriff’s request.

The newspaper writes that Deputy Vance O. Johnson, 44, has been on administrative leave since April; and that the charges in Pacific County Superior Court stem from on-duty behavior.

Read about it here. KXRO Newsradio has more

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The (Longview) Daily News reports the woman who shot her boyfriend through a closed bathroom door in Ryderwood  in December was sentenced this week to 21 months in prison and ordered to undergo mental health and substance abuse treatment upon her release.

Linda Cochran, 43, and 69-year-old John Stiller both called 911 the morning of December 9 to report the shooting and Stiller drove himself to the Little Crane Cafe in Vader where he was met by deputies and medics.

The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office said Cochran continued to fire a hunting rifle randomly as she stayed on the phone with a dispatcher but was subsequently taken in to custody without incident.

News reporter Barbara LaBoe reports Stiller was hit twice with fragments from the same bullet and suffered injuries to his bowels; and that Cochran pleaded guilty to second-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

Read more here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 48-year-old Centralia woman seems to have vanished, months ago, police say.

Gina D. Schmidt, described as a vulnerable adult, was reported missing in early May and a search of her apartment revealed that in all likelihood, she hadn’t been home for two or more months, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Gina D. Schmidt

“It appears that most of her clothing and personal belongings were still present, giving the impression that when she left for the last time, she fully intended to return,” police said in a news release yesterday.

Detectives are now turning to the public, asking for assistance in locating the woman as they’ve run into a dead end in the case.

They say the investigation to this point has been fruitless, despite interviews with all of Schmidt’s known acquaintances and family. Nobody officers have spoken with has seen her since mid-February, according to police.

The last place police know for certain that she was, was at Providence Centralia Hospital on Feb. 15. Police say she was discharged at 11:30 p.m. that night.

Department spokesperson Officer John Panco said he didn’t know why Schmidt was hospitalized, but he believed it was an emergency room visit.

Her home is more than two miles across town, at the 300 block of North Tower Avenue.

Panco said it was May 7 when a woman who works for the area agency on aging made the missing person report. He didn’t know if Schmidt was a client there.

Schmidt has a history of alcohol abuse and medical issues including seizures, according to polIce.

Centralia police detective David Clary is interested in hearing from anyone who might have any information regarding her whereabouts.

She is described as a white female who is 5-feet 2-inches tall, weighing about 125 pounds, with graying blond shoulder length hair and blue eyes.

Centralia police say she was last seen dressed in blue sweatpants with a tan and multi-colored long polyester coat, and she had a white tube sock on her arm. Panco said he didn’t know why she wore a sock on her arm.

Clary can be reached a the Centralia Police Department, with a reference to case number 14A3683.

Two firefighters from West Thurston Regional Fire hustle towards a fully involved car and semi truck truck on U.S. Highway 12. / Courtesy photo by Fire Chief Robert W. Scott

Updated at 6:28 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Two people survived a head-on collision on U.S. Highway 12 in Rochester yesterday in which both the car and the semi truck burst into flames sending a smoke column as much as 1,500 feet into the air and taking thousands of gallons of water to extinguish.

Firefighters dispatched about 3:30 p.m. could see the tower of smoke from their station three miles away, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

The truck was hauling a type of plywood and burned all the way down to the frame, Fire Chief Robert Scott said.

“The concussion heard from the tires blowing was heard over a mile away,” Scott said. “The explosions shot tire debris probably 150 yards.”

It happened on the highway near 183rd Avenue and Nicody Lane Southwest.

The woman driving the car and man driving the big rig were both standing on the side of the road when crews arrived, he said.

She was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital with minor injuries, he said. The truck driver – a 67-year-old Chehalis resident – was evaluated at the scene and shaken up, but otherwise fine, according to responders.

It’s a slow stretch of the road where the speed limit drops to around 35 to 40 mph, according to Scott.

“Very minor injuries, super fortunate,” Washington State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Guy Gill said. “This could have very easily been a double fatality.”

The 65-year-old Olympia woman had been traveling westbound when she fell asleep at the wheel crossed into the oncoming lane, meeting up with the semi, Gill said. Darlene J. Dickinson would be receiving a $500 ticket for negligent driving second-degree, Gill said.

There was a fuel spill that had to be cleaned up, according to Gill. The heat was so intense, road crews were out there today repairing damage to the pavement, he said.

U.S. Highway 12 in Rochester was closed for for more than an hour yesterday after a minor injury two-vehicle collision / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Associated Press reports the city of Centralia was hit with a lawsuit yesterday, challenging its stance on marijuana businesses.

An item published on Kirotv.com says a prospective pot retailer, Perry Nelson, proprietor of RIU420, sued the city in Lewis County Superior Court, saying the local moratorium is an unconstitutional ban on a legal activity.

Voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2012 and the Washington State Liquor Control Board has been issuing licenses to grow, process and sell.

Read more about it here