Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Olympian reports this evening that the Tenino resident found with a dead woman wrapped in a sleeping bag in the passenger compartment of his truck in August has been found competent to stand trial.

Bernard K. Howell III

Bernard K. Howell III, 26, is charged in Thurston County Superior Court with first-degree murder. Investigators say the 60-year-old woman’s throat was cut. Vanda Skau Boone was a massage therapist who worked in Olympia and lived in Yelm.

The self-employed door-to-door meat salesman told deputies he had no part in her death. A judge ordered him evaluated by mental health specialists at Western State Hospital.

Read The Olympian’s story from this evening here

Read background on the case here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A field worker from DeGoede Bulb Farm said a supervisor swung a sharpened garden hoe like a baseball bat at his head after he threatened to tell the boss how the man was treating employees.

Noe Lopez Cruz spoke through an interpreter in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday afternoon as a trial began on a second-degree assault charge.

Jaime Roberto Hernandez, 53, of Mossyrock, was arrested after the Aug. 18 incident at the Mossyrock-area farm which left Cruz with a laceration behind his left ear.

Deputy Prosecutor Kjell Warner questioned Cruz yesterday and then Deputy Jason Zimmerman who contacted Cruz at his Mossyrock residence that day.

Zimmerman said he then questioned Hernandez who told him it was only a verbal argument.

“He said Noe came at him, and when Noe came at him he had the hoe extended and Noe ran into it,” Zimmerman said.

Centralia attorney Don McConnell is representing Hernandez.

Lewis County Superior Court’s first jury trial of the new year was set to resume at 9:30 this morning.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

This was updated at 12:23 p.m.

In his first day on the job, new Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza oversaw a ceremony commissioning his new command staff.

Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza

They are:

• Undersheriff James Chamberlain, a 35-year veteran of the sheriff’s office who was previously the operations bureau chief.

• Chief Dave Pearsall who will be responsible for the field operations bureau, overseeing the patrol division and its specialty units. Pearsall, a 24-year member of the office, previously was chief of the services bureau.

• Chief Brad Watkins will be in change of the support services bureau, which handles warrants, civil issues and has taken the detective division into its fold. Watkins, a 22-year veteran of the sheriff’s office was previously the undersheriff.

• Chief Todd Thoma continues to head the corrections bureau

• Fiscal manager Joan Plaja continues in her position.

• Executive aid Faye Burnett continues in her position.

Chamberlain is serving temporarily as Snaza’s second in command as the undersheriff he will appoint is still employed by the Washington State Patrol, according to office spokesperson Lt. Greg Elwin.

Capt. Tim Braniff, who works in Olympia with the state patrol’s investigative assistance division, is expected to join the sheriff’ office in sometime after the beginning of February, Elwin said.

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A typographical error in this news item was corrected to reflect that Chief Dave Pearsall is a 24-year member of the office, not a 24-year-old deputy.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Littlerock resident was arrested for driving under the influence after he ran a stop sign and struck a police car in Centralia overnight.

Officers were called about 12:40 a.m. today to North Pearl and West Sixth streets where the collision occurred.

Centralia Police Department Sgt. Carl Buster said it was minor, but enough to jar the officer. The Centralia police officer – whose name was not released – was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital as a precaution, Buster said.

The damage to the damage to the police vehicle was minimal, he said.

The Washington State Patrol cited Kyle K. Levens, 25, for driving under the influence, according to Centralia police.

Gary Zandell, left, administers the oath of office to incoming Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod / Courtesy photo by Steve Carmick

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Lewis County Coroner-elect Warren McLeod was sworn in yesterday by Lewis County Auditor Gary Zandell.

The Chehalis resident was out of town last week when recently elected county officials took their oath of office at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center.

McLeod, a community college instructor, will replace Coroner Terry Wilson who has served almost 30 years. McLeod took almost 55 percent of the votes while retired DEA agent Micheal Hurley got just over 45 percent in last month’s election.

McLeod worked at the corners office in Las Vegas, Nevada, for almost 10 years before moving to Chehalis in December 2008 when he took a job as a professor of forensics at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The cause of the blaze in Salkum on Christmas morning that destroyed a home and sent several people to the hospital is still unknown but the fire investigator said it’s possibly related to a heat lamp on the front porch keeping some kittens warm.

Maple Crest Drive, Salkum

“I’m not sure what started it yet, I’m still looking at it, but it started outside,” Fire Investigator Derrick Paul said on Tuesday.

Either three or four of the residents went to the hospital with smoke inhalation after the 7:30 a.m. fire on 100 block of Maple Crest Drive, as did a Lewis County Fire District 8 firefighter who injured his leg when he fell through the floor, according to responders.

The double-wide mobile home was a complete loss.

Bruce Davis lives there with his wife Deborah, their 37-year-old son and 17-year-old granddaughter, according to Paul.

A pair of overnight house guests and Deborah Davis fled through the front door, and the other three escaped from a back room through a window, according to Paul.

“Bruce had to break a window out and the three climbed out the window,” Paul said.

Neither District 8 Assistant Chief Don Taylor or Paul knew the fate of the kittens.

“I never did see ’em, they probably ran away,” Paul said.

The fire department contacted the Red Cross to assist the fire victims with a place to stay.
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See Saturday’s news story and photographs here