Archive for June, 2011

News brief: Two big rigs destroy Volvo, Centralia man survives

Monday, June 13th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 25-year-old Centralia man escaped serious injury when his car was hit by not one but two semi-trucks on Interstate 5 in Chehalis today.

Tyler C. Mohoric was taken by ambulance to Providence Centralia Hospital with neck and back injuries, according to the Washington State Patrol. His 2009 Volvo was totaled.

Aid and troopers were called about 1:48 p.m. to the southbound lanes just south of Chamber of Commerce Way interchange.

A southbound Freightliner changed lanes and clipped the Volvo, spinning it around sideways into the path of a 1997 International semi truck, according to responders. The car was pushed down the freeway some 300 yards, Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Ted McCarty estimated.

“It was lucky there was nobody in the passenger side, they would have been severely injured,” McCarty said.

Firefighters were already at the scene nearby of a two-vehicle crash on Chamber Way and Louisiana Avenue and Police Chief Glenn Schaffer was stopped for a third wreck on one of the ramps, McCarty said.

The International was driven by a 57-year-old Portland man who was reportedly unhurt, but his truck sustained an estimated $6,000 damage and was towed, according to the state patrol.

Troopers blamed the driver of the Freightliner – a 44-year-old Sacramento man – for inattention and an unsafe lane change. His truck was able to be driven from the scene. He too was reportedly uninjured.

Update Tuesday June 14, 2011 at 9:30 a.m.: Mohoric has been treated and released from the hospital.

Registered sex offender notice: New home in Winlock

Monday, June 13th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office announced a level three registered sex offender moved to a new address in Winlock.

Kenneth N. Rock, 22, is registered as living on the 100 block of Nelson Road.

He 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.

Rock was convicted at age 15 of first-degree child rape and molestation involving a 3-year-old boy he knew, according to sheriff’s detective Jamey McGinty. He was released from custody in early 2007.

The sheriff’s office designated him as a level three sex offender, meaning they believe he is a high risk to the community, according to McGinty.

Rock is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 250 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

To see more details from the bulletin and a photo of Rock, visit the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office web site level three sex offender page, here.

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

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, June 13th, 2011

DEPUTY STOPS FOR BARE BUTT

• A 46-year-old man was arrested after he showed off his bare backside to a passing deputy yesterday morning on the 100 block of state Route 505 in Winlock. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports Donald Craig Johnson was walking along the sidewalk just after 9 a.m. and as the marked patrol car drove by, he turned his back and pushed the waistband of his pants down. Johnson was booked into the Lewis County Jail for indecent exposure, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.

WRECK IN THE WOODS

• Four people sustained minor injuries when their vehicle went off the road and struck a tree on Forest Service Road 23 in East Lewis County yesterday evening. A deputy on patrol came across the tree in the road and saw smoke coming from an embankment at about 6 p.m., according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy provided first aid until the fire department arrived and three were taken to Morton General Hospital with various cuts, according to the sheriff’s office. They were transients ages 20,19, and 18, along with a 15-year-old runaway from Oregon, the sheriff’s office reported. Three were cited for being minors in possession of alcohol and the driver’s case will be referred for a possible charge of driving under the influence, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning.

ASSAULT

• A 31-year-old Chehalis man was arrested for second-degree assault after he reportedly choked his wife leaving bruises on her neck. A deputy took a report on Friday afternoon in Chehalis and subsequently went to where the assault occurred and took Mario Luna Lara into custody and booked him into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A 21-year-old Morton-area woman was arrested in the emergency room at Morton General Hospital after she allegedly fought with law enforcement officers, scratching a Morton police officer and spitting on a sheriff’s deputy  late Friday night. Police responded to a call about a suspicious person in the area of Second Street and Westlake Avenue in Morton and Laura J. Shiprack was subsequently taken to the hospital to be evaluated, according to the Morton Police Department. She became combative and subsequently was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree assault, Chief Dan Mortensen said.

TEXT THREAT PUTS MAN IN JAIL

• A 45-year-old Chehalis was arrested and booked Friday night after allegedly sending a text message to his wife saying, “I will shoot you both.” James J. Hall was booked into the Lewis County Jail but has since been released.

THEFT

• Somebody broke into a home on the 600 block of U.S. Highway 12 outside Chehalis and made off with a flat screen television, jewelry and five antique dolls, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. It happened sometime between June 3 and Friday, the victim told a deputy.

• A yellow and black 2008 Suzuki dirt bike was stolen from where it was left temporarily on a trail off the Forest Service Road 23 near the North Fork Campground yesterday afternoon. A Randle man and his daughter out riding parked it briefly when it began to rain and rode to his truck before returning to retrieve it, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is estimated at $1,500.

• Somebody pried open a window and stole a GPS device from a vehicle on the 800 block of J Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 6 p.m. yesterday.

DRUGS

• Centralia police arrested two people for possession of methamphetamine after contact at the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia yesterday afternoon. Booked for possession and also for warrants were Jose F. Lopez, 34, of Longview, and Alisha M. Rowley, 27, of Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MAN WITH HOSE HOLDS BACK HOUSE FIRE

• Fire burned a covered porch and began to burn the backside of a house before it was extinguished in Centralia on Saturday afternoon. Riverside Fire Authority was called to 700 block of Chestnut Street where a quick-thinking neighbor had already gotten to work with a garden hose, according to fire Capt. Casey McCarthy. Nobody was injured; and McCarthy described the amount of damage as moderate. A shed also burned, McCarthy said. Authorities believe a 9-year-old boy was playing with matches or a lighter, according to police.

News brief: Fire commissioner posts draw challengers

Monday, June 13th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Four fire districts in Lewis County will see contested races for commissioner positions in the coming election, according to the list of candidates who filed last week to run for various offices.

In Lewis County Fire District 5, in the Napavine area, James M. Guenther will run against Kevin Hanson.

In the Winlock area, Lewis County Fire District 15, Dan Godat will run against Randy Pennington.

In Lewis County Fire District 6, rural Chehalis, Kirk Johnston is running against James Martin.

They are all six-year-terms, according to the Lewis County Auditors Office which is responsible for elections.

Two individuals have filed to run for a two-year unexpired term in Lewis County Fire District 2, Toledo. They are Clark Spahr and Jacqui Spahr.

They will be on the November 8 ballot.

On the August 16 primary ballot will be three-way races for positions on some city councils, school boards and the board of the Centralia Port District.

Also on the primary ballot is an emergency medical services levy – six-year – for Lewis County Fire District 10 in Packwood, according to Elections Supervisor Mariann Zumbuhl.

A special three-day filing period runs through Wednesday afternoon to accept candidates for positions in which nobody applied for during filing week.

Those include a fire commissioner position in Packwood, and three commissioner positions in Lewis County Fire District 17 near Ashford, according to the auditors office.

District 17’s chair of the fire commissioners Elizabeth Marzano said they all three plan to stay on, and she doesn’t believe her term is set to expire this year.

News brief: Judge Buzzard to replace Judge Buzzard

Friday, June 10th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Centralia Municipal Court is getting a new judge, and it’s the third lawyer from the same family to sit on its bench.

James M.B. Buzzard was selected from five finalists for the position, and offered the job earlier this week, according to the city’s human resources director Candice Rydalch.

The city council must approve the contract on Tuesday before he can be sworn in, Rydalch said today.

Buzzard’s father, Steven Buzzard, retired last week from the position he held there since January 2005. Steven Buzzard had been appointed Centralia Municipal Court judge when his other son, R.W. Buzzard left the post to become a judge in Lewis County District Court.

James M.B. Buzzard works with Buzzard and Associates in Centralia, and has periodically served as a substitute judge for Centralia, according to Rydalch.

His background includes Seattle University Law School, University of Washington School of Law and he is a 1993 Centralia High School graduate, she said.

The expected salary for the judge in $4,666 per month.

News brief: House fire in Morton

Friday, June 10th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Fire erupted in a house in Morton this morning, displacing its residents.

Lewis County Fire District 4 was called about 11:10 a.m. to the 400 block of Westlake Avenue where a kitchen was fully engulfed in flames and the windows were blowing out, according to Fire Investigator Ted McCarty.

Nobody was injured, but the kitchen was destroyed and the rest of the home suffered smoke, heat and water damage, McCarty said.

McCarty said it began when the contents of an oil lamp were accidentally spilled on the electrical outlet for the hot water heater. The resident went to get a rag to clean it up and when he returned he saw smoke and then fire started creeping up the wall, McCarty said.

The damage was extensive enough the residents can’t stay there, according to McCarty.

“The Red Cross has been called and they’re putting them up, I understand, for a few days,” McCarty said.

News brief: Triple slaying charges altered again

Friday, June 10th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Prosecutors yesterday amended the charges against 29-year-old Ryan J. McCarthy in last summer’s triple homicide, changing the count involving 16-year-old David West Jr.’s death.

McCarthy was charged in the teen’s death with first-degree felony murder, but now is charged with regular first-degree murder as an accomplice.

010.0822.davidwest.jr_2

David West Jr.

Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said he didn’t want to elaborate on the reason, as it’s based on new evidence that he didn’t want to discuss.

Defense attorney Rick Cordes suggested the change wasn’t a big deal, although the additional evidence – that he hasn’t seen yet – is not so good for his client, he said.

McCarthy and former Onalaskan John Allen Booth Jr. were both arrested after four people were found shot – three fatally – inside a home off Gore Road near Salkum last August.

Denise Salts, 51, survived, but fatally shot in the heads were David West Sr. 52, his son who was a student at Onalaska High School, and a friend Tony E. Williams, 50, of Randle.

Authorities have said they believe the two men’s Aug. 21 visit to the house was related to a drug debt collection.

Both McCarthy and Booth are charged also with attempted extortion.

Judge Richard Brosey is expected to preside over both trials; Booth’s at the end of August and McCarthy’s in October.
•••

Read recent stories:

• “Booth’s charges in Salkum slayings dropped back to original filing, trial delayed” from Tuesday May 3, 2011, here

• “Two separate trials on the docket in Salkum triple slaying” from Tuesday April 19, 2011, here