Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The state has suspended a registered nurse whose clinics were raided as a Centralia police drug investigation led them to a former Napavine man allegedly running a drug ring from prison this summer and into at least three other counties.

In mid-June, search warrants were served in Tumwater and Aberdeen focusing on medical records and other documents. New Beginnings Wellness Centers was operated by a nurse practitioner named Sharol Chavez.

The state Department of Health yesterday announced charges against Chavez alleging sub-standard care in medical marijuana authorizations and prescriptions for narcotics without proper patient examinations. The state charges in some cases she was aware some of her prescriptions were supplying Oxycodone pills to the illegal marketplace.

The Centralia Police Department’s Anti-Crime Team efforts to quash illegal pain pill sales in Centralia took them to Forrest E. Amos who they believed was began heading up a drug trafficking organization from prison after his local conviction in January for  possessing prescription drugs without authorization. Searches of Chavez’s medical clinics were conducted on June 17, involving law enforcement from Centralia and numerous other agencies.

Chavez has 20 days to request a hearing to contest the licensing charges. After the raids, Centralia Police Department St. Jim Shannon said federal authorities would be reviewing the documents seized to examine them for possible criminal charges.
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For background, read “Centralia police track illegal Oxycodone trade to prison inmate” from Tuesday June 18, 2013, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters are calling upon ghosts, goblins and their families to come by the station for treats late tomorrow afternoon at 2123 Jackson Highway in Chehalis.

Lewis County Fire District 6 is hosting a Halloween drop in with games, movies, refreshments and more from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m.

The annual Safe Candy Stop is sponsored by the Lewis County Fire Dogs Association.

Fire personnel will be on hand to answer questions about Halloween safety and fire prevention as well as share information about some programs, such as reflective address signs, file if life, smoke detectors and blood pressure checks, according to Chief Tim Kinder.

The driver of this 2003 Jeep Cherokee is expected to survive. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol.

Updated at 8:26 a.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 16-year-old boy was airlifted to a Seattle hospital yesterday after his Jeep Cherokee was rear ended by a semi truck, pushed into oncoming traffic and caught fire at U.S. Highway 12 just east of Rochester yesterday afternoon.

Troopers called about 4 p.m. to the scene found four vehicles involved in the collision at Pecan Street, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The Jeep Cherokee was eastbound and in the left turn lane when an eastbound Kenworth hauling 100,000 pounds of scrap metal hit it and shoved it into an oncoming pickup truck, according to the state patrol. A car then rear-ended the pickup, the state patrol reported. The teen was helped out his driver’s side window by others, according to Trooper Guy Gill.

The two people transported with serious injuries are both expected to survive, Gill indicated last night.

According to the state patrol: Robert A. Johnson, 51, of Rochester, the driver of the Ford Ranger, was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

The 16-year-old from Rochester, whose name was not released, was flown to Harborview Medical Center.

Jonathon W. Kalin, 47, Rochester, the driver of the Saturn Ion, was reportedly uninjured as was the driver of the big rig, Steven C. Johnson, 62, of Vancouver.

The collision is under investigation.

A 2006 Kenworth hauling scrap metal at Pecan Street on U.S. Highway 12. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The sheriff’s office is offering reminders about gun safety after two men suffered separate accidental self inflicted gunshot wounds yesterday morning in East Lewis County within about an hour of each other.

One was shot in the foot with his rifle near Morton and the other in his leg when he dropped his handgun near Lake Mayfield.

“These are two very fortunate men,” Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield said in a news release. “The outcome of both of these situations could have resulted in even more serious injuries or possibly death.”

It was around 10 o’clock when a 27-year-old Mossyrock man hiking with friends near the 5500 block of U.S. Highway 12 got his coat hung up on a limb somehow causing his .357 caliber rifle to go off, according to the sheriff’s office. His friends helped him get back to their car and drove him to the hospital, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. Brown said the man’s companions thought his gun was unloaded, Brown stated.

At about 11 a.m., a 53-year-old Gig Harbor resident was preparing to test fire his .22 caliber pistol at his hunting camp along the 500 block of Winston Creek Road when he heard something, turned, slipped on a rock and dropped his gun, according to Brown.

He was able to call 911 and was transported to by aid to Morton General Hospital, Brown stated. A deputy met up with both victims at the same hospital yesterday.

The men’s names and conditions were not released or readily available.

Mansfield lists these basic gun handling reminders:

• Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
• Firearms should be unloaded when not in use.
• Don’t rely on your guns “safety”.
• Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the firearm you are using.