Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Someone is impersonating a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office employee, making phone calls and trying to scam people out of money.

Chief Deputy Dusty Breen says several individuals have advised the sheriff’s office they’ve been contacted by a person purporting to be with the warrants division.

They’ve been told the call is about missing federal jury duty and the only way to avoid arrest is to come to the sheriff’s office after completing an initial procedure, according to Breen.

The “initial procedure” involves obtaining a “Green Dot” pre-paid card and providing the caller with security information so the caller can get the funds, according to Breen.

The sheriff’s office is actively investigating the source of the calls as originating from an Internet based application, according to Breen.

“We are asking the public to remain vigilant to the ever increasing amount of scams via telephone and internet,” Breen states in a news release. “If you are contacted by someone from a government agency and believe it seems suspicious, it is recommended you find independent contact information for the agency and contact them directly.”

The sheriff’s office also recommends the public not share any personal identifying information with anyone if they are not certain of their identity.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Centralia man was injured when his motorcycle struck the rear of a car and he was ejected last night in Tumwater.

Jeffrey E. Westley, 51, was westbound at a high rate of speed on Tumwater Boulevard Southwest approaching Littlerock Road when he ran into the back of a Volkswagen Passat, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Troopers called just before 9 p.m. report Westley landed in the entrance to the traffic circle and the roadway was blocked for three and a half hours.

His 2002 Honda VTR100 was described as totaled.

Westley was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital, according to the state patrol. Investigators suspect he was under the influence and drugs may have been involved, the patrol indicated in a brief summary of the incident.

The driver of the Passat was reportedly unhurt and her car was damaged but still drivable.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Continued fall weather conditions have led the state Department of Natural Resources to lift its outdoor burning ban on the forest lands it’s responsible for protecting from wildfires in Western Washington, as of 12:01 a.m. today.

A prohibition on outdoor burning put in place in unincorporated areas of Lewis County on Aug. 2 has yet to be rescinded, but in the past the county has followed the lead of the state agency, often within a day or two.

Recreational campfires were prohibited for a period but were allowed again beginning Labor Day weekend.

““The fall weather pattern shows us it’s time to lift western Washington’s burn ban,” Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark stated in a news release. “It will also permit us to ease the burn ban east of the Cascades by allowing campfires in some locations.”

County burn bans may still be in effect in various locations throughout Washington, and residents should check with local fire districts for information.

DNR is responsible for preventing and fighting wildfires on 13 million acres of private, state and tribal-owned forest lands in Washington.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Police are investigating a report of an incident last night in which a man in his mid-20s said he was jumped on a Centralia street by a group of five people.

The victim reported he was approached and they demanded a cigarette from him and when he didn’t have one, he was beat and hit in the face with a piece of concrete.

The attackers then stole his cell phone, his iPod and a Bluetooth speaker, according to the Centralia Police Department.

It happened on First Street near Euclid Way around 10 p.m., according to police.

Officer Doug Lowrey said the victim was seen at Providence Centralia and his injuries were minor. He’s from Olympia, according to Lowrey.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 68-year-old man who escaped when his Randle home caught fire yesterday suffered first-, -second, and third-degree burns, according to Fire Investigator Derrick Paul.

“The doctors said it was about 10 percent of his body,” Paul said.

Firefighters were called about 1 p.m. yesterday to the trailer home on the 300 block of Cline Road and the resident was transported to Morton General Hospital.

Paul said he learned the man, who uses a motorized chair to get around, is a smoker.

“He dropped the cigarette, he told me, in the blanket on the bed and couldn’t find it,” Paul said. “Several minutes later, the place was on fire.”

The man managed to get himself out, but suffered burns to his legs, side of his face, shoulder, arm and hands, he said.

The trailer is a total loss, according to Paul.

“He had a dog, the sheriff’s department took into custody and took somewhere,” Paul said.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Tenino man is hospitalized with two broken arms after for unknown reasons he bolted from an approaching trooper making it partway across the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 at Maytown before running into the side of a Jeep Wrangler this evening.

Troopers began getting multiple 911 calls about a pedestrian in the roadway, on the southbound side near milepost 95, according to the Washington State Patrol.

An arriving trooper made contact with the man, noticing he had a knife in his hand and blood on his shirt, according to the state patrol.

The trooper told him to drop it and he did, but as the trooper walked toward him, the man turned and ran, Trooper Todd Bartolac said.

Jeffery D. Lantrip, 50, from Tenino, was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital and may have some internal injuries as well, according to the state patrol.

The roadway was blocked for more than three hours as the incident was investigated.

Bartolac said they don’t know why he was carrying a knife or where the blood came from, but detectives are continuing their investigation.

“There were no threats or anything like that,” he said.

The Chehalis man driving the 2014 Jeep Wrangler, Scott D. White, and his passenger were uninjured but there was some damage to the vehicle, according to the patrol.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Centralia firefighters were joined by crews from two neighboring departments when flames broke out in a mechanic’s shop off North Tower Avenue on East Hanson Street yesterday evening.

Damage is described as moderate, but a sport utility vehicle caught fire and it spread also causing damage to a portion of the building, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

It began when the business owner was transferring gasoline out of a GMC Yukon that was in for repairs and the fuel ignited, according to Fire Capt. Terry Ternan. Nobody was hurt.

Sixteen firefighters responded to the approximately 7 p.m. call and were on scene for about two hours, according to Ternan.