Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An autopsy on the  94-year-old man hit by a car in Chehalis earlier this week showed he died from probable cardiac arrhythmia due to heart disease and COPD, but the trauma and shock from the accident sped up his death, according to the Lewis County coroner.

George Benton

George Benton, a retired Chehalis firefighter, was in a crosswalk on South Market Boulevard riding his power wheelchair when he was struck by a 1990s Buick passenger car on Monday evening, according to police.

Chehalis police reopened the accident investigation following Wednesday’s death.

Benton was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with an injury to one side of his chest, a broken ankle and a cut to his ear. Police said the injuries seemed minor at the time. He didn’t even want to go to the hospital, but was talked into it, according to Chehalis Deputy Police Chief Randy Kaut.

He was transported later that night to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to get his ear repaired and back home by Tuesday night. He died Wednesday morning at the adult family home where he lived.

Benton was a widower who resided on Southwest 12th Street but still owned his house on Southeast Washington Avenue where he spent time “puttering” in his shop or yard, according to his caregiver Leah Jensen. Each are about a block from where he was hit.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said he is listing the manner of death as accidental.

Specifically, McLeod said the findings were probable arrhythmia due to arteriosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease and COPD, with other significant conditions being blunt force trauma to one ear, the side of his chest and his right leg.
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For background, read “Elderly Chehalis man struck in crosswalk dies” from Thursday December 6, 2012, here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Two women were hospitalized today after a single-vehicle wreck on Interstate 5 north of Centralia which left their Toyota Corolla totaled.

Troopers were called about 11:15 a.m. to the northbound lanes  just north of the Harrison Avenue interchange where the car had collided with the concrete barrier.

Debera L. Hamlin, 77, lost control of her car after nearly striking another vehicle in an attempted lane change, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Hamlin and her passenger, both Centralia residents, were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol.

Trooper Brian Ashley said Hamlin had neck and back pain while Toni Maier, 41, complained of some pain to her neck and face. They were treated and have been released from the hospital.

Meanwhile, a truck that ran off the freeway into some trees at the south end of the county about 11:20 p.m. last night was towed out this afternoon.

It happened on the northbound side near milepost 57, according to Trooper Will Finn.

Finn said they wanted to wait until daylight to remove the truck to avoid rupturing the tanks. The driver had a hand injury but wasn’t hospitalized, according to Finn.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Nearly a year after she was arrested, the former director of the Lewis County Historical Museum has still not gone before a jury on theft charges that arose after the discovery the endowment fund of more than $460,000 was drained.

Deborah Sue Knapp

Deborah Sue Knapp, now 53, was in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday as attorneys asked a judge to postpone the trial until March.

Prosecutors allege Knapp routinely issued herself extra pay through payroll draws and used the museum debit card for personal expenses. Knapp has pleaded not guilty and is free on an unsecured bond.

Lawyers have previously asked for postponements based on the tremendous amount of financial records being analyzed but yesterday’s request was more to accommodate several other upcoming trials, according to her attorney Ken Johnson.

Judge Richard Brosey approved the choice to schedule Knapp’s trial for the week of March 4.
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For background, see “Prosecutor: Former museum director gave herself thousands of dollars in fraudulent payroll draws” from Friday December 30, 2011, here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

New traffic cameras along Interstate 5 between Grand Mound and Tumwater will be turned on in the morning, to help motorists get a real-time look at travel and road conditions.

Six cameras will go live at 7 a.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

“We want people to know what conditions on this stretch of I-5 are like before they leave the house,” WSDOT Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton stated in a news release. “It’s all about keeping drivers informed so they can avoid possible delays.”

The south Thurston County traffic cams installed between exits 88 and 95 are part of four projects totaling $390 million to improve flow along an 18-miles stretch of the freeway between Lewis and Thurston counties, according to DOT.

The projects are being paid for from the 2003 and 2005 gas-tax packages, according to the news release.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Three fire departments were called to a Centralia wood mill early this morning when a welding spark ignited some nearby materials.

The 3:30 a.m. call to Northwest Hardwoods on the 3300 block of Galvin Road ended well.

“We encountered some smoke but by the time we made entry, the fire had been extinguished,” Riverside Fire Authority Assistant Chief Rick Mack said.

Mack credited a fire sprinkler that followed use of fire extinguishers by workers. Mill manager John Holte said he understood the employees put it out.

Several fire extinguishers were expended, Mack said.

Firefighters got the power shut off, got the smoke cleared and turned the scene over to the business by about 4:40 a.m.

Holte said operations are expected to resume soon when they finish testing equipment.

Northwest Hardwoods employs about 135 people working two production shifts.