Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The doors at Rochester High School and the grade schools to the south of it were locked and students being escorted to lunch in what was described as a modified lockdown as sheriff’s deputies pursued a suspect in the area in connection with a stolen vehicle.

High School Principal Matt Ishler wrote in a prepared statement at 12:15 p.m. the actions were taken after they were contacted by the sheriff’s office.

The lockdown was lifted at 12:45 p.m., according to the school district.
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See the Rochester School District web site here for further information.

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This news item was updated at 1:10 p.m. on Monday Sept. 27, 2010

The 1989 Ford Bronco that hit a tree overnight has been impounded. / Courtesy photo from the Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Centralia teenager is dead after after a Ford Bronco crashed into a tree in the Capitol Forest overnight.

Michael A. Conine, 17, died and three 17-year-old boys from Rochester were injured and treated at the scene two miles west of Bordeaux Road on a road known as the D-line, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Troopers were called about 2:30 a.m. today to the single-vehicle collision north of Rochester and west of Littlerock. Devin J. Faulconer was driving west when his Bronco left the road striking several  trees, according to the state patrol.

The cause is under investigation but the state patrol alcohol reports was a factor.

The other passengers are listed as Richard Strauss and Blake A. Markva. One sustained minor injuries and the other serious injuries, according to Trooper Brandy Kessler. All four were reportedly wearing seatbelts.

The driver was arrested this morning for vehicular homicide and vehicular assault and booked into the juvenile detention center in Thurston County, according to Kessler.

The 1989 Ford Bronco was described as totaled. It was impounded by the Washington State Patrol.

Kessler called the accident a devastating reminder for teens not to drink and drive, especially with homecoming season coming up.

“Unfortunately this time the result will change many lives forever,” Kessler wrote in a news release.

The state patrol operates with zero tolerance on underage drinking and driving, according to Kessler.

If an individual under 21 is found to be driving under the influence of alcohol, no matter what level, they will be arrested for DUI and minor in possession of alcohol, she wrote.
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This news story was updated at 1:25 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 26, 2010

A Centralia teenager died and three teenage boys were injured when a Ford Bronco crashed overnight. / Courtesy photo from the Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

If the public sees people with Airsoft guns in or around the courthouse in Chehalis tomorrow, they’re not playing and it’s not a real attack.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with region’s Homeland Security have put together a drill to test a response plan to an emergency at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center.

Some 40 volunteers are expected to participate into the early afternoon, engaging in role playing in such scenarios as confronting a shooter at the building on the south side of Main Street, according to a news release.

On the list to be evaluated are the the safety of the public and people who work inside the building, a webcam-based system, an all-page system and more.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield says, in a written statement:

“This is an excellent opportunity for us to evaluate our building security, emergency response plan, and law enforcement response to a threat in the Law and Justice building.

We have seen shootings and terrorist activity throughout the nation and we want to ensure our building is safe for employees to work and the public to visit and do business.”

Muffler shop owner Frank Eugene Willis consults with his attorney during his first appearance in court on Aug. 20 after being arrested for allegedly selling methamphetamine to a police informant.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The owner of a Centralia muffler shop jailed for allegedly selling methamphetamine to a police informant is planning to plead guilty in a plea deal that’s not quite “hammered out yet.”

Frank Eugene Willis, 65, was arrested Aug. 19 at his business on the 1400 block of South Gold Street when police searched the property following an ongoing investigation into methamphetamine dealing.

He is being held on $500,000 bail and was charged with delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver and possession of stolen property, including a firearm.

Willis appeared in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday as his attorney and a deputy prosecutor asked to set a date for him to plead guilty. He is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 6.

Olympia defense attorney James Dixon said they are close to an agreement, but haven’t finalized it yet.

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Read the news story from Thursday Aug. 19, 2010 when police served a search warrant at the Muffler Hut here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss one of the four cases against Centralia resident Robbie Russell yesterday saying the main witness won’t cooperate.

Robert Shawn Russell

Russell, 46, was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, a black Dodge Caliber found on his property late last year a few weeks after he assisted police in capturing a man wanted for an Olympia murder.

The vehicle belongs to Robert John Maddaus Jr., the 40-year-old being held on charges of witness tampering and first-degree murder in the Olympia case.

The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office wrote in its motion the victim in the stolen property case sent correspondence advising “he does not wish to testify in this matter, that he has nothing to say and that if called to testify he will ruin the state’s case.”

The motion for order of dismissal without prejudice – meaning it could be refiled at a later date – was granted.

Robert John Maddaus Jr.

Deputy Prosecutor Steve Scott said outside the courtroom later in the day, “It means just what it says.”

Russell remains held in the Lewis County Jail pending three other cases: one from May of this year involving possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver; one from June of this year; and another from the summer of 2009 in which he allegedly took part in an ambush of a group of teenagers camping in Winlock.

In the Winlock case, his co-defendant was David West Sr., one of three people found shot to death last month in an Onalaska-area home.

Maddaus, the alleged victim of the stolen vehicle, is also facing charges in Lewis County related to possession of pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. Russell, who was with Maddaus last November in the red Corvette where the drugs were found, presumably would be a witness in that case.
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Read more about Robert John Maddaus Jr. and Robert S. Russell here, here and here.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The missing mushroom picker in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest has been found and he is ok, the  Skamania County Sheriff’s Office reported just moments ago.

Search and rescue crews have been looking for the 84-year-old Lakewood man south of Randle and northwest of Mount Adams. He was last seen about 3:30 p.m. on Monday.

Read Richard Thompson’s story on KIRO 7 news’ web site and watch the video here.

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Read yesterday’s news item about the missing person report here.