Lewis County Sirens.com

Janet L. Gleason, center right, is brought before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Centralia woman who missed her sentencing hearing last week in connection with breaking in to the county prosecutor’s house last year was charged today with bail jumping.

Janet L. Gleason, 43,  pleaded guilty in March to numerous felonies and is facing a recommended prison term of seven years. She was free on $45,000 bail on two combined cases and didn’t show up to court on Wednesday.

Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Dan Riordan said the bail bondsman found her and picked her up. He got a call Saturday night, he said.

Riordan didn’t offer details of her apprehension, but said he was thinking it wasn’t in Lewis County, as it took the bondsman quite awhile to arrive.

Gleason was booked into the Lewis County Jail around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.

A conviction for bail jumping can bring a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Gleason’s bail for that charge was set at $25,000, but she is being held with a no bail hold for her recent convictions of residential burglary, first-degree trafficking in stolen property and second-degree malicious mischief as well as a separate possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.

Her arraignment is scheduled for Thursday in Lewis County Superior Court.
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For background, read “Role reversal: Lewis County prosecutor reflects on becoming a burglary victim” from Friday November 6, 2015, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Coroner’s Office indicated today the 8-year-old girl who died in yesterday afternoon’s traffic collision in Centralia is Jaredsi Torres, from Rochester.

She was a passenger in a vehicle that struck a parked pickup truck near Galvin and Gallagher roads, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Troopers with the Washington State Patrol’s major accident team are conducting the investigation.

Centralia police responded to the approximately 2:45 p.m. wreck and indicated yesterday the female driver was seriously injured and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center.

The identity of the driver has not been released, nor have any updates on her condition.

Centralia police referred media questions to the Washington State Patrol. A spokesperson for the state patrol said he only knew what had already been released yesterday and referred reporters back to the police department for information.

Trooper Will Finn added that he was aware a prosecutor responded to the scene yesterday and he understood a trooper was sent to try to interview the driver.

Police yesterday said the child died at the scene. Coroner Warren McLeod said today her cause of death was blunt impact head injuries and the manner is accidental.

The Rochester School District announced on its web site it is mourning the loss of a sweet second grade girl who died in a tragic auto accident Monday afternoon.

“Please join us in keeping her family in your thoughts and prayers,” the notice reads. “Click here for resources on helping your child cope with the loss of a classmate.”
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For background, read “News brief: Girl dead, driver airlifted following Centralia wreck” from Monday May 16, 2016, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Law enforcement officers are looking for a Centralia woman who allegedly pulled a knife on her companion and lit his tent on fire early yesterday morning  near the Chehalis River in Centralia.

Centralia police were contacted about 4:30 a.m. by the 36-year-old victim at Mellen Street and Old Airport Road, who subsequently reported to deputies what had occurred.

Deputies were told the two got into an argument and that 29-year-old Kayleigh S. McDaniel set his tent on fire and grabbed him by the neck, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Cmdr. Dusty Breen said this morning the 36-year-old man was able put the fire out and get away, but then McDaniel produced a knife. He disarmed her and they parted ways, according to Breen.

The man’s tent, where he resides, was in an area west of Interstate 5 near milepost 81, according to Breen.

Law enforcement has been unable to locate McDaniel, Breen said.

The sheriff’s office is referring a case for first-degree assault and first-degree arson to prosecutors, according to Breen.

The tent is valued at $50.

Compiled from information contained in Lewis County Coroner’s Office annual report

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Coroner’s Office has released its annual report showing that last year 33 individual’s deaths here were accidental, 11 of them were suicide and none were found to be homicide.

Of the 767 deaths occurring in Lewis County during 2015, most of them were labeled as natural, meaning they occurred from the natural disease process.

The coroner’s office serves the county by investigating sudden, unexpected, violent, suspicious and unnatural deaths.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod is responsible for finding the cause and manner of death. He was elected to the half-time position at the end of 2010 and since has been authorized into a full-time position.

In past years, the coroner has generally been unable to determine the manner of death for five or fewer people annually. At the end of 2015, McLeod had 13 cases in which he could not say why the person died, according to the report.

The majority of the eight-page report primarily describes the coroner’s office’s purpose, mission and methods.

McLeod’s summary does not offer any data on the causes of death predominant in Lewis County.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two times in as many days it appears outdoor burning has ignited out-of-control brush fires in Lewis County.

Firefighters from four departments spent several hours yesterday afternoon attacking flames on the side of a steep hill east of Onalaska.

Underbrush and trees caught fire, consuming approximately one acre, according to Lewis County Fire District 1.

Fire Chief Andrew Martin said the fire came within 100 yards of one home, so they assigned an engine to stand by there for structural protection.

District 1 was called about 2:45 p.m. to the area of the 100 block of August Road, just north of state Route 508, toward Cinebar, according to Martin.

They were assisted by personnel from Districts 8, 3 and 5 and notified the state Department of Natural Resources, Martin said.

The fire is believed to have been started by a yard trimmings pile that was being burned on nearby vacant property, according to Martin.

On Wednesday afternoon, crews responded to the 600 block of Centralia-Alpha Road east of Chehalis for a brush fire that most likely started with a land clearing debris pile that the owner believed was out when they left the property, according to Riverside Fire Authority. That fire was quickly contained.

Chief Martin said various fire departments around the county are planning to hold informational meetings on how property owners can prepare in advance to defend their homes from the threat of wildfires.

Onalaska, Salkum and Mossyrock are organizing a joint gathering for residents in their communities, he said.

“I encourage people to watch for and attend these short meetings,” Martin said. “It may make the difference between their house standing at the end of fire season or it not being there.”