Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

An 11-year-old boy who fell some 40 feet down a nearly vertical embankment and landed in a creek bed yesterday south of Randle escaped the accident with minor injuries, according to Lewis County Fire District 14.

Rescuers were called about 11 a.m. to the area near Cispus, according to Fire Chief Jeff Jaques.

Jaques said the child from Lake Tapps was on a school-related outing. They were hiking on the trail to Angel Falls, he said.

Jaques said he understood the youngster was walking backwards, talking to a friend when he stepped off the trail and got too close to the edge of a drop off.

He was packed out and transported to a local hospital for evaluation, according to Jaques.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

An individual driving a stolen Honda Civic in Centralia early this morning was nearly caught by police, but abandoned the car and ran off.

A half dozen Hondas were stolen in Centralia and Chehalis between Saturday and Tuesday morning and more have been reported missing each day since then.

According to Centralia Police Department Sgt. David Ross, just before 4 a.m. today, an officer spotted the red car in the area of Oxford Avenue and Marion Street and followed it in part because of odd driving behavior.

“(It) increased its speed and began to make turns through residential streets in an obvious effort to avoid being stopped,” Ross stated.

The driver stopped suddenly and ran, according to Ross.

A K-9 team was called to the scene but were not successful in locating the suspect, according to information from Ross at about 7:30 a.m. today.

The owner of the vehicle was located and it was determined that the vehicle had just been stolen. It was returned to the owner.

Yesterday morning at about 7 a.m., an officer was taking a report of a black 1991 Honda Accord from the same part of town – the 1300 block of Windsor Avenue – when a Chehalis police officer located the unoccupied car in Chehalis.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – Divers recovered the drowning victim from Plummer Lake in Centralia at approximately 11:45 a.m. yesterday.

The body of the 65-year-old Centralia man was identified by relatives at the scene, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Plummer Lake

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office today confirmed that Roger Anderson did indeed die from drowning and that it was an accident.

Anderson was fishing on Monday when somehow he got separated from his small boat, and subsequently disappeared under the water.

Nobody saw saw what happened that caused him to be outside his boat, but a witness observed Anderson trying to swim toward a life preserver while the boat moved away and the witness called 911, according to police Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald.

Numerous responders searched until dark on Monday, and on Tuesday, divers from the Pierce County Metro Dive Team located Anderson, according to Fitzgerald.

Authorities described the lake as murky and as much as 60 feet deep.

Fitzgerald said Anderson’s body was discovered very close to where he was last seen, in a depression about 30 feet down.
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For background, read “News brief: Centralia man still not located in lake” from Tuesday October 6, 2015, here

Updated at 12:10 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 21-year-old driver was seriously injured when he was ejected from a rollover collision last night along a county road west of Chehalis.

Firefighters called just before 8 p.m. to the 900 block of Shorey Road found the driver in critical condition, according to Lewis County Fire District 6.

Levi W. Taylor, from Chehalis, had injuries to his head and face and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The passenger, a 21-year-old Chehalis woman, had been wearing her seat belt and sustained minor injuries, according to the sheriff’s office. She was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital where she was treated and has been released, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning.

Taylor was cited for not wearing a seat belt and for third-degree driving with a suspended license, Brown said. He faces possible charges of driving under the influence and reckless endangerment, depending upon the results of blood analysis, Brown said.

Taylor is listed in serious condition, according to a hospital spokesperson. His 2008 Pontiac G6 was totaled.

Roger Anderson’s boat came to rest on the south edge of Plummer Lake, without him.

Update: Police indicated at 12:19 p.m. the body has been recovered. The coroner gave his name as Roger Anderson.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – Search operations resumed this morning at Plummer Lake in Centralia where a man got separated from his flat-bottomed boat and disappeared under the water yesterday.

He is a 65-year-old Centralia resident, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Plummer Lake

A witness had seen the man fishing, and then saw him swimming toward a a life jacket while the boat moved away powered by a small electric trolling motor just before noon according to police.

Detective Patty Finch said authorities have contacted at least one of the man’s family members.

Police, firefighters and a dive team worked until dark last night and did not find him.

The lake is adjacent to Interstate 5 and is very deep, according to responders.

Nobody saw what happened that caused him to get separated from his boat, Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald said yesterday.
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For background, read “Searchers comb Centralia lake for fisherman” from Monday October 5, 2015, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 70-year-old Toledo man is dead following a motorcycle accident in southern Oregon after he lost control in a curve and struck four orange construction barrels and then a concrete barrier.

Oregon State Police reported yesterday it happened about 2 p.m. on Sunday on Interstate 5 near Siskiyou Summit.

William R. Larson was taken to Rogue Regional Medical Center by ambulance, but pronounced deceased upon his arrival at the hospital, according to Oregon State Police.

Preliminary information indicates a 2004 Yamaha motorcycle was traveling northbound on Interstate 5 negotiating a right hand curve when the rider lost control, according to police.

One lane of northbound was closed for two hours while the investigation was conducted. It is believed speed is a contributing factor. The investigation is ongoing, according to police.

Lewis County Sheriff’s Enforcement Team poses for photo – left to right, Deputy Tim English, Deputy Jeff Godbey, Sgt. Dan Riordan, Deputy Rick Van Wyck , K9 Axel – with Sheriff Rob Snaza and Undersheriff Wes Rethwill. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff’s Office

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza has completed a five-day executive development program with the National Sheriff’s Institute in Aurora, Colorado.

Snaza, a Napavine area Republican, was elected in November following about two decades with the sheriff’s office.

He was among 27 sheriff’s from across the country to participate early this month in training on the challenges facing American sheriff’s today, according to a news release from the National Sheriffs’ Association.

Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza

“In light of those challenges, the sheriffs explored the role of the local sheriff in providing effective leadership for the public good in such areas as public safety, criminal justice system policy, community relations, and organization effectiveness and efficiency,” Hilary Burgess, NSA manager of training, stated.

The National Sheriffs’ Association is a professional association representing the nearly 3,100 elected sheriffs across the country. The program was also co-sponsored by the National Institute of Corrections, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons.

Snaza has said among his priorities are rooting out career criminals, continuing to run a no-frills jail and partnering with schools.

In mid-September, he announced the formation of a team to assess and work on problem areas and issues within the county.

The Sheriff’s Enforcement Team, or SET team, consists of a sergeant, three deputies and a K-9.

“If we have a rash of vehicle prowls in a particular neighborhood or identify a burglary trend in one area of the county, SET will be called in,” Snaza stated. “The team will also work DUI emphasis, warrant sweeps, drug investigations, or anything else that we feel helps us better meet our mission.”