Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Winlock man accused of fatally shooting a trailer park neighbor has been found competent to stand trial, according to Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer.

Richard J. F. Roth

Richard Joseph Frank Roth, 65, is charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 4 death of 64-year-old Jackie Marie Lawyer.

Roth’s attorney Mike Underwood had sent his client to the state mental hospital to be evaluated.

Attorneys went before Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey today to share the findings and schedule a date for his trial.

It is set for the week of April 18, the same week as Ryan J. McCarthy, one of two men charged in August’s triple homicide in Onalaska.

Meyer said he understands from Brosey that if both those cases actually go to trial, it would be the first time ever two murder trials were being held simultaneously in Lewis County.

Meyer, the newly elected prosecutor, will be handling Roth’s prosecution.
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Read background on the November shooting here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office announced yesterday a 47-year-old man just released from prison is registered as a level three sex offender and living on the 200 block of Reinke Road east of Centralia.

Jeffery W. Hanson is not wanted by law enforcement, but notification to the community is meant to inform the public and enhance public safety, according to the sheriff’s office.

Hanson was convicted in 2006 in Lewis County Superior Court for having child pornography on his personal computer, specifically, for five counts of dealing in depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to the sheriff’s office. He has a 2000 Cowlitz County conviction for the same offense, as well as for voyeurism, according to the bulletin.

The sheriff’s office designated him as a level three sex offender, meaning they believe he has a high risk to reoffend.

Hanson is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Sheriff’s detective Jamey McGinty notes Hanson served his full sentence and therefore will be not be supervised by the state Department of Corrections.

To see more details from the bulletin and a photo of Hanson, visit the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office web site’s level three sex offender page, here

Questions? The sheriff’s office says call 360-748-9286 for detective McGinty, detective Brad Borden or Chief Criminal Deputy Gene Seiber.

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Correction: This news items was updated Wednesday Feb. 16, 2011 at 7:15 p.m. to reflect that Reinke Road is east of Centralia.
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To search for registered sex offenders living within a specified radius from your home, work or school, visit the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Offender Watch page, here. There, you can also find safety tips and other information, as well as register to receive email alerts if a new offender registers with an address near you

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

This was updated at 9:25 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

Troopers and Lewis County sheriff’s deputies are “working” a fatality accident on Centralia-Alpha Road this morning.

Aid was called about 7:30 a.m. to a three-vehicle collision near Beck Road north of Onalaska, according to Lewis County Fire District 6 Firefighter Mike Goodwillie.

Two cars were on their tops with extensive damage, Goodwillie said.

One person was deceased, one person was taken by ambulance to Providence Centralia Hospital and two other individuals declined aid, Lewis County Fire District 5 Chief Eric Linn said.

Trooper Steve Schatzel said it was a male who died.

It was extremely icy out, Linn said, the road so slick responders had to walk in the ditch instead of the pavement.

Linn said it was his understanding a motorist stopped to help out a driver who had gone into a ditch and a car coming the other way lost control and hit the parked car.

The male who was killed was outside his vehicle, according to the state patrol.

Schatzel said his early information suggested there were three cars but one was not involved in the collision. More information is expected later this morning, Schatzel said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Attorneys continue to wait for a report from Western State Hospital to find if 65-year-old Richard Joseph Frank Roth is competent to stand trial for first-degree murder in the November fatal shooting of his trailer park neighbor.

Jackie Marie Lawyer

Roth was arrested and subsequently charged in the Nov. 4 death of 64-year-old Jackie Marie Lawyer in Winlock.

Prosecutor’s alleged Roth retrieved a handgun from his property and confronted Lawyer near the trailer park mailboxes after an argument between the two about him “snitching” on her for her dumping wood stove ashes in the woods.

A trial date has not been set because, at the request of his attorney Mike Underwood, Roth was sent first to the state mental hospital to be evaluated. Underwood said at the time it was his standard protocol for a case of this seriousness.

Roth is back in the Lewis County Jail, but was not brought to the courtroom today for a scheduled review hearing.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher told the judge the report was being typed up as he spoke and asked that they reconvene next Thursday on the matter.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The volunteer chaplains who respond to assist in traumatic events around Lewis County need new pagers and jackets.

Kevin Curfman, president of Lewis County Chaplaincy Services, said they secured those items years ago through a grant and since, have basically been funded by donations from churches and businesses.

A benefit concert for the group featuring the Voetberg Family of stringed instrument musicians is set for the evening of Saturday Feb. 19.

The chaplaincy services started in 1989 to respond with police, firefighters and the coroner’s office to support family members and emergency workers, according to Curfman.

The 16 men and women are trained to, for example, be with the family of a cardiac arrest victim or at a house fire and explain what’s going on. They help put those in need in touch with the Red Cross.

“If a spouse needs a ride to the hospital, they can do that,” Curfman said. “Basically, they’re just there to support the family.”

They do the majority of death notifications with the Lewis County Coroner’s Office.

The fundraising event will be held at 6 p.m. at Bethel Church of the Assemblies of God, just east of Interstate 5 at exit 72 in Napavine. There’s no admission fee, but donations will be accepted.

Proceeds will benefit the group with needed equipment and ongoing expenses.

Curfman says more information can be found on the organization’s web site or their Facebook page.