Archive for June, 2011

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, June 6th, 2011
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Smoke billows from a Centralia house on Sunday morning. / Courtesy photo by Rod Samuelson

HOUSE FIRE IN CENTRALIA

• Fire broke out in a Centralia home yesterday morning causing extensive damage in its basement, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Firefighters called about 7:17 a.m. found heavy smoke on the first floor of the two story house on the 300 block of North Iron Street, fire Capt. Terry Ternan said. The four occupants were already outside safely, he said. Nobody was hurt. It appeared to originate on a couch, according to Ternan. Investigators are looking into the possibility it was caused by a cigarette, he said.

CAR PROWLER SNAGS THREE FIREARMS

• Three handguns were stolen from inside a vehicle in a carport on the 200 block of Southeast Washington Avenue in Chehalis overnight, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The owner called police about 7 a.m. when he went to get in his SUV and found the door open. Also taken was a golf bag with clubs, according to police.

THWARTED BURGLARY

• Centralia police were called about 5:30 p.m. yesterday to a business  on the 100 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia where two males were chased off by an employee after attempting a burglary, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MORE THAN $5,000 CASH STOLEN FROM CHEHALIS-AREA HOME

• Somebody stole more than $5,200 cash in a burglary on the 100 block of Middle Fork Road outside Chehalis on Friday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Someone entered the home sometime between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. and damaged a safe, took the money, a computer and other items, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. There is a suspect, Brown said this morning.

CAR WRECKS

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports a car was totaled when its driver swerved to miss an oncoming truck and drove onto railroad tracks on the 100 block of Rogers Road in Chehalis on Friday. The truck continued on, according to the sheriff’s office. The 21-year-old female driver of the car is from from Tumwater, the sheriff’s office said. They did not report if she was injured.

CAR WINDOWS BROKEN

• Centralia police were called about 12:30 p.m. yesterday to the 1600 block of Oxford Avenue where both passenger side windows of a car were shattered.

FIVE CAUGHT SELLING BEER TO MINOR

• A bartender and four clerks were cited on Saturday night for furnishing alcohol to a minor during an undercover operation, , according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies working with agents from the Washington State Liquor Control Board and an underage “operative” contacted Theresa J. Fuller, 44, of Lacey, at K-Mart in Chehalis; Brandy F. Westfall, 27, of Chehalis, at the Chevron station on the 1100 block of state Route 6; Lili N. Holster, 30, of Chehalis, at The Pub in Pe Ell; and two un-named clerks at gas stations on Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to the sheriff’s office. All were cited and then released.

News brief: Woman shot in Napavine

Monday, June 6th, 2011

This news item was updated at 8:57 a.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A woman was shot and wounded outside an apartment complex in Napavine, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives believe it occurred about 10 p.m. last night; they believe it was not a random incident and have a person of interest, according to a news release this morning.

Detectives are on the scene at the 100 block of Haywire Road.

The victim, a 24-year-old Centralia woman, was treated at Providence Centralia Hospital and has already been released, according to the sheriff’s office.

She was shot twice, the sheriff’s office reports. Her name was not released.

It happened inside the city limits of Napavine, but sheriff’s detectives are conducting the investigation due to the technical expertise needed for a complex investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

More to come.

Read about police officer shot, wounded near Olympia …

Monday, June 6th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

KIROtv.com reports a police officer – possibly with the Thurston County SWAT team – was shot and wounded this morning near Olympia.

Read about here

KOMOnews.com offers a few more details, here

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

BURGLARY

• Centralia police were called about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to an interrupted burglary at a home on the 900 block of North Tower Avenue. The intruder fled when the resident arrived but stolen goods discarded by him or her were located with the help of a police dog, according to Centralia police.

• Police were called Friday afternoon about a burglary to a garage on the 1800 block of Ham Hill Road in Centralia. Missing were power and hand tools, according to  the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• Police arrested a 46-year-old man yesterday morning at the 1700 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia for possession of heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana. Fred H. Isaacson, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police arrested a 24-year-old man on Saturday afternoon for possession of a prescription drug. David M. Smith, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail following his contact with an officer on the 100 block of North Tower Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 24-year-old Rochester woman was arrested for a warrant and possession of methamphetamine in Centralia on Friday afternoon, according to police. Angela M. Muxen was booked into the Lewis County Jail following her contact with an officer on the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ASSAULT

• Police are investigating a fight outside a tavern on the 100 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia occurring about 2 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Registered sex offender notice: Centralia man now has no address

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office announced a level two registered sex offender who has been residing in Centralia is now registered as homeless.

Justin A. Oliver, 23, is not wanted by law enforcement, but notification to the community is meant to inform the public and enhance public safety, according to the sheriff’s office.

Oliver finished serving his time in 2003 for sexually assaulting a 5-year-old neighbor girl when he was 12 or 13 years old, according to sheriff’s detective Jamey McGinty. His 2000 conviction in Lewis County Juvenile Court was for first-degree rape of a child, according to McGinty.

He was released from prison last September in connection with non-sexual crimes, according to McGinty.

The sheriff’s office designated him as a level two sex offender, meaning they believe he presents a clear risk to the community.

Oliver is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 155 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

To see more details from the bulletin and a photo of Oliver, visit the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Offender Watch page, here.

Questions? The sheriff’s office says call 360-748-9286 for detective McGinty or Chief Criminal Deputy Gene Seiber.

Centralia woman charged with killing her baby found competent for trial

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A judge found yesterday the 25-year-old Centralia woman accused of decapitating her premature newborn is competent for further proceedings in the case.

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Laura Lynn Hickey

Laura Lynn Hickey was arrested in early March after police found the deceased baby in a Tupperware container under the kitchen sink of her trailer home.

Prosecutors allege Hickey – who was about halfway through her pregnancy – used a serrated knife to cut off the infant’s head as it was trying to take a breath after she unexpectedly delivered it into a toilet.

She said she didn’t think it was going to live and she didn’t want it to suffer, according to charging documents.

Hickey pleaded not guilty yesterday to first-degree murder.

She has been jailed since March 9, the arraignment put on hold while she underwent psychological evaluations at Western State Hospital.

Doctors were asked to look into issues of competency, insanity and diminished capacity.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt’s finding yesterday of competency is related to her ability to understand the proceedings and assist in her own defense.

His decision made it possible to move forward, with yesterday’s arraignment and the scheduling of a trial for next February.

Hickey lived in a fifth-wheel trailer at the Peppertree Motor Inn and RV Park in Centralia and has no income or assets, according to the attorney who represented her for her first court appearance.

She reportedly told police she used methamphetamine two days before the incident and had been awake since then. The state had previously taken three of her children out of her home.

Charging documents indicate an emergency room doctor estimated Hickey was about 21 weeks along in her pregnancy when he examined her after what she initially said was a miscarriage.

Her court-appointed lawyer, Kenneth Johnson, has said whether a fetus at that stage of development can survive outside its mother’s womb is an issue that will come up in this case.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer contends the autopsy indicated the fetus was born alive and was viable.

Hickey remains in the Lewis County Jail, held on $1 million bail.

•••

Read “Mental evaluation ordered for Centralia mother charged with killing baby” from Thursday March 17, 2011, here

Read “Mother charged with killing newborn, held on $1 million bail” from Friday March 11, 2011, here

Read “Centralia woman accused of decapitating her newborn” from Wednesday March 9, 2011, here

Read “News brief: “Remains” found under sink after apparent miscarriage to be examined by coroner” from Wednesday March 2, 2011, here

News brief: One dead following Centralia-Alpha Road crash

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

This news item was updated at 3:25 p.m. on Friday June 3, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 32-year-old Chehalis man was killed when his car hit a power pole overnight east of Chehalis, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Troopers were called about 2:30 a.m. to the 1500 block of Centralia-Alpha Road where a 1993 Subaru Legacy was wrecked, the state patrol reported.

Colter Dunivin died from his injuries, according to the Lewis County Coroner’s Office.

His car had been heading southbound and failed to negotiate a sweeping right hand curve, according to the patrol. It traveled over the centerline and off the road before colliding with the pole, according to the investigating trooper.

It’s unknown if drugs or alcohol were involved, the state patrol reported.