Lewis County Sirens.com

Update 2:25 p.m.: The Olympian and The (Tacoma) News Tribune are reporting a child has been found dead inside a Spanaway-area home connected with this couple.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A high-speed pursuit ended on southbound Interstate 5 in Tumwater this morning with the driver shooting himself in the head and a dead female passenger who didn’t appear to have died from the low-speed crash or any gunshot, according to the Washington State Patrol.

It’s possible the 38-year-old man was traveling with a deceased woman in his car, according to Trooper Guy Gill. But the investigation is still in its preliminary stages, according to Gill.

“There are a lot of what ifs here, and it will take time to look at the big picture,” he said.

Both the 38-year-old male and the 38-year-old female were pronounced dead at the scene, near milepost 101 and Tumwater Boulevard, according to the state patrol.

Their identities have not been released and investigators are not certain yet where they are from. The pair were inside a silver Ford Focus.

It began just before 6 a.m. near the Thurston-Pierce county line when a trooper was passed by a speeding car, traveling about 85 mph, according to the state patrol. The chase continued south, even after spike strips near milepost 109 flattened two of the tires, Trooper Gill reported.

The car slowed to about 30 mph and then it collided with an inside concrete barrier near milepost 101, he said.

The trooper saw the male driver raise his hand by his head, heard a gunshot and saw the driver slump down.

Troopers then found the woman in the front passenger seat.

Gill said he expected to share more details as they are learned.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Portable radios, a generator and other items used for search and rescue operations are missing after a break-in to the sheriff’s office command post trailer where they were stored in Packwood.

The theft, discovered yesterday morning, amounts to an estimated $9,000 loss, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Search and rescue volunteers were preparing to train yesterday when they found somebody had forced their way inside two search and rescue vehicles parked at the former Hampton Mill in Packwood, according to Chief Criminal Deputy Gene Seiber.

Taken were outdoor lights, a GPS unit, a Honda generator and 18 Motorola portable radios. The radios are models CP200 and HT440, according to the Seiber.

“That’s the county supply we issue (for missions),” Seiber said of the radios. He thought he might have six remaining.

Seiber said the radios cost $600 to $1,000 each.

Those responsible tried to force their way into several other vehicles but weren’t successful, according to the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield is hoping the equipment can be found.

“This is a great loss for our search and rescue program, and I can only imagine the type of person(s) who would steal something that is so essential to saving lives,” Mansfield stated in a news release. “I feel confident that someone who knows something about this will step forward and provide information that will lead to the recovery of the stolen items.”

Lewis County Crime Stoppers is offering g a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible and the recovery of the stolen items. Crime Stoppers can be reached at 1-800-748-6422.

Anyone with information can also contact Seiber at 360-740-1341.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Three young women were hit by a vehicle leaving a party off a logging road in the Winlock area  overnight.

Aid, deputies and troopers responded about 3 a.m. to the incident at the very end of a logging road off Raubuck Road west of Napavine, according to authorities.

The females, ages 19 through 20, were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

There were as many as 25 individuals at the outdoor party; all contacted were over 18 years old, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies made several arrests for minors in possession of alcohol, the sheriff’s office reported.

The driver of the vehicle was detained and questioned. Deputies and troopers are investigating what led to the incident, according to the sheriff’s office.

No names were released.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A new round of precipitation expected Monday has prompted another flood watch for portions of Western Washington, including Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties.

Twenty-four hour rainfall totals are expected to range from around an inch in the lowlands to two inches in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

Rivers are already running high, the ground is saturated and the rain may be heavy enough to drive some rivers over flood stage, the weather service reports.

Other counties under the flood watch include Mason, Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Clallam, Jefferson, King and Pierce.

A flood watch means conditions are favorable for flooding but it is not imminent or occurring. The weather service recommends members of the public monitor weather forecasts.

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Update Monday April 4, 2011 at 11:20 a.m. The flood watch in Western Washington appears to have been cancelled.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Lisa D. Linzy

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office reports the missing mother from Rochester has been found.

Lisa D. Linzy, 29, was reported missing Thursday night after not being seen since Tuesday night.

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Read “News brief: 29-year-old Rochester mother missing” from Friday April 1, 2011, here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A three-car collision near Toledo today totaled all three vehicles and sent two people to the hospital.

Michael J. Freedman, 21, of Toledo, sustained a head injury and was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital after the approximately 12:40 p.m. wreck, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Freedman was eastbound on Plomondon Road, and ran the stop sign as he attempted to cross state Route 505, according to the state patrol. A northbound Honda Accord struck his 1970 Toyota Corona which spun around and ran into a Ford Escape waiting at the stop sign on Jackson Highway, the patrol reported.

Melanie D. Chastain, 51, of Chehalis, the driver of the Honda, was taken to Providence with strains and bruises, according to the investigating trooper. The 72-year-old driver of the Escape, John H. Ross, of Toledo, was reportedly uninjured.