John A. Booth Jr., right, waits with his attorney Roger Hunko, for potential jurors to arrive in the courtroom.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Attorneys are still questioning potential jurors for the trial of John A. Booth Jr. in Lewis County Superior Court.
More later
Updated at 11:28 a.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A 43-year-old man from Rochester is dead and a Chehalis teenager was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a head-on collision on U.S. Highway 12 in Rochester Friday night.
Troopers were called about 7:40 p.m. to the wreck near Denmark Street Southwest, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Mark D. Stone, 43, of Rochester, was eastbound when his Ford Windstar van struck a guardrail on the right and then crossed into the oncoming lane and ran into a car carrying three individuals, according to the state patrol.
The driver of the Oldsmobile Alero, Carmon L. Gillaspie, 19, of Chehalis, was flown to the Seattle hospital. Two of her passengers were injured and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, the state patrol reported.
They are: Trevor R. Duncanhostick, 23, of Oakville and Vincent R. Thorp, 19, of Walla Walla, according to the patrol.
Both vehicles were described as totaled. The roadway was blocked until just before 10 p.m.
The cause of the collision is under investigation.
Update Monday December 5, 2011 at 9:05 a.m.: Gillaspie is listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit this morning.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Attorneys confirmed with a judge this afternoon the triple murder trial for former Onalaskan John A. Booth Jr. is a go for next week.
John A. Booth Jr.
Booth, 32, is charged with murder and other offenses related to the August 2010 gunshot deaths of two men and a teenage boy inside a Salkum-Onalaska area home. Booth is also charged with attempted murder of a woman in the same house the same night.
Jury selection in Lewis County Superior Court is expected to begin at 9:30 on Monday, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said today.
Opening statements by the lawyers may not occur until Tuesday, Meagher said.
The judge has said he thought the trial might last a week to 10 days.
Prosecutors allege Booth and Ryan J. McCarthy visited the house on Wings Way in connection with collecting money for drug debts or a “perceived” debt owed to Robert “Robbie” S. Russell. One of the victims, David West Sr. 52, was a witness in a pending case against Russell.
Also shot dead were David West Jr., 16, and a friend Tony E. Williams, 50, of Randle. Denise Salts, then 51, survived a gunshot wound to her face.
McCarthy, 32, was sentenced in September to a little more than 14 years for his role in the case following a plea deal.
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Read “Court hearing reveals more details about Salkum triple slaying” from Saturday Oct. 1, 2011, here
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The inmate who died Friday night at the Thurston County Jail has been identified as 41-year-old Blake C. Matthews.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said Matthews was standing on a top bunk, leaning forward, when he appeared to a corrections officer to jump head first onto the floor.
It happened shortly before 11:20 p.m. in a holding cell where Matthews was alone and waiting to be booked, according to sheriff’s Lt. Greg Elwin.
Matthews had been arrested less than two hours earlier by the Lacey Police Department for assaulting a bus driver, and on a warrant for a fourth-degree domestic violence assault, Elwin said.
There was no suicide note, no indication ahead of time, Elwin said. Matthews was intoxicated however, he said.
“So, we don’t know what happened; we don’t know if it was an intentional act or he lost his balance,” he said. “We can’t tell for sure.”
An autopsy yesterday concluded Matthews cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and neck, according to Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock. Whether was an accident or suicide is not yet known, Warnock said.
Updated 7 p.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A two-story house destroyed by fire in Chehalis today may have ignited from a burning candle.
Firefighters were called out just before 1 p.m. to Northeast North Street in between Market and Washington.
Smoke and flames were coming from a window of the wood-frame home; the resident had been outside about 20 minutes when it started, Acting Capt. Pat Gilligan said.
The woman who lived there suffered smoke inhalation, and was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital to be checked out.
“I think that’s why she went back in, to get her pets out,” Gilligan said. “I saw a couple of dogs.”
Gilligan estimated 25 to 30 firefighters were on the scene, coming from Chehalis, Centralia, Lewis County Fire District 6 and Rochester.
It took some time to chase the flames around inside the walls and attic, according to Gilligan.
“The way it was built, it had a bunch of nooks and crannies and false ceilings,” he said.
Gilligan said the home and contents are probably a total loss.
The cause is under investigation, Gilligan said, but it was possibly related to a candle.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Sandbag distribution in Centralia is cancelled as the revised forecast indicates the Chehalis River isn’t expected to reach flood stage tonight after all.
The flood warning continues on the Newaukum River in Chehalis however through tomorrow afternoon, with moderate flooding still predicted.
The heaviest precipitation shifted north overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
An advisory for urban and small stream flooding was issued overnight for parts of Western Washington, including Thurston County, western Lewis County and southeastern Grays Harbor County, according to the weather service. Another one to one and a half inches of rain is expected this morning, the weather service says.
A flood watch remains in effect through late tonight for flood-prone rivers in that area.
Emergency management officials in Centralia and in Lewis County continue to monitor weather conditions and river levels.
The flood warnings on the Chehalis River at Doty, Centralia and Grand Mound have been cancelled.
Some surface streets are still covered with water, so motorists are encouraged to use caution, a spokesperson for the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Operations Center advised this morning.
County residents are asked to report plugged culverts or roadway erosion by calling Lewis County Public Works at 360-740-1123.
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Follow weather forecast, occurrences and warnings here (Click on your location, then click on the “flood warning” and read more)
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Since the National Weather Service is now predicting a phase two flood event for the Chehalis River at Centralia, the city has decided to open sandbags stations in the morning as well as activate its emergency operations center.
The river is expected to crest about four and a half feet above flood stage at Mellen Street tomorrow evening, according to a news release from Police Chief Bob Berg. The weather service currently expects it to hit minor flood stage before 8 a.m.
That’s about two feet higher than they were thinking this morning.
Sand and bags for Centralia residents only will be available starting at 8 a.m. at:
• The 100 block of West Center Street, in the northwest corner of the Destiny Christian Center parking lot.
• The 1800 block of Cooks Hill Road, in front of the medical center
• The 200 block of East Summa Street, by the railroad tracks.
Phase two means that in addition to low-lying roads such as South Schueber, Military Road, Airport Road and possibly portions of Kresky Avenue maybe being impacted by rising waters, other residential streets in the south end of town could be affected, according to Berg.
Also, low-lying areas that traditionally flood early could experience minor to moderate flooding, Berg wrote in a news release tonight.
Changing weather patterns could change the forecast, Berg cautions.
Residents are advised to stay tuned to local radio stations for the latest weather information.
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Follow river levels and their forecasts here
Follow weather forecast, occurrences and warnings here (Click on your location, then click on the “flood warning” and read more)
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