Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A pair of Longview women escaped serious injury but their Suburban was destroyed when it struck a cow standing on U.S. Highway 12 in Randle yesterday.

“It was a black cow of course, at night,” Randle-area Fire Chief Jeff Jaques said. “And by the time they saw it, they were pretty much on top of it.”

Aid and troopers were called about 11:50 p.m. to the scene about three miles east of Randle.

The driver of the 1999 Chevrolet Suburban, Michelle A. Wallace, 42, was reportedly not hurt. Passenger Sarah N. Wallace, 18, was taken to Morton General Hospital with an injured knee, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The vehicle continued eastbound about 300 feet, crossing the oncoming lanes and coming to rest on the opposite shoulder, according to authorities. The cow didn’t survive, Jaques said.

State Patrol Sgt. Jason Ashley said it’s not uncommon in the roughly three mile stretch on the flats for troopers to have to chase cattle of the highway.

“It’s a fence issue I think,” Ashley said this morning.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters were called to a business on North National Avenue in Chehalis just before 3 p.m. today when material from a chop saw caught fire.

Employees at Industrial Specialties used garden hoses and fire extinguishers to douse the flames, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

Firefighter Derek Pedersen said sparks ignited the material, like rubber dust, inside the ventilation system. There was smoke damage, as smoke filled the building, Pedersen said.

The business on the 1500 block of North National Avenue makes hydraulic hoses and fittings, and sells Arctic Cat ATVs, according to Pedersen.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The state patrol says a semi-truck driver had fallen asleep before he lost control of his rig last night on Interstate 5 north of Centralia.

The 2006 Freightliner didn’t hit any other vehicles but struck the concrete jersey barrier on the shoulder side of the northbound lanes and stopped with its front passenger tire atop the barrier, according to authorities.

It happened about 11:45 p.m. in the construction zone about a mile shy of the Lewis-Thurston county line, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The driver, Randal D. Stone, 50, of Salem, Ore. was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital as a precaution with sore muscles, according to the patrol and responders from Riverside Fire Authority.

Fire crews were on the scene about two hours, according to Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Tim Adolphsen said. The wreck included a diesel spill and traffic was rerouted off at Harrison and onto old Highway 99 while the lanes were closed, Adolphsen said.

The investigating trooper described the semi as totaled and noted Stone would be cited for second-degree negligent driving

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Sheriff Steve Mansfield is going to let the prosecutor’s office decide if April’s fatal shooting of a suspected burglar in Onalaska was or was not justified.

However, Mansfield, who is running for reelection, says he feels the homeowner acted in a manner which makes the use of force reasonable, according to a news release from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation concluded Thomas  McKenzie, the 56-year-old Morton man who was fatally shot, was at the home on the 2100 block of state Route 508 on April 19 to commit a burglary and had earlier in the day committed a burglary, according to the news release.

The sheriff’s office won’t be taking the 59-year-old homeowner, Ronald Brady into custody, but will send the case to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office for its review, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies on Friday arrested McKenzie’s wife, Joanna McKenzie, 32, for burglary for her involvement.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Lewis County sheriff’s deputies on Friday arrested the wife of Thomas  McKenzie, the 56-year-old Morton man who was fatally shot by an Onalaska home owner who was staying overnight at his house-under-construction in case burglars from earlier in the day returned.

Joanna McKenzie was arrested and booked into jail on Friday for burglary in connection with the incidents that took place on April 19 at the 2100 block of state Route 508 in Onalaska, according to Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Steve Aust.

The sheriff’s office this morning turned over the file on the case to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office for its evaluation, Aust said.

The 59-year-old homeowner, whose name has not been released, told sheriff’s detectives at the time he heard a noise and opened the outer garage door to see flashlights shining in his eyes. He fired his weapon.

More on the case to come later.

A 2009 Chevrolet Aveo totaled Sunday night in Olympia carried a Rochester woman and four others

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Rochester woman was among four passengers who escaped with minor injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Olympia last night that left the 19-year-old driver in critical condition.

Alicia G. Schneider, 19, of Olympia, was traveling on the onramp from Evergreen Parkway to southbound state Route 101 when her car veered to the right and came to rest on its top, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Troopers called about 9:30 p.m. reported Schneider was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected. She remains in critical condition this morning at Providence St. Peter Hospital this morning. Her 2009 Chevrolet Aveo was described as totaled.

The other four occupants, including Barbara R. Prew, 27, of Rochester, sustained only minor injuries, according to the state patrol.

The cause remains under investigation, but the state patrol issued a news release about the collision noting speed affects crash severity as well as reminding the public that seat belts save lives.

The other occupants included Melissa A. Kennedy, 32, Olympia; William E. Wilcox, 37, Tacoma; and Daniel W. Slaven, 35, Vancouver, according to the patrol.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A heat advisory remains in effect until 9 o’clock tonight, though cooler temperatures are expected tomorrow.

With the forecast in Chehalis today of 92 degrees, rural Chehalis’s Fire District 6 is inviting members of the public to drop by and take advantage of their air conditioning.

“If folks need a place to get out of the heat, come to the main station here,” Lewis County Fire District 6 Chief Bud Goodwillie said this morning. “We have (cool) refreshments.”

The fire station is located at 2123 Jackson Highway just south of Chehalis.

The National Weather Service forecast for Chehalis tomorrow is mostly sunny and 78 degrees.