Lewis County Sirens.com

White 1998 Dodge Ram pickup on Interstate 5 near Labree Road. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 54-year-old Centralia man was the driver of a pickup truck that struck the center barrier on Interstate 5 south of Chehalis and was hit by two different semi trucks on Tuesday morning. James P.  Holmes was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the Washington State Patrol.

State patrol spokesperson Will Finn said the 1998 Dodge Ram pickup rolled and caught fire.

Firefighters called about 4:10 a.m. to the southbound lanes near Labree Road arrived to find an off-duty Seattle firefighter already on the scene helping the driver.

The collisions shoved the jersey barrier into the oncoming lane where it was struck by a northbound Honda Civic driven by 40-year-old Tony C. Kim of Olympia. Kim was injured and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol.

Both the Dodge and the Honda were described as totaled. Both semi trucks were damaged and towed. Each of the big rigs was pulling two trailers, according to the investigating trooper.

The driver of one of them, from Vancouver, was also transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol.

The cause of the southbound collision is under investigation.

Suspected stolen property from multiple burglaries. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff’s Office

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Sheriff’s deputies filled a 22-foot cargo trailer with what is believed to be stolen property collected yesterday at a home on the 100 block of Romerman Road in Chehalis.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant about 3 p.m. at the residence which was once occupied by David Dehaven, 32, and his 38-year-old acquaintance Carly Holmes. Both are currently in custody at the Lewis County Jail for charges filed last month by prosecutors for theft, theft of a motor vehicle and robbery, according to the sheriff’s office.

Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey said deputies are matching the property recovered to about 10 burglaries and other crimes from Centralia to Winlock that go back to August.

Sheriff Rob Snaza said in a press release his office will continue to pursue those who break the law and those that choose to victimize citizens.

“The hard work of our deputies will result in several victims being able to have their stolen property returned to them,” Snaza stated. “Property crimes are devastating on those that work hard and provide for their families.”

Deputies will be sorting through what they found and contacting victims to come to the sheriff’s office’s evidence facility to identify their belongings, according to Kimsey.

Anyone with information on these crimes or any other crime, is asked to contact the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office at 360-748-9286.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The man who was found dead inside a seemingly abandoned pickup truck in Chehalis earlier this month has been identified as 64-year-old Rickie J. Hornbeck.

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office says Hornbeck is from Vader, but the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has said he had become homeless and was sleeping in his vehicle.

The Ford F150 with a canopy had been sitting on the shoulder at Southwest Interstate Avenue and Bishop Road for an unknown length of time when a sheriff’s deputy tagged it to be impounded on Jan. 6.

A deputy returned the following morning, called for a tow truck and discovered Hornbeck dead in the back, along with a propane heater.

The sheriff’s office said they would have the heater tested.

The coroner’s office knew early on who he was, but delayed releasing his name until they could locate his next of kin.

Coroner Warren McLeod said an autopsy turned up nothing suspicious, but the cause and manner of the death can’t be determined until the results come back from toxicology tests.
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For background, read “Sheriff’s Office: Dead man was local, living out of his truck” from Wednesday January 10, 2018, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Deputies turned up more than 1,500 marijuana plants in various stages of growth when they served a search warrant yesterday morning at the 100 block of Nelson Road north of Winlock.

Three individuals were arrested for manufacture and possession of marijuana, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Breen said an investigation continuing after a a previous discovery of an illegal marijuana growing operation in Vader led investigators to the Nelson Road location.

Booked into the Lewis County Jail yesterday were Nga Dong, 65, and Le Hai Son, 39, both of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Chanh Nguyen, 34, of San Jose, California.

The three are tentatively scheduled to go before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The cause of a motorhome fire in Centralia that displaced at least one occupant is under investigation but is also labeled accidental, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

Firefighters called to the 600 block of South Gold Street about 9:25 p.m. on Tuesday found the RV was well-involved with flames but were able to extinguish it before the fire caused severe damage to adjacent structures, according to the fire department.

Two women in the front yard of the nearby residence said nobody was inside the motor home and nobody was hurt, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

One building sustained some thermal damage to its exterior, according to Weinert.

The damage to the RV was estimated at $25,000. Weinert indicated it was more than halfway consumed upon firefighters’ arrival.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports this morning they are investigating a burglary in which someone went into a home west of Chehalis while two people were sleeping and stole numerous firearms and then took their truck.

A deputy called to the 700 block of Deep Creek Road was told by the men, ages 59 and 20, it happened between 12:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Sunday.

Also missing were a wallet, a pair of slippers and two bows, according to the sheriff’s office. The 2006 Ford Ranger was stolen, but found abandoned on the 2000 block of Big Hanaford Road, Chief Deputy Breen said. Its canopy and trailer hitch were gone, Breen said.

The stolen guns include a Bushmaster AR-15, a Savage .17 caliber rifle, a Marlin .357 caliber rifle, a Saiga 12-gauge shotgun and a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun, according to Breen.

Image Courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Those people injured in this morning’s train derailment onto Interstate 5 in Dupont in Pierce County are being taken to numerous hospitals, with one dozen individuals expected at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

Hospital spokesperson Chris Thomas said no patients from the incident are expected at Providence Centralia Hospital.

“From what I heard, there were about 100 people on the train,” Thomas said.

The Amtrak passenger train was heading southbound, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

All lanes of southbound Interstate 5 at Mounts Road near DuPont are closed for an extended period of time due, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

WSDOT advises motorists to only travel if needed and to expect long delays on alternate routes. Gov. Jay Inslee suggests commuters avoid I-5 in the area.

Thomas said the injured are being sent to the five to six hospitals around Tacoma and north, as well as Providence St. Peter.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office states multiple motorists injured on roadway, but no fatalities of motorists reported.

Amtrak advises the Amtrak Cascades Train 501 departed from Seattle with approximately 78 passengers and five crew members.