Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Centralia police responded to a car prowl about 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, and then another about 9:15 and then three more by 3 p.m.

In each case, according to police, they were after stereos. They succeeded in removing stereos from two of the vehicles.

The prowls were on the 500 block of West Center Street, at F and West Hanson streets, on the 300 block of North Oak Street, the 1000 block G Street and the 600 block of West Maple Street.

At mid-day on Sunday, officers arrested a woman who reportedly broke into a vehicle in the Goodwill store parking lot on the 500 block of Harrison Avenue. Police reported they contacted her and found items from earlier prowls in her possession. The unidentified female was booked into the Lewis County Jail as Jane Doe for possession stolen property.

By the end of the day on Sunday, officers had taken reports of at least 10 other car prowls around town. Among the items reported missing were keys, a jacket, a computer and two more car stereos, according to the Centralia Police Department.

It’s not clear from a summary of police responses over the weekend just how many of the thefts police attribute to the jailed woman.

Two other car prowls were reported Saturday in Centralia: one at Borst Park in which a purse was stolen and one at the Lakeshore Motel where the window of a rental car was broken but nothing seemed to be missing.

On Friday, an officer took a report of medication taken from a vehicle at the 100 block of Virginia Drive overnight, and just after 10 p.m., a Canon Rebel digital camera was removed from a vehicle at the 200 block of South Tower Avenue. Police noted they have a suspect in the last case.
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This news story was updated Monday Sept. 13, 2010 at 8:55 a.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 44-year-old woman died last night when a car she was a passenger in struck a tree in Rochester.

A trooper was called just before 10 p.m. to the scene on Littlerock Road just north of Sargent Road Southwest.

Jo-El K. Bade of Olympia died, according to the Washington State Patrol. The driver, Cris A. Bade, 43, of Rochester, was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital with unspecified injuries.

The 2005 BMW was totaled. Neither had been wearing a seatbelt, according to the state patrol.

The car was northbound on Littlerock Road when it left the roadway and hit a tree, the patrol reported.

The responding trooper indicated the cause is under investigation but drugs or alcohol are believed to be involved. The driver faces a possible charge of vehicular homicide, according to the patrol.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 49-year-old man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a collision overnight on U.S. Highway 12 in Glenoma that left him with massive head and chest trauma, according to the Washington State Patrol.

A trooper responded just before 3 a.m. to the scene 10 miles east of Morton.

Lance J. Clark of Glenoma was traveling westbound and his vehicle left the highway to the right, traveling through a grassy area and into a gully where it struck a concrete bridge support, according to the state patrol. His 1992 Nissan Pathfinder was totaled.

Clark also suffered a broken neck, the trooper reported. He was taken to Morton General Hospital and then flown to Seattle. On Monday morning, Harborview listed him in serious condition.

The investigating trooper blamed the wreck on driving under the influence.

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This news story was updated Monday Sept. 13, 2010 at 10 a.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The local Fraternal Order of Police group has decided to endorse challenger Jonathan Meyer for Lewis County prosecuting attorney, incumbent Steve Mansfield for sheriff and Mossyrock resident Micheal Hurley for coroner.

F.O.P. Centerville Lodge No. 26 took a vote last night following presentations by each of the six candidates running for the three offices, according to a news release.

Immediate past president Bradd Reynolds who wrote the announcement said he thought about 50 of the lodge’s more than 70 members participated in the voting.

Reynolds, a retired Centralia police officer, said he didn’t know the number because neither he nor Hurley took part in the vote counting to avoid an appearance of a conflict.

Hurley is in his second year as president of the lodge and Reynolds is his campaign manager.

The local lodge will hold a public forum next month in Adna offering presentations as well as a question and answer session with all six candidates.

The Oct. 6 event will run from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Adna High School.

Appearing along with the F.O.P.-supported candidates will be incumbent Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden, deputy Sgt. Ken Cheeseman who is running for sheriff and Chehalis resident Warren McLeod who is running for coroner.

The three offices are of key interest to the F.O.P. as, according to events chairman Bradd Reynolds, they work together as a team to best serve county residents.

The FOP is a national organization made up of more than 300,000 active and retired law enforcement officers.
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This was updated at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 8, 2010
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To read Lewis County Sirens’ Aug. 15, 2010 story about the race for Lewis County prosecutor, click here

To read Lewis County Sirens’ June 26, 2010 story about the two men running for Lewis County sheriff, click here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Centralia police yesterday arrested a 32-year-old man wanted for questioning in a Longview house fire last weekend at his ex-girlfriend’s home.

Longview police detectives passed along a tip Marcus Lapree Aldridge was at a Centralia motel. Officers arrested Aldridge about 9 a.m. yesterday at the Rodeway Inn on the 700 block of Harrison Avenue,  the Centralia Police Department reported this morning.

Centralia police reported Aldridge is a person of interest in the suspected arson and was wanted on an outstanding warrant for second-degree assault, domestic violence. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail on the warrant, according to police.
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Read The (Longview) Daily News story about the assault and fire here.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Chehalis-based state trooper is organizing a dunk-a-cop event for tomorrow at Home Depot.

Trooper Mike Anderson

Trooper Mike Anderson is raising money for research to help find a cure to blood cancers.

The Saturday event in Chehalis runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Anderson said visitors can buy a chance to drop local law enforcement officers into a dunk tank. He plans a car wash there at the same time.

Anderson is also training to run a marathon for his fundraising.

The money will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Anderson’s efforts to raise $5,000 are on behalf of a local Home Depot employee who has a form of leukemia.

Fore more information on how to help Anderson’s cause, go to his web site http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/wdw11/manderswgr

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Morton School District teacher Michael Moulton’s teaching certificate will be suspended, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn announced yesterday.

The East County Journal first reported in June that Moulton had won his job back after appealing his firing in connection with his arrest for allegedly assaulting students by touching them.

In June, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction told an East County Journal reporter Moulton’s certification status had been under review for nearly a year and its investigation measuring his alleged conduct against the rules regarding teacher behavior was still open.

Dorn in a written statement yesterday said he wanted to make his decision known as soon as possible because of the intense public interest in the matter.

“The investigation is done and the paperwork is being completed,” Dorn said in his statement. “The evidence clearly shows Mr. Moulton violated our code of professional conduct.”

Online readers can most easily find more about the latest on this by checking out The Olympian’s news story here or in The Seattle Times here.