Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Searchers are looking for an 84-year-old mushroom picker in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest south of Randle who was reported missing about 6:15 p.m. yesterday.

The Lakewood man was last seen about 3:30 p.m. in the Adams Fork Campground area, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Adams in Skamania County, according to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office.

Ground search teams and an aircraft with infrared radar have been requested though the Washington State Department of Emergency Management, according to a news release this morning.

Skamania County Undersheriff Dave Cox said efforts are being concentrated in an area of about one-square mile. The terrain is fairly flat there, Cox said in the news release.

Cascade Dogs search and rescue unit out of Lewis County is assisting, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The man’s name was not released. Cox noted it is unknown if he has any medical conditions.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A would-be developer of property near Toledo that many hoped would become home to a $70 million regional equestrian center pleaded guilty this morning to federal criminal charges in violation of the Clean Water Act.

Philip A. Smith, 53, of Chehalis, faces a maximum of three years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 per day of violation when he is sentenced in January in U.S. District Court, according to a news release.

Smith sought to strike a deal with promoters of what was dubbed the Southwest Regional Equestrian Center and conducted land clearing over a period of two years ending in late 2007 on property he owned off the southeast quadrant of Interstate 5 at the Toledo-Winlock interchange.

He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Seattle a year ago for allegedly dumping fill material onto wetlands without the required permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Smith had a permit to log part of the 190 acres he owed, but had no state or federal permit to disturb the wetlands, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Much of the property is covered in wetlands and small streams that drain into Lacamas Creek, which flows into the Cowlitz River and ultimately the Columbia  River. Neither Smith or anyone associated with the project ever applied for the required permit, according to the news release.

The equestrian center deal fell through after he was fined by the state Department of Ecology.

Smith was ordered in early 2008 by the Environmental Protection Agency to restore the disturbed wetland, but has not done so, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A separate civil case has been filed requiring the restoration.

This morning’s plea in Tacoma prompted a prepared statement from U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkin.

“We will not allow developers to violate environmental laws to line their pockets,” Durkin said. “These vital wetlands were damaged in a failed bid to make a substantial profit. We will work with local, state and federal regulatory agencies to prosecute those who damage our treasured public resources for their personal gain.”

Smith, reached by telephone, said he had no comment this evening.

He pleaded guilty today to damaging approximately 98 acres, admitting in his plea agreement to excavating wetlands and stream channels and redepositing or discharging the materials into waters of the United States.

Robert John Maddaus Jr. listens to proceedings in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday afternoon.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Robert John Maddaus Jr. appeared only briefly in court on Friday in Chehalis in connection with charges related to possession of pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, but will be back. He had to return to jail in Thurston County on his first-degree murder case.

The 40-year-old whose residence is listed in court papers as Rochester has no current address and no current income, defense attorney Bob Schroeter told a judge Friday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

Maddaus’s indigent status qualified him for a court-appointed attorney.

He is charged in Lewis County with possession of each of the three drugs with intent to deliver, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm.

Charging documents in his Lewis County case describe what detectives found in a red Corvette after Maddaus and the driver, Robert S. Russell of Centralia, were stopped last November in Chehalis.

Besides the drugs in a green backpack,  there was $35,092 cash, digital scales and packaging materials, court documents allege.

A nine millimeter handgun was found on the floorboard under some mats on the passenger side of the car, according to charging documents. It had nine rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, authorities allege.

Maddaus is scheduled to return to Lewis County on Sept. 30 to make his pleas.
•••

Read the full story behind the police pursuit last November and why detectives say Robbie Russell was driving a red Corvette with a wanted murder suspect in the passenger seat, here.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – Centralia police issued a news release this morning saying they assisted with a multi-jurisdictional task force narcotics-related arrest Thursday on Harrison Avenue.

Law enforcement officers were at Emmanuel Auto Sales in between Fords Prairie Avenue and Russell Road for a few hours the other day, according to a neighbor.

Centralia police indicated a federal law enforcement agency was the lead on the case. Further details weren’t released.

A woman at the business this afternoon declined to comment. County records show the property is owned by Donato and Irma Valle-Vega.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Centralia driver was cited after skidding in the rain and causing a three-vehicle accident on Interstate 5 in Chehalis last night.

No serious injuries were reported but two people were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital after the approximately 7:30 p.m. wreck.

A trooper called to the collision on Interstate 5 just north of the 13th Street interchange reported a 2003 Ford Focus was entering the freeway and hydroplaned crossing both lanes and striking the concrete barrier.

Twenty-four-year-old Daniel J. Bolin’s car was then hit by a Nissan Frontier which then ran into a Jeep Cherokee, according to the Washington State Patrol. Each vehicle sustained no more than an estimated $4,000 damage, the state patrol reported.

Bolin was cited for “speed too fast for conditions”.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Bail was at $25,000 for two Centralia parents charged with second-degree assault of a child today in Lewis County Superior Court.

Deputy Prosecutor Cailen Cecil-Wevodau told Judge Nelson Hunt it was a very serious charge involving a very young infant and broken bones.

Raymon E. Bell, 30, and Brandi J. Larson, 28, were arrested yesterday in a case that dates back to last year, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Both qualified for a court-appointed attorney. Larson works part time at Jack-in-the-Box and Bell, a Centralia College student, has no current income but just got a new job at a foundry, according to defense attorney Bob Schroeter.

The child in question is in state custody, Schroeter said. Larson is actively participating in a dependency case with her child, he said.

Cecil-Wevodau told the judge she intends to file identical charges on Monday involving another child.

They will return to court on Thursday to make their pleas.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office announced late this afternoon it has filed charges in the case of the Onalaska teenager who died from alcohol poisoning last September.

Nickolas Barnes, 15, died Sept. 21 two days after he was found passed out in the front yard at an Onalaska home at an underage drinking party, according to authorities.

The Onalaska High School student was found to have a blood alcohol level of .38, which is more than four times the legal limit for an adult while driving under the influence.

Prosecutors allege the resident James W. Taylor, 29, provided alcohol and/or allowed minors to drink at his residence.

Taylor was charged today with second-degree manslaughter, meaning prosecutors believe he negligently caused the teenager’s death, according to a news release.

He was also charged with failing to summon assistance for Nickolas Barnes and with seven counts of furnishing liquor to minors.

Taylor was arrested Oct. 1 at his Lacey workplace and booked for second-degree manslaughter, but was released as the investigation continued.

If convicted as charged, he could face as much as 27 months in prison, according to the news release.

Taylor is scheduled to make a court appearance on Oct. 5.

A candle light vigil in set for Tuesday night for Nickolas Barnes on the one year anniversary of his death.

The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Onalaska High School. Flashlights are advised as candles aren’t allowed.