Lewis County Sirens.com

Courtesy photo by Lewis County Fire District 6

Updated at 12:05 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 41-year-old driver was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle last night after a single-vehicle wreck along state Route 6 about two miles west of Chehalis.

Troopers and aid called to the scene just before 11 p.m. found the sport utility vehicle was totaled.

Sarah D. Wilson, of Chehalis, had been traveling westbound when her Mazda Tribute left the roadway to the right, hit a tree, then crossed a driveway and hit another tree and then two parked cars, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Lewis County Fire District 6 reports nearby residents at the 1400 block of state Route 6 near Stearns Road said they came out right away and found the woman on the ground, partially beneath the front bumper, suggesting she may have been ejected. The state patrol reports she had been wearing a seat belt.

Fire department spokesperson DJ Hammer stated the patient suffered possibly life threatening injuries to her head and chest.

Wilson is listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit this morning, according to a hospital spokesperson.

The collision is blamed on inattention, according to the state patrol. Wilson faces a charge of second-degree negligent driving, the investigating trooper reports.

House fire this morning in Centralia. / Courtesy photo

Updated at 10:17 a.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Nobody was hurt but an early morning fire in Centralia did substantial damage to a house in the 100 block of Clearview Heights.

Firefighters called about 3:30 a.m. were assisted by crews from Rochester, Chehalis and Lewis County Fire District 6.

Fire investigator Derrick Paul was among them. Paul said it started in the garage area, got into the attic and “basically burned the roof off.”

The first arriving crew found one side of the single-story home well-involved with flames, including an adjacent shed, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

All of the occupants were able to get outside safely, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

The cause is being investigated.

Paul investigated a house fire yesterday right across the street.

He said in that case it appeared a wire shorted out in the garage, igniting paper from the insulation on the ceiling.

“The owner caught it early on but it burned all the insulation in the garage,” he said. The damage was minimal.

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Crew puts water on roof of home. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 70-year-old woman preparing to practice shooting with her husband and a friend was injured yesterday when she accidentally fired a pistol she thought was unloaded inside her Toledo-area home.

She suffers from arthritis and was unsure if she could still shoot due to limited use of her fingers, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said while the woman was walking from her bedroom to the front door, she pulled the trigger and either a fragment of the hollow-point bullet or a sharp piece of the magazine she was holding in her other hand caused a laceration to her left palm.

The gunshot mangled the pistol magazine, Brown said.

It happened at the 100 block of Kinzie Lane northeast of Toledo around 2 p.m. and a deputy met up with the woman in the emergency room at Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office labeled the incident a negligent discharge of a weapon.

The woman was released from the hospital after her hand was cleaned and bandaged, Brown said. No stitches were required, Brown said.

Law enforcement brings out their big rigs this morning in Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Felicia Reyes

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two people were arrested at a Centralia home this morning and a third taken into custody elsewhere in the culmination of a month-long drug investigation, according to authorities.

Methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and several weapons were seized from the residence at the 1000 block of South Tower Avenue, according to a news release sent on behalf of the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team.

JNET is comprised of detectives with the Centralia and Chehalis police departments and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

A search warrant was served at 7 a.m., with the assistance of the Lewis County Regional SWAT Team, the Sheriff’s Enforcement Team and personnel with the state Department of Corrections.

Jennifer N. Morillon, 31, of Centralia, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.

Patrick N. Martin, 50, also of Centralia, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and for two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.

Shortly after the warrant was served, a 33-year-old Centralia man was picked up at a home off Reeder Road in Maytown. Brandon M. Perrot was in possession of two handguns which were seized since he is a convicted felon, according to the news release.  He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for four counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance/methamphetamine.

The Tower Avenue house has been posted uninhabitable due to numerous code violations found inside and outside.

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Several law enforcement officers took part in arrests on South Tower Avenue. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Coroner’s Office reports the name of the man pulled from Mayfield Lake is Russell R. Serventi Sr.

The 43-year-old Rochester man was swimming with his teenage son last Friday when he slipped beneath the water’s surface. His body was recovered yesterday afternoon.

The sheriff’s office has indicated Serventi tired out and although his wife attempted to help keep him afloat, she could not.

Coroner Warren McLeod has planned an autopsy for tomorrow to confirm the cause and manner of death.
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For background, read “News brief: Drowning victim recovered in Mayfield Lake” from Wednesday July 6, 2016, here

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office posted photos and updates on Facebook and Twitter of their activities at Mayfield Lake.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The search in Mayfield Lake that began late Friday afternoon for a Rochester man who slipped beneath the surface ended late this afternoon with the recovery of a body presumed to be his.

The body was found approximately 80 feet down and about 90 feet from where the 43-year-old husband and father was last seen, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

His name has not been released.

Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters responding to the 5:15 p.m. call for help on Friday from Ike Kinswa State Park were told the man became too tired to stay afloat as he and his teenage son were swimming back from a buoy. His wife swam out and tried to help him, but was unable to, according to the sheriff’s office.

Members of the sheriff’s office were assisted by the he Pierce County Sheriff’s Department’s dive team on Saturday, yesterday and today.

Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said the search and recovery effort was dangerous and difficult, given the tangle of tree stumps, branches and other underwater debris. The county coroner is expected to release the man’s name at some point.

Mayfield is actually one of two reservoirs created by two dams on the Cowlitz River.
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For background, read “News brief: Mayfield Lake drowning victim not located today” from Saturday July 2, 2016 at 8:50 p.m., here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An autopsy is scheduled for Friday for the 50-year-old woman who died Monday afternoon after getting hit by a freight train in Centralia.

Her name was released today, she is Sheri L. Dow, a resident of Centralia, according to the Lewis County Coroner’s Office.

Dow was on foot and walked into the side of the train at the intersection of East Locust Street, near South Railroad Avenue in Centralia, according to authorities.

The Centralia Police Department is investigating.
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For background, read “News brief: Woman on foot fatally struck by train” from Tuesday July 5, 2016, here