By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The (Aberdeen) Daily World reports former Pacific County Sheriff John Didion has died. He was 66.
John Didion
Didion served as sheriff for 12 years ending in 2010, in a department where he began as a road deputy, according to the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office.
News reporter Brionna Friedrich writes the former NFL linebacker passed away on Tuesday following a “major medical event” at his home over the weekend.
Read about it here.
Firefighters used a type of high-pressure air bag to lift a 2000 Dodge Neon off of its driver. / Courtesy photo Lewis County Fire District 2
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A Centralia man was hospitalized this morning after his car flew off of Interstate 5 near Vader, tumbling across a frontage road and landing on top of him.
It appeared Marco Ortiz-Garcia was ejected through the sun roof of his Dodge Neon, responders said, but it came to rest with its wheels down.
“The driver was talking to us from underneath the car,” Lewis County Fire District 2 Chief Grant Wiltbank said. “He was pinned, but not being crushed.”
Troopers and aid were called about 6:40 a.m. to the scene just north of the Gee Cees Truck Stop. The car had been traveling southbound and spun out before running down an embankment to the west, through a fence and stopping on the other side of Foster Creek Road, according to responders.
He was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital to be treated, Wiltbank said.
The car was totaled. The wreck was blamed on speed. Ortiz-Garcia, 27, was cited for second-degree negligent driving, according to the Washington State Patrol.
“He was very lucky; my goodness he was lucky,” Wiltbank said. “Somebody who goes through that kind of a crash normally does not walk away.”
About an hour later, a pickup truck hit a patch of ice about a quarter mile south of there and rolled, landing on its side, according to Wiltbank.
That driver was extricated after firefighters cut out the windshield, and suffered mostly bumps and bruises, Wiltbank said. He declined to got to the hospital.
Lewis County Fire District 6 was called later this morning to a rollover accident on Jackson Highway near Marys Corner. The driver was treated and released at the scene, according to Chief Tim Kinder.
Firefighters extinguish a fire at a Littlerock business this morning. / Courtesy photo by Robert Scott
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A taxidermy shop in Littlerock went up in flames overnight and crews are on the scene investigating the cause.
The fire was well underway by the time neighbors woke up and called 911 about 4:30 a.m., according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. Arriving firefighters found a fully involved structure fire, according to Chief Robert Scott.
Alden’s Taxidermy is on Palermo Southwest, just east of Littlerock Road, according to Scott.
The building is a total loss, he said. Scott said there are only two walls left standing from the medium-sized building. Nobody was hurt, he said.
Scott said he’s assuming there is a substantial loss of contents, but the owner is away and he has not yet spoke with him.
The blaze destroyed a pickup truck parked next to the business as well, according to Scott.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Deputies are looking for a pony-tailed woman who robbed the Grand Mound AM/PM store last night and fled south on Old Highway 99 in a dark-colored mid-sized sedan.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office reports that about 11:30 p.m., the woman entered the store and ordered the clerk to put all the money in a bag or the clerk would be shot. No gun was actually seen, but the clerk complied and the woman left on foot toward U.S. Highway 12 where she got into a car, according to Sgt. Ken Clark.
The woman used a multi-colored scarf to cover up her face, Clark said.
The store is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Old Highway 99, just west of Interstate 5.
The subject is described as a white female approximately 5-feet 7-inches tall and weighing 120 pounds, according to the sheriff’s office.
She wore her light-colored hair pulled up in a pony tail and a dark baseball cap with light trim and an unidentified emblem on its rim, according to Clark. She was wearing blue jeans, white shoes and a dark waist-length jacket.
The suspect vehicle is believed to be a black 2000 to 2004 model Chevrolet Impala with a spoiler attached to the trunk lid, according to the sheriff’s office.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A part-time employee at the Chehalis distribution center for UPS was arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing and re-selling thousands of dollars worth of cell phones and other merchandise.
Roland E. Camps, 40, from Winlock, was booked into the Lewis County Jail after he went into the sheriff’s office for an interview, following an investigation that began early last week, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Among the stolen goods were an unspecified number of Apple iphones and Samsung cell phones as well as video games and equipment, according to sheriff’s office spokesperson Sgt. Rob Snaza
“We’re still in the process of seeing how much is missing,” Snaza said this morning.
Snaza said Camps loaded trucks at the parcel delivery service’s location on the 100 block of Hamilton Road south of Chehalis.
According to Snaza, a security supervisor contacted the sheriff’s office after they figured out phones were missing from the Chehalis center.
“They were finding out some stolen phones had been activated,” he said.
Snaza said the losses at this point are estimated at between $50,000 and $100,000 and could go back as far as from Aug. 9.
Camps was arrested and booked for first-degree theft and first-degree trafficking in stolen property.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The (Longview) Daily News spoke with one of the several individuals in Lewis County who are hoping to become licensed cultivators of the soon-to-be legitimate cash crop, marijuana.
Brandon Milton, 39, a Seattle developer who owns 30 acres in Vader tells news reporter Tony Lystra he’s picturing $21 million in gross revenues annually from growing and processing the plant adjacent to his German car parts warehouse at Atlas Road and that he has applied for three such licenses from the state.
Six locations around Lewis County are among those identified last week by the state as seeking producer licenses since Nov. 18, the beginning of a 30-day period for applications.
There is no limit to the number of producer and processor licenses which will be granted, however the retailer licenses will be capped, according to the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
Wannabe growers locally so far, are:
• Forbidden Farms, 201 Boistfort-Winlock Road, Chehalis
• Aaron’s Original, 177 Rarey Road, Winlock
• Nivia Enterprises, 142 Blake Road, Toledo
• Triple K Ranch, 757 Spencer Road, Toledo
• Evergreen Nirvana, 501 Boone Road, Ethel
• Warehouse 420, 21847 Lee Road, Centralia
For further details about the emerging marijuana market, check highlights of adopted rules from Washington State Liquor Control Board.
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CORRECTION: This has been updated to correctly reflect the location for the Forbidden Farms license request.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission offers downloadable, printable designated driver gift cards for the holidays.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Looking for an inexpensive but possibly priceless present to give this year?
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission has designated driver gift cards available, to give to someone you’d rather not see among the 49 (average) collision fatalities between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day in Washington.
Driving under the influence is still the leading cause of death on the roadways and the cards are part of a campaign to reach zero traffic deaths and serious injuries from wrecks by the year 2030, according to the WSTC.
Just go to the WTSC website to print, then clip, fold and fill out the card offering your services as the sober driver on a given night. It’s the gift of a ride home that tells a loved one you’d rather they celebrate the season in style, not in jail or dead.
The Olympia-based organization coordinates traffic safety efforts in various ways, including assisting the Lewis County DUI Traffic Safety Task Force which organizes and supports putting extra law enforcement officers on patrol beginning today in search of intoxicated motorists.
Through Jan. 1, expect to see participants locally such as police departments in Centralia, Chehalis, Morton, Toledo, Winlock and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
The WSTC offers the following advice so members of the public can help as well.
• Call 911 if you see a suspected intoxicated driver on the roads.
• If you drink, smoke marijuana or take other drugs, don’t drive.
• If hosting a party, make a plan with sober designated drivers to get your guests home safely or arrange for them to stay put.
• Talk with your children and make sure they know to call you instead of ever getting into a car with someone who has been drinking.
• For anonymous, confidential assistance by phone, the Washington Recovery Help Line number is 1-866-789-1511.
• For further resources and ideas on keeping family and friends safe during the coming holidays, check the Target Zero website.
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