Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A middle school field trip to Mount St. Helens today was delayed when the bus driver was overcome by pepper spray discharged by a 13-year-old on the bus as they traveled down Interstate 5 through Chehalis.

The 28-year-old driver began to have problems breathing and was able to safely pull the bus over near the Labree Road interchange before she became overwhelmed, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The bus was carrying 46 children from Tumwater, according to the state patrol. It happened about 9:30 a.m.

Five of them plus the driver were treated for exposure; she was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital, Sgt. Doug Pardue said in a news release.

Pardue noted three of the students received medical attention, but it’s not clear what that was beyond being examined by first responders.

Troopers determined the 13-year-old who sprayed it gave it to a 12-year-old to hide, who passed it another 12-year-old, according to the state patrol.

The district sent another bus to retrieve the students who were able to continue on with the field trip, according to Pardue.

The three were taken back to Tumwater and released to school officials, he stated.

The incident remains under investigation.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Deputies are continuing to look for the second suspect from an incident at an Oakville home two weeks ago in which two masked men carrying machetes kicked in the door and tried to rob a couple there.

Leonard M. Young

Twenty-three-year-old Derrick D. Klatush was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Oakville and a warrant has been issued for his suspected companion, 28-year-old Leonard M. Young, according to the the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office.

Both are Oakville residents, according to Chief Criminal Deputy Steve Shumate.

Young is described as about 5-feet 8-inches tall, and weighing 190 pound with brown eyes and black hair.

The sheriff’s office has said the suspected the motive was to steal recent casino winnings from the man and woman at  the 200 block of East Alder Street.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked the call the Grays Harbor Communications Center at 360-533-8765 or the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office at 360-249-3711.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office says the 42-year-old man who died in a single-vehicle accident early Saturday morning on Tucker Road north of Toledo is Bruce Larson, of Onalaska.

The sheriff’s office reports he is from Morton.

Aid and deputies called about 3:20 a.m. found Larson deceased in the driver’s set of a Toyota Corolla station wagon and found his passenger, a 39-year-old Morton woman sitting on the ground next to the car, according to responders.

It appeared the car was eastbound and left the roadway at a slight curve, continued on and then crossed back over the road jumping a ditch and came to rest in the grass where it collided with two trees, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It was described as a total loss.

Lewis County Fire District 2  Chief Grant Wiltbank said the passenger was airlifted to  Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver to be evaluated. The sheriff’s office reported this morning she was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital.

Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said she had no information this morning on the passenger’s condition.

The Washington State Patrol is assisting in the investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Seattle TImes reports timber companies that want to harvest near potentially dangerous landslide areas will now have to conduct geologic reviews before getting a logging permit from the state, a change announced on Friday by the Department of Natural Resources.

Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark states the new requirement applies if DNR determines a proposed harvest could affect public safety, an added precaution following the deadly landslide in Oso.

Reports from geologists are already required when the logging is to take place on potentially unstable slopes, according to DNR.

Commissioner Goldmark is acting on recommendations following the recent conclusions from a study of 2007 landslides in Southwest Washington.

A special meeting underway today in Olympia of the Washington State Forest Practices Board will review what’s known about the Oso Landslide, consider the latest scientific information, and discuss the state’s regulatory approach to protecting public safety and public resources.

The board’s discussions will continue tomorrow at its regularly scheduled meeting

When: Today, May 12, 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Where:  John A. Cherberg Building, Hearing Room 1
304 15th Ave. SW, Olympia

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Read more about it here: “State: Review now required before logging near risky landslide areas” from The Seattle Times on May 9, 2014 at 8:57 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The victim of last night’s shooting in Salkum didn’t survive.

Aid and deputies were called about 8:10 p.m. after a reported dispute between neighbors in which a shot or shots were fired.

Twenty-eight-year-old Travis Shive was transported by ambulance to Providence Centralia Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office last night said detectives were questioning a Salkum man after the incident on the 200 block of Stowell Road. It’s unknown if any arrest has been made.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said his office was contacted about 9:30 p.m. or 10 o’clock about the death and Shive, a Salkum resident, was transported to the coroner’s office. An autopsy is expected on Tuesday, McLeod said.

Troopers investigate a fatality collision in Skamania County on state Route 14. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 27-year-old Winlock resident is dead after his pickup truck crossed the centerline and ran into a 12-foot U-Haul truck and then the corner of a semi this morning about three miles east of Washougal.

Joseph M. Sparks was westbound on state Route 14 when it happened about 8:30 this morning, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Nobody else was injured but a detour was put in place until about 1 o’clock, according to the state patrol. Sparks’ 1993 Chevrolet truck was described as totaled.

The U-Haul was driven by a 43-year-old woman from New Mexico. Behind the wheel of the 2008 Kenworth was 24-year-old Shelbi D. Deadmond of Pacific, according to the patrol.

The semi was totaled as well, according to the investigating trooper.

The cause of the wreck remains under investigation.