By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The (Longview) Daily News reports a man was killed by a train north of Castle Rock about 9 a.m. today.
Their news item notes it occurred while the as-yet-unidentified man was walking on the Toutle River railroad bridge.
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By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Chehalis police found a “pretty good amount” of heroin when they raided a house on Southwest Fourth Street near McFadden yesterday and arrested two individuals for dealing.
Sgt. Gary Wilson said the visit by some 10 officers at 9 o’clock yesterday morning followed an approximately two-month investigation.
The couple were arrested and jailed and two small children there were turned over to Child Protective Services, Wilson said.
Zane Verley, 33, was booked for three counts of delivery, one count of possession and another count of possession of methamphetamine, according to police. Stephanie Fuller, 26, was booked for one count of delivery, police said.
Another individual in the house at the time was detained but released because he was not wanted for anything, Wilson said.
Officers spent a couple of hours searching the home, he said. The couple had just recently moved there, according to Wilson.
The serving of the search warrant followed undercover “buys” and assistance from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Wilson said.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The Seattle Times writes that Lewis County District Court Judge R.W. Buzzard oversaw the probable cause hearing on Monday for 34-year-old Steven Daniel Kravetz, accused of stabbing a judge and shooting a deputy in the Grays Harbor County courthouse.
News reporter Sara Jean Green reported that Kravetz was charged with two counts of first-degree assault and ordered held on $750,000 bail amid beefed up security.
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation and keeping Kravetz in their jail, Green wrote.
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By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The Seattle Times reports authorities are still looking for the man who stabbed a judge and shot a sheriff’s deputy this afternoon at the Grays Harbor County Courthouse in Montesano.
It is believed the man identified as Michael Thomas is armed with the deputy’s .45 caliber handgun, according to news reporters Jennifer Sullivan and Jonathan Martin.
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Update on Saturday March 10, 2012 at 3:45 p.m.: The Seattle Times reported the suspect – Steven Daniel Kravetz, 34 – was arrested in Olympia today. News reporter Emily Heftter noted he has a 2008 conviction Lewis County for an incident in Centralia.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
One person was detained following a two-month long narcotics investigation after the sheriff’s office served a search warrant this morning in Centralia.
Deputies with the Lewis County Regional Drug Task Force were joined by Centralia police about 8:45 a.m. at the 1000 block of North Pearl Street, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Also assisting were SWAT teams from both agencies, according to Centralia police; as well as personnel from the state Department of Corrections, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.
Brown did not say who was detained but expected to release more details after the weekend. Further arrests are expected, she said.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Six people are displaced by a fire that tore through their Rochester home last.
Nobody was injured but firefighters are still on the scene this morning putting out hot spots, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.
Crews were called about 10:25 p.m. to the two-story home on the 11600 block of 183rd Avenue Southwest, according to Chief Robert Scott. Flames were already coming through the roof and the second story, Scott said.
The occupants are two adults and four children, he said.
“I think they were getting ready for bed when they were alerted by a working smoke detector at the top of the stairs,” Scott said. “If this had happened in the middle of the night, the outcome would have been much different.”
The family got them selves and their pets out, and called 911, according to Scott.
The house is still standing, but what wasn’t burned by fire is damaged by smoke and water, he said. He estimated the loss at $100,000.
Five area fire departments assisted, bringing water because its an area without fire hydrants, Scott said.
He said the wood home, built in 1901, was a challenge because of hidden spaces and multiple roofs.
The Red Cross was called in to help the family, he said.
The owner of the house has insurance, but the family living there did not have renters insurance, according to the fire department.
Investigators are there this morning trying to determine the cause, he said.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The preliminary cause of the blaze that destroyed a mechanic’s shop business in the Salkum area yesterday afternoon is something electrical, according to Lewis County Fire District 8.
Four fire departments responded the call just after noon at Schoen and Stowell roads about a mile north of Salkum, according to District 8 Chief Duran McDaniel.
When he arrived, flames were shooting some 65 feet above the building, and propane tanks were exploding, McDaniel said. Burning tires made it harder to extinguish.
“It was one of the hottest fires in my 30-year career,” he said.
Nobody was there when it happened and nobody was injured, according to the chief. Robert’s Repair and towing business is pretty much a total loss, he said.
Salkum firefighters were joined by crews from Mossyrock, Onalaska and Napavine. More than 20 firefighters were on the scene about five hours, he said.
A fire investigator is looking into the cause.
McDaniel, 46, was just named chief of District 8 early last month replacing Chief George Penzenik.
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