Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Chehalis teen lost his baseball cap and cell phone to a stranger who got into his vehicle at a East Lewis County intersection yesterday evening and frightened him with a pen.

The 17-year-old motorist told law enforcement that when he pulled up to an intersection on U.S. Highway 12 at Mossyrock, a man approached and said he wanted a ride, which the teen allowed, because the man’s demeanor made him think the man might have had a weapon, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The teenager said as they traveled westbound, the passenger indicated while holding a pen, he could stab the teenager in the throat and then asked for his cell phone and its password, according to the sheriff’s office. He complied, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said

When they pulled into a business at the 100 block of U.S. Highway 12 at about 7:40 p.m., the 17-year-old Chehalis boy got out and went for help while the passenger fled, according to Breen.

The Centralia Police Department and the Washington State Patrol subsequently located a suspect at a business on the 900 block of Harrison Avenue and Adam R. Brown, a 32-year-old with no address, was arrested for first-degree robbery, Breen said. Brown was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

Suspect car in hit and run shows driver’s side damage. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 62-year-old Morton woman was injured when a white car pulling onto U.S. Highway 12 in Salkum collided with her westbound vehicle yesterday afternoon and then fled the scene, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Charlene M. Soto was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol.

Troopers called to the scene at about 3:20 p.m. indicated the fleeing vehicle was a Pontiac or perhaps a Sunfire, with a woman behind the wheel and a male passenger, which left headed westbound.

Patrol spokesperson Will Finn shared a photo of the suspect car on Twitter, which he described as a white Pontiac. Finn asked anyone who knows the car or driver to please call 360-449-7999.

The investigating trooper stated the white car was initially stopped southbound on Fuller Road and failed to yield the right of way when pulling onto the highway.

Soto’s tan-colored Ford Edge was damaged and impounded, according to the state patrol.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Restrictions will go into place for outdoor burning in unincorporated Lewis County because of potential fire danger beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday.

The Lewis County fire marshal, Lewis County Community Development director and Board of (Lewis) County Commissioners made the decision after a review of the current and extended weather forecast.

Outdoor burning will be prohibited until further notice, except for recreational campfires in designated campgrounds or in fire pits on private property that meet specific criteria.

The action means any current open burning permits expire at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, according to Lewis County Community Development Director Lee Napier.

Cities and towns throughout the county have their own rules about outdoor burning; some follow the county’s lead.

For further information concerning outdoor burning, Fire Marshal Doyle Sanford can be reached at 360-740-2696. The fire marshal’s office is in the Lewis County Public Services building, located at 2025 NE Kresky Avenue in Chehalis.

A fire on Powerhouse Road is under investigation / Courtesy photo by Ted McCarty

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Four residents escaped unharmed with their pets when a fire broke out in their Packwood home this morning.

The house on Powerhouse Road is a complete loss; it burned hot and fast, Fire Investigator Ted McCarty said.

Lewis County Fire District 10 responding to the 8:08 a.m. call arrived to find the residence fully engulfed in flames, McCarty said.

The young adult renters had been sleeping, McCarty said. One young man heard noise in the living room and when he opened his bedroom door, was met with a wall of smoke and fire, he said. He yelled to alert the others who were in the lower level.

McCarty said the metal roof above a composition roof kept the heat inside until the windows blew out.

They said they had smoke detectors but did not hear them go off, according to McCarty. The cause is under investigation.

Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Troopers and aid were called about 7:13 a.m. today for a propane truck which rolled onto its side between Bucoda and Tenino.

There was a minor injury in what appeared to be a single-vehicle collision along state Route 507 near 180th Avenue Southeast, according to Thurston County Fire District 12.

As of 10:29 a.m., the roadway remained fully blocked in both directions and a detour was in place, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

One-hundred block Wildwood Road / Courtesy photo by Derrick Paul

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – One person was transported to an emergency room for smoke inhalation after a house fire yesterday afternoon west of Vader.

Four cats perished and the two-story home was a total loss, according to Fire Investigator Derrick Paul..

Paul was summoned yesterday evening to look into the cause of the blaze.

A male and a female were on site at the time of the fire, around 2 p.m., on the 100 block of Wildwood Road, according to Paul. The female suffered smoke inhalation.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 15-year-old student was arrested yesterday after allegedly confessing he was behind the boys’ locker room bathroom stall message about a bomb at Winlock High School earlier this week so “he could get out of school early.”

Sheriff’s deputies yesterday followed up on the Tuesday incident that led to an evacuation conducting interviews with multiple students and reviewing surveillance video, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect, who lives in Chehalis, was contacted at his home, according to the sheriff’s office. He was not at school yesterday, because the day before he had been found smoking marijuana on the football field, Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey said.

The boy was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center for making a bomb threat and possession of marijuana, Kimsey said.

Kimsey said there is no evidence linking the boy to previous similar incidents at the school.