Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The three Lewis County commissioners voted unanimously today to approve a one-tenth of one cent local sales tax to fund drug court and other related programs.

County Commissioner Bill Schulte said public testimony given today was running two to one in favor of the measure.

He estimated about 30 people gave their opinions during the public hearing that just about filled the commissioner’s meeting room.

“What happens is we pay one way or the other,” Schulte said. “What happens is unfortunately, it costs more and we get poorer results if we do mental health through the jail.”

The proceeds can only be spent on what are called therapeutic courts – such as drug court and mental health court – and certain other measures to reduce substance abuse and help keep mentally ill individuals stable.

Consumers will likely see the change in October and it will take a couple of months before the county actually begins to see money coming into their account, according to the commissioners.

Supporters have said the increase would amount to about $20 per household per year.

The commissioners next will set up an advisory board to guide them in allocating the receipts, expected to amount to about $900,000 next year.
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Read background here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Attorney Dale McBeth has been appointed the new judge for Chehalis Municipal Court, the city manager announced today.

McBeth, who has practiced law locally for some 35 years, has been serving as the city’s acting judge since Judge Steven Buzzard retired at the end of last month.

He has sat in as the pro tem judge for the past few years, according to City Manager Merlin MacReynold.

“His long experience in Lewis County and experience as our pro tem judge made him the best fit for the position and we look forward to his permanently stepping into the position July 1st,” MacReynold wrote in his announcement to the city council today.

McBeth was chosen from among four applicants, and his new job won’t be finalized until after he and the proposed contract are confirmed by the council. MacReynold will be seeking that confirmation at the June 27 meeting.

The Chehalis-based lawyer was just honored last month by Lewis County Bar Legal Aid for taking on the most pro bono cases last year locally.

Buzzard’s retirement led to a new municipal court judge in Centralia as well; his son James M.B. Buzzard was selected to fill that position the week before last.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Lewis County is getting set to implement a program run by immigration authorities that Sheriff Steve Mansfield says he hopes will “increase the number of people getting put back on the bus.”

Called “Secure Communities”, the system allows the fingerprints of anyone booked into the Lewis County Jail to be checked against databases at U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, a division of Homeland Security.

Mansfield told Lewis County commissioners yesterday it’s “kind of controversial”.

But Lewis County wouldn’t be doing any so-called profiling, Mansfield said, as all fingerprints will be submitted.

The prints are sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and it’s the FBI that would be sharing them with ICE, who make the decisions about the individuals they have issues with and want to hold, he said.

Some people may be found to be in the country illegally, but also some legal immigrants who violate certain laws will then be dealt with by immigration authorities, according to Mansfield.

ICE describes the program as improving public safety by changing the way criminal aliens are identified and removed from the country; and leveraging existing information sharing capabilities.

Lewis County is one of eight counties in Washington that have requested access to the program, according to a news story on Saturday in the Yakima Herald-Republic; Yakima County will be the first when it begins next week.

Lewis County Jail Chief Kevin Hanson said he’s hoping the system will be put into place in the next month.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fire that broke out in a Grand Mound mobile home last night.

Firefighters called about 11 p.m. to the 20300 block of Old Highway 99 Southwest found the backside of the uninhabited single-wide mobile home burning, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

About a dozen firefighters from four agencies quickly brought the flames under control, Fire Chief Robert Scott said this morning.

He estimated about one-quarter of the structure was damaged.

The mobile home is adjacent to the old Grand Mound Motel, he said.

Nobody was living there and it appeared someone was in the process of tearing it apart, Scott said.

There was no power service to the structure, making it a suspicious fire, according to Scott.

The cause is being looked into by the sheriff’s office and West Thurston fire investigators.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Police seized an estimated quarter-pound of black tar heroin when they searched an apartment last night in Chehalis.

Three people were arrested in what the Centralia Police Department calls the culmination of a month-long narcotics trafficking investigation involving individuals from as far away as Puyallup.

A search warrant was served about 8 p.m. at the 300 block of Southwest Third Street, according to police.

Arrested were Darin L. Miles, 38, of Chehalis; Scott T. Johnson, 44, of Centralia; and Jose G. Estrada-Alva of Puyallup.

Officers collected items such as power tools and sports memorabilia believed to be stolen in various thefts and burglaries in the greater Twin Cities area, according to a new release this morning from  the Centralia Police Department.

Police called the quantity of heroin significant; they also found a small amount of suspected methamphetamine and some pills, according to the news release. The exact weights have not yet been determined, police said.

The street value of a quarter pound of heroin in Washington state, according to tracking by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration  is about $12,800, Officer Chris Fitzgerald said. It sells for about $100 per gram here, she said.

Miles’ girlfriend and two small children were at the home when officers arrived and allowed to leave with a relative, according to police.

The three men were booked into the Lewis County Jail, initially for offenses including possession and delivery of a controlled substance,  as well as unlawful possession of a firearm, according to the news release.

The Centralia Police Anti-Crime Unit was assisted by Chehalis police and members of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Update Thursday June 16, 2011 at 12 p.m.: The amount of heroin turned out to be just a few grams shy of a pound, according to Officer Fitzgerald. Street value: approximately $43,600.

Runners carry the torch through Lewis County on June 3. / Courtesy photo by Jason Baker

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Lewis County Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics  raised more than $2,600, according to organizer Doug Lee.

About 25 people ran on June 3, in a route that began in Winlock and ended in Centralia, according to Lee.

The money will go to local Special Olympics athletes.