Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Centralia man was arrested last night for allegedly trying to lure a 9-year-old girl from her yard.

Police were called just after 6 p.m. following the incident on the 500 block of South Rock Street when the child told relatives a man had been walking back and forth in front of her home and then asked her to help him out with something, Centralia Police Department Officer John Panco said.

“The little girl was smart enough to run inside and tell her mom,” Panco said.

Panco said the mother got a look at the subject and a short time later, spotted him getting into a vehicle at the Fuller’s Shop ‘N Kart store on South Pearl Street. He was arrested soon after on the 700 block of Tower Avenue, Panco said.

Nicholas S. Lange, 48, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for luring. Panco said he didn’t have further details about Lange this morning.

Another fire breaks out at the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area north of Grand Mound. / Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters from six agencies responded this afternoon when another fire broke out at the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area north of Grand Mound.

Crews called about 2:30 p.m. found burning grass and brush adjacent to Case Road at the 16300 block which quickly spread into a small stand of fir trees, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

It was just a week ago when two acres in the same area were charred, and a large old wood barn was destroyed by fire.

Fire Chief Robert Scott said the state Department of Natural Resources is investigating the cause of today’s blaze.

It’s point of origin appeared to be a ways off the road and there’s “zero possibility” any vegetation rekindled from last Sunday, Scott said. Personnel from DNR were out there two days last week making sure that fire was out, he said.

Firefighters brought today’s fire under control limiting it to just over an acre, according to Scott.

His department was joined by members of Riverside Fire Authority, Thurston County Fire Districts 12, 6 and 13, as well as DNR. Nobody was injured, according to Scott.

Crews will be out there this evening conducting mop up, he said.

Scott said it’s fairly unusual for trees to torch off like they did today, on this side of the mountains, but it’s dry out. And the fire season is just beginning, he said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Even the spark from a mower blade striking a rock can ignite a brush fire with the increasingly dry conditions, according to officials who are urging the public to take extra precautions to prevent wildfires.

Hundreds of firefighters are battling two major wildfires near Wenatchee and Goldendale, making demands upon both regional and statewide personnel and equipment, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

Already limited outdoor burning has been restricted even further this week with the banning of campfires on all forestland and other property that is protected by DNR.

Lewis County put restrictions in place almost two weeks ago; although recreational fires in approved sites or receptacles are still allowed.

Most wildfires are human caused, according DNR, with sources such as welding or grinding metal out of doors, target shooting at rocks or metal, tossing lit cigarettes or even the hot mufflers of vehicles.

“Dry grass touching a vehicle’s hot exhaust system could start a major fire, especially when the wind is blowing,” Bruce Bjork, chief of enforcement for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife stated in a news release yesterday.  “If you’re driving through the woods or open range, please stay on the road surface until you find a paved or graveled area to park.”

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Tenino teenager investigating someone rummaging through a trash can outside his home during the night was met with a pistol pointed in his direction by a male whose face was covered by a black bandana.

Within moments, the same subject had entered the same residence through a back screen door, looked around and then left, according to police.

The incident on the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue at about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday was the second time in the span of seven days in  which a stranger went inside a Tenino residence while someone was at home, according to the Tenino Police Department.

Police Chief John Hutchings is urging people too keep their doors closed and locked, especially at night, even though it may be warm outside.

“Occupied burglaries are rare,” Hutchings said in a news release yesterday. “To have a suspect armed and pointing a handgun at a victim is even rarer and to have two in a one week period is indicative of a potential crime trend.”

The first instance occurred in the 600 block of Garfield Avenue East at about 5 p.m. on July 23.

A teenage girl was in her bedroom and when she thought her family was returning home, she looked out and saw an intruder going out a back door, according to police. The man had come in through an unlocked kitchen door, according to police.

He appeared to be in his 30s, about 5-feet 11-inches tall and weighed around 220 pounds, with dark medium length hair, wearing dark blue jeans and some type of a vest over a black shirt, Hutchings stated.

Nothing was noted as stolen in either burglary. Tenino police and sheriff’s deputies searched both areas without success.

In this week’s intrusion, the suspect is described as 20 years old to 25 years old and more by his attire: Khaki cargo shorts, a short sleeved light purple shirt, a flat-billed baseball cap and the black bandana.

In that case, after the subject pointed the gun and told the teen to stay on the porch, he got into a newer dark colored Honda Accord or Civic-type car and drove away, according to Hutchings. However, as the boy was telling his mother what happened, the man apparently returned and briefly entered through a back door.

Hutchings asks the public to please call 911 if they see any suspicious looking people or cars in their neighborhoods. He suggests an alternative for anyone with an anonymous tip, is Thurston County Crime Stoppers at 360-481-5182.

Updated at 6:21 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Coroner’s Office said the woman who was found dead in the Skookumchuck River on Monday is 40-year-old Tina A. Thode of Chehalis.

She is the woman police suspected she was, Coroner Warren McLeod said this morning.

McLeod said he doesn’t yet know how she died.

A pair of teenagers floating down the river in Centralia spotted the body and contacted authorities on Monday evening. Centralia police said there were no obvious signs of traumatic injury or foul play, but that responders had spent several hours on Saturday night trying to locate Thode in the same area when she called 911 and said she was lost.

The search ended after responders got word someone had seen Thode and said she was okay, according to Centralia Police Department detective Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald.

McLeod described Thode as a Chehalis resident, although he could not pinpoint her current address. She has grown children, parents and siblings who live in the area, he said.

An autopsy was conducted today, but a determination about the cause and manner of Thode’s death won’t come until after microscopic studies are done and the results of toxicology tests come back, according to McLeod. The tests can take eight to 10 weeks.

•••

For background, read “Breaking news: Woman found dead in Skookumchuck River in Centralia” from Monday July 29, 2013, here

Fire with an unknown cause spreads from tree, brush to barn and scorches two acres. / Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The cause of a fire that consumed a large, old wooden barn at the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area north of Grand Mound yesterday evening remains under investigation.

Firefighters called about 6:30 p.m. to the 16000 block of Case Road Southwest found a tree and brush fire had spread into the two-story structure and was beginning to move towards homes adjacent to the state-owned property, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

Crews from numerous area departments responded containing the blaze to about two acres, Chief Robert Scott said.

They were joined by personnel from the state Department of Natural Resources, as well as some from Fish and Wildlife which maintains the property, according to Scott.

“It was a little dicey, as spot fires were being cast down range,” Scott said.

Scott said he didn’t know what the barn was used for, but he’s been told it was empty and it’s been there a very long time.

“I’m not sure how old that barn is, but it’s been there for decades, probably close to 100 years,” he said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 16-year-old Rochester boy suspected to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both was arrested last night after allegedly confronting residents at four homes, including using a knife to slash and cut a door causing a female to flee.

It began with a 911 call about 9 p.m. about an intoxicated male outside a residence who allegedly shoved the caller who had been trying to calm him down at 185th Avenue Southwest in Rochester, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

About 30 minutes later, a frantic female called 911 to say a male was trying to break into her home, Lt. Greg Elwin said in a news release.

He came inside armed with a knife and she fled, according to Elwin.

One of several responding deputies located the suspect walking along the roadway and took him into custody without incident, Elwin said.

Elwin reported the young man had threatened at least one person using the knife, demanding keys to their car.

The boy, who was not named, was booked into the Thurston County Youth Service Center for first-degree burglary and first-degree attempted robbery, according to Elwin.

Sheriff John Snaza issued a statement praising the various citizens who assisted each other and the sheriff’s office.

“These types of incidents punctuate how important it is that we all be vigilant in our daily lives,” Snaza stated. “These neighbors came together to look out for each other and work with deputies to get this guy in custody. By working together, we can help keep our families and homes safe.”