Lewis County Sirens.com

SIX ESCAPE BURNING RESIDENCE IN SALKUM

• A Salkum family is without a home after fire tore through their two-story house on the 800 block of Gore Road today. Crews called just before 11 a.m. found six people who had gotten out safely, according to Lewis County Fire District 8. “We had smoke rolling out of three sides of the structure and it had just started burning the roof over the garage,” Fire Chief Duran McDaniel said. The roof collapsed, the walls remain standing but most of the contents are probably destroyed or damaged, McDaniel said. The couple who owns the property built the home about 20 years ago and were out of town, he said. McDaniel wasn’t certain who all was there, as the Red Cross arrived and worked with the occupants, some he thought were visitors. He believed they included a young adult, three teenage-ish aged persons, a child and an infant. Nobody was injured at all, he said, adding it could have been entirely different it occurred at night while they were sleeping. McDaniel praised the volunteers who battled the blaze until 2 p.m., some of whom were on the scene until after 4 p.m. “We had 27 firefighters from four districts that worked their butts off today,” he said. An investigator came out and will return tomorrow, he said. Initially, something electrical is suspect as it seemed to have originated near a laundry room, he said.

BREAK-IN CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called about 7 o’clock this morning about a burglary to a home at the 300 block of West Magnolia Street.

DID YOU FEEL THE EARTH MOVE?

• Light shaking was reported felt in Glenoma yesterday with lesser trembling detected from Packwood to Longview when a magnitude 3.7 earthquake occurred about 2:38 p.m. The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network recorded it just northwest of Mount St. Helens, along the Spirit Lake Highway. The quake, at about nine miles deep, was followed by several minor earthquakes and then just after 6 p.m., one measuring at 3.4 and another at 3.1, according to the PNSN. According to PNSN charting, the amount of seismicity noted around the volcano during the past month doesn’t qualify as more than average.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, driving under the influence; responses for  misdemeanor theft … and more.

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CORRECTION: The news item above regarding the earthquakes has been updated to correct a typo which erroneously reported the size of the third quake.

Police converge on Harrison Avenue in Centralia after a man with a knife allegedly tries to get into someone else’s vehicle. / Courtesy photo by Nikkie Severance

ROAD RAGE AT FREEWAY ONRAMP

• A 47-year-old Chehalis man was arrested at gun point yesterday on Harrison Avenue near Belmont in Centralia after a motorist reported someone approached his parked vehicle screaming, punching the window and trying to get inside. Police called about 7:10 p.m. were told the man had pulled over on the freeway onramp to use his cell phone when a stranger approached with a knife, according to the Centralia Police Department. The stranger yelled and tried to break the window and then abruptly left, getting into a black truck and driving away, Officer John Panco said. Officers locating the truck ordered Harvey C. Maddux to get out and he apparently fought with them a little bit when it came time to get into a patrol car, Panco said. Maddux was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault, according to police. Panco said he didn’t know what upset Maddux.

MORE SOUTH COUNTY BURGLARIES

• A deputy was called yesterday to a residential burglary at the 900 block of state Route 506 near Vader. Sometime between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. someone made forced entry and left with jewelry and cash, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A deputy took a report yesterday of a break-in to a home at the 200 block of McClure Road near Winlock in which a gold ring and other items were stolen. It happened sometime since July 29, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Rob Snaza said the sheriff’s office has seen an uptick in burglaries in the south end of the county and they are looking into similarities in recent cases.

BAD HOUSE GUEST

• Centralia police took a report about 3:25 a.m. today of clothing and other items such as electronics stolen from a home on the 1100 block of F Street. A house guest is suspected in the theft, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police yesterday recorded instances of graffiti on a trailer, a shed and another building on the 1000 block of J Street and the an alley near the 600 block of G Street.

FRENCH FRY ACCIDENT

• Firefighters and medics were called just after 4 p.m. yesterday to Winlock home with a cooking fire. Responders arriving to the 1000 block of Southeast First Street learned a potful of oil for french fries had ignited and the resident attempted to carry it outside, using a paper towel to hold onto it, according to Lewis County Fire District 15. She was treated at the scene for a minor burn to her hand, Assistant Chief Kevin Anderson said. The only other damage was a scorch mark on the linoleum, he said. Anderson recommended the safest way to deal with such an incident is to cover the pan with its lid or douse the flames with a fire extinguisher. He reminds folks never to put water on a grease fire.

VEHICLE VERSUS POLE

• A motorist was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital after colliding with a utility pole on the 400 block of North Tower Avenue overnight. Police responding about 3:25 a.m. found the man with minor injuries, but the pole broke about 15 feet up and tipped, according to the Centralia Police Department. The cause remains under investigation, according to police. The roadway was closed for workers to replace the pole, police said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarms, collisions, misdemeanor thefts, disputes; complaints of neighbor’s loud music … and more.

Updated at 5:14 p.m.

INMATE FLEES CHEHALIS MUNICIPAL COURT, FOUND IN BUSHES

• A 20-year-old Rochester woman booked early yesterday morning for drugs escaped from police custody just outside Chehalis Municipal Court just before 3 p.m. yesterday. Kyrstin R. Daarud, aka Kyrstin Lane bolted as she and two other inmates were taken out of a patrol car in the parking lot at the 300 block of North Market Boulevard, according to police. Officers converged on the area and found her within about 10 minutes, hiding in some bushes a few blocks to the south, according to detective Sgt. Gary Wilson. She was dressed in an orange jail garb and chains, he said. Daarud was arrested about 4:30 a.m. that day in Centralia for possession of heroin, methamphetamine, unlawfully possessing a firearm and a misdemeanor warrant, according to police. She was being taken to the Chehalis court to deal with her warrant. She’s back in the Lewis County Jail with a new potential charge of first-degree escape. Wilson said he will recommend she be charged with theft as well for taking off with their handcuffs.

CHILD ASSAULT ALLEGED

• Deputies investigating an incident from last year at the request of police in Spokane arrested Donny R. Elliott, 37, yesterday at his home on the 100 block of Chandler Road west of Chehalis for second-degree assault, second-degree assault of a child and harassment, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. While there, they also learned a new alleged misdemeanor assault involving a 22-year-old female, Sgt. Rob Snaza said. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

BURGLARY TOLEDO

• A deputy was called last night to a burglary at the 200 block of state Route 506 near Toledo in which someone broke through a back door of a home and left with numerous valuables including an Olympus camera, a Sony camera and a humidor as well as credit cards, gift cards and checks, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It happened sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. The loss is more than $1,000, Sgt. Rob Snaza said.

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 4:50 a.m. today when the owner of a white 2013 Kia discovered the car missing from where it had been parked on the 1000 block of Ellsbury Street.

CAR PROWL

• Someone stole a backpack from a vehicle parked at the 700 block of Hamilton Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday morning.

DRUGS

• A 30-year-old Centralia man who was picked up on a warrant about 4 o’clock this morning at a residence on the 300 block of North Pearl Street was arrested for possession of methamphetamine when a search turned up a suspected meth pipe in his sweatshirt pocket. Treston D. Zimmerman was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police investigating suspicious activity about 12:30 a.m. along the 1200 block of West Main Street ended up arresting a 21-year-old man who had unopened packets of Suboxone in his pocket but no proof the items were prescribed to him. Centralia Police Department Sgt. Carl Buster said he believes the items are patches used to help people got off of heroin. It is a schedule three narcotic and its necessary to carry such materials in their original containers with their prescription label, Buster said. Jantzen J. Redle-Schumacher was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. He is to be released without charges pending further investigation.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A murder trial was set for next month but instead 32-year-old Corey R. Morgan will appear before a judge next week for a hearing in which he is expected to change his plea in connection with last month’s violent death of his girlfriend. Brenda Bail, 48, died from strangulation and an injury to her head, and Morgan is accused of staging a vehicle wreck on a logging road west of Morton in an attempt to cover it up on July 19. The couple lived in Chehalis. He previously pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke said a hearing is now scheduled for 9:15 a.m. on Monday, but declined to reveal details about any plea agreement.

•  Jonathan D. Greyeagle, 22, pleaded not guilty this morning to second-degree assault of a child in connection with allegedly giving his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son a black eye and causing significant bruising on his buttocks. The Chehalis man was arrested on Monday when police and Child Protective Services visited the home. According to charging documents, under questioning, the boy said he was being bad and his “dad” hit him, giving him a bloody nose, and also that his dad spanks him with his hand and with a shoe. Greyeagle told an officer he only spanks the child with an open hand, but agreed the bruises on his bottom were excessive and said he lost control, according to the documents. He told the officer it would never happen again. Greyeagle allegedly admitted hitting the child in the face, but said it only occurred once, according to the documents. The court documents are silent on details about specifically what occurred or when or where it happened and who reported the bruises to CPS. He is charged in Lewis County Superior Court and remains jailed on $25,000 bail. Court documents say the 23-year-old mother had taken photos and told police she told Greyeagle if it happened again, she would leave him. She said she did not see the bruises until a few days after, because the child was staying at her mothers home. Court documents also state Greyeagle is prohibited from contacting any witnesses in the case or his wife. A trial was scheduled for the week of Oct. 14.

WRECK

• A 15-year-old driver was taken to Morton General Hospital yesterday after a motor home ran a red light on U.S. Highway 12 at Williams Street in Mossyrock. Troopers called just after noontime found the Volkswagen Jetta in a ditch and totaled, but the motor home was still drivable, according to the Washington State Patrol. Wayne A. Vigre, who has a learner’s permit, was with his mother in the car, according to the state patrol. He had a sore neck and back but no broken bones, Trooper Will Finn said. The Silver Creek teenager was turning from northbound Williams to head west and the motor home was traveling eastbound, according to Finn. It’s driver, Leon Summer, 77, of Morton, was reportedly unhurt, but ticketed for failing to stop at the light, Finn said. The mother, Debra L. Kaech, 40, was also uninjured, according to the investigating trooper.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence; responses for alarms, collisions, misdemeanor thefts, disputes, noises on a back porch at night, graffiti on a garage door; complaints of someone stealing ashtray of cigarette butts off porch, driver texting on freeway, cats walking across parked car, barking dogs … and more.

Volkswagen Jetta comes to rest in a ditch off the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 at Williams Street in Mossyrock. / Courtesy photo