Archive for April, 2014

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

Updated at 8:04 p.m.

TOLEDO BUSINESS HIT BY PROWLER

• A deputy responding about 7:40 a.m. yesterday to a burglary at Jarvis Truck Sales on the 100 block of Barnes Drive outside Toledo discovered someone forced their way through a door into a shop building and quite likely used pry bars they found there to remove a cash register from an office area. Missing is $515 cash, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Also missing are the pry bars and 31 feet of battery cable, Chief Civil Deputy Brown said.

PROLIFERATION OF PROWLS

• Law enforcement officers yesterday urged Oakville residents to lock their car doors when they’re parked, after an overnight spree of vehicle prowls this weekend. Several people were victimized between Saturday night and Sunday morning and in all cases, they involved unlocked vehicles, according to the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office. It happened on Main, West Oak and Eagle streets. The loot included stereos, iPods, flashlights tools and clothing, according to Chief Criminal Deputy Steve Shumate. Uniforms from Jack-in-the-Box, including their jackets, are among the garments now on the street. Shumate urges everyone not to leave valuables in plain view, and to lock up.

• Centralia police took a report about 11:30 a.m. yesterday about a backpack stolen from out of a vehicle on Hemlock Street.

• A deputy took a report yesterday about someone getting into an unlocked vehicle at the 100 block of Mineral Hill Road and leaving with a Washington driver’s license, various credit cards and $230 cash,  according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It happened sometime between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.

FORGERY INVESTIGATIONS

• A deputy was called about 4:30 p.m. yesterday to the 1900 block of Rice Road outside Chehalis to take a report of possible fraud in connection with someone using someone else’s identity to obtain a State Farm insurance policy, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The case is under investigation.

• In Morton, police are investigating the fraudulent order of 1,000 ink pens by someone in a business’s name without permission. The $469 situation was reported to the Morton Police Department on Friday.

ROUSTED AND SENT ON HIS WAY

• A 51-year-old Centralia man discovered sleeping in a “container” overnight at the 200 block of East Third Street was cited for trespassing and then released, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers have previously told Keith A. Smith not to come back there, according to police.

UNBUCKLED AND JAILED

• A seatbelt violation spotted by a trooper on Interstate 5 north of Chehalis violation led to the arrest of a passenger for open alcohol containers and also of the driver who was impaired by unspecified drugs yesterday morning, according to the Washington State Patrol. It was about 11:40 a.m. when Walter Sutter, 45, of Chehalis was pulled over for failing to properly wear a safety belt, according to the state patrol. When questioned, Sutter said the two open containers belonged to Jeramy Shepard, his 38-year-old traveling companion from Longview, Trooper Will Finn said. Shepard had multiple outstanding felony warrants from Eastern Washington, according to Finn. And observations of Sutter prompted the trooper to conduct roadside test and ask for a drug recognition expert to evaluate him further, resulting in a driving under the influence arrest, Finn said. Both were booked into the Lewis County Jail.

MEGA-COLLISION

• A former Toledo man was in court yesterday facing a charge of vehicular assault in connection with Friday’s three-vehicle wreck at a Longview intersection that sent his pickup truck onto the patio of a McDonald’s restaurant, injuring a diner, according to The (Longview) Daily News. Reporter Barbara LaBoe writes that Joshua Paul Goble, 30, is believed to have been high on stolen pain pills when he ran a red light, striking a motorcyclist and a truck before traveling across a sidewalk and through landscaping striking several tables and chairs. LaBoe said Goble was described by police as transient but gave officers a Toledo address.

BONUS: COLD BLOODED CRITTER CONTAINED

• Officers received a call for help after a resident in the 100 block of Division Avenue in Morton reported finding a snake had slithered up the sink drain into the home. Morton police responded about 3:35 p.m. on Friday to assist. The reptile was located and removed, according to the Morton Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license; responses for dispute,  suspicious circumstances, hit and run, shoplifting; complaints of door-to-door salespeople … and more.

Read about wrong body incident at Chehalis funeral blamed on Kelso mortician’s error …

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – KOMOnews.com reports the Chehalis funeral home involved in last autumn’s mixup of two bodies has been exonerated, as state investigators concluded the mistake occurred at a Kelso funeral home.

When the family of Jerry Moon opened the casket to say their final goodbyes, and found a stranger inside on Oct. 21, it was because Dahl-McVicker Funeral Home had sent Brown Mortuary Service in Chehalis the wrong body, according to KOMOnews.com.

A writer for KOMO says an employee of Dahl-McVicker put the wrong identification bracelets on Moon, 72 of Castle Rock, and Robert Petitclerc, 92 of Kelso, after picking up the two deceased men from a Longview care center on the same day.

Read more here

Centralia police: Dealer of ecstasy busted again

Monday, April 21st, 2014
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A Ford Excursion stretch limousine awaiting auction is one of four vehicles confiscated now by Centralia’s special Anti-Crime Team from suspected drug dealer Jai J. Bhagwandin.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 29-year-old man arrested last month by Centralia drug officers for allegedly selling  ecstasy was arrested again after two informants working with police reportedly bought $200 worth of  ecstasy from him in the parking lot at Spiffy’s restaurant south of Chehalis.

Jai J. Bhagwandin, 29, was taken into custody on Friday, apprehended by law enforcement officers after he drove away following the encounter. He appeared in Lewis County Superior Court this afternoon, charged with one count of delivery of a controlled substance.

His bail was set at $100,000.

The judge was told he retained a lawyer in his previous case, but ran out of money so qualified for a public defender.

Bhagwandin has 11 pending drug offense counts in Thurston County, the judge was told.

It was March 6 when Centralia’s special Anti-Crime team seized three vehicles, cash and drugs from a Lacey home following an investigation into suspected suppliers to numerous local drug dealers.

A search of that residence turned up about two pounds of hallucinogenic mushrooms, six ounces of suspected hash, five pounds of packaged marijuana, some prescription pills and less than a pound of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or Molly, according to police, as well as a large amount of U.S. currency stored in seal-a-meal packaging.

Bhagwandin now resides in Onalaska where his mother works as an alternative health care provider; his father was present in court today, defense attorney Bob Schroeter said as he appealed for lower bail.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said further charges were expected as roughly a pound of marijuana was located in Bhagwandin’s Subaru Legacy following his recent arrest.

His arraignment  is scheduled for this coming Thursday.

Teen accuses school bus driver of rape

Monday, April 21st, 2014
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Richard L. Crumbliss is directed to the defendant’s table during a bail hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An Onalaska school bus driver is jailed following his arrest for allegedly raping a teenage relative in her bed during spring break.

Bail was set over the weekend for 43-year-old Richard L. Crumbliss at $750,000. A different judge today reduced the amount to $100,000.

Crumbliss appeared in Lewis County Superior Court this afternoon, shackled at his hands and waist, for the bail hearing.

Temporary defense attorney Bob Schroeter in asking for a lower bond noted his client is a volunteer firefighter and also a part time substitute bus driver.

“But, he’s no longer doing that,” Schroeter said as he described how the Onalaska resident’s financial situation qualified him for a court-appointed lawyer.

Charging documents describe a deputy responding on Thursday to speak to the teenage girl, at the behest of a victim’s advocate.

Deputy Susan Shannon was told the girl came home drunk on April 9 and three times during the night, Crumbliss came into her bedroom, while her mother was home and still up and awake during the first two alleged encounters.

Shannon was still investigating when Crumbliss phoned 911 to report the girl had run away, according to charging documents.

According to the court documents, without solicitation, he told the deputy the girl had accused him of rape and he hadn’t seen her since the night before.

He called the girl a huge fibber and worried about his reputation as an officer of the fire department, according to the documents.

The girl told authorities she’d overheard both he and her mother calling her a liar about it.

Deputies subsequently searched the home, and Crumbliss and his wife offered that they had collected the girls underclothes from that night and saved them, the documents state.

He also told the deputy he is never alone with the girl, his wife is always present because about two and half months earlier he was accused of a different sexual assault, according to the documents. He was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail on Friday morning.

Judge Richard Brosey this afternoon was told the girl has been taken into protective custody.

Brosey ordered Crumbliss, if he makes bail, to have no unsupervised contact with minor females; and further ordered his spouse may not be the one to supervise any contacts.

Centralia lawyer David Arcuri was appointed to represent him.

Crumbliss is charged with two counts of third-degree rape of a child and one count of first-degree incest. His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

The girl also told authorities, according to charging documents, that when she was 12, he gave her vodka mixed with strawberry drink while she traveled with him in his semi truck and he sexually abused her in the sleeper. He denied the accusation, but admitted giving her strawberry vodka, charging documents state.

Read about cockfighting in Rochester …

Monday, April 21st, 2014

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

KING5.com reports law enforcement officers found about 300 birds in a large building in Rochester when they served a search warrant this morning following complaints about a cockfighting ring.

The news item from late this afternoon noted no arrests had yet been made, but that the Washington State Gambling Commissions’ investigation at the 17900 block of Southwest Danby Drive was expected to continue into tomorrow.

Kirotv.com reported later that Victor Chavez, 35, was taken into custody, and faces felony gambling and misdemeanor animal fighting charges.

Read more here

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, April 21st, 2014

Updated at 12:49 p.m.

HOME INVASION REPORTED IN CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police were called about 12:40 a.m. today to the 500 block of Northeast Adams Avenue where a 23-year-old woman said two people had shoved their way into her apartment and assaulted her. The woman told officers her dog was barking and she opened her back door when a female pushed her way in and started hitting her in the face, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The victim was able to escape to a neighbor’s place where she called 911, department spokesperson Linda Bailey said. Police looked around and interviewed the woman, but no arrests have been made, Bailey said this morning. A cell phone and a wallet are missing now from her home, Bailey said. The incident is still under investigation.

ARSON SUSPECTED IN CAR FIRE

• The sheriff’s office is investigating an incident in which someone apparently intentionally tried to burn up a 24-year-old man’s car while he was at work in Chehalis. Deputies responding about 1:20 a.m. on Friday to the 1700 block of Bishop Road learned the victim went outside during a break and found smoke pouring from his vehicle, which was parked next to a loading dock, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said this morning. A window had been broken and there was a strong odor of an unspecified flammable liquid, according to the sheriff’s office. The fire left the backseat and the interior of the 2000 Ford Focus charred, causing more than $1,000 damage, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Brown said there is no indication why someone would have targeted the man.

GARAGE CATCHES FIRE

• A fire that began in a garage on Rayburn Road southwest of Napavine early yesterday did an estimated $10,000 damage but nobody was injured. Firefighters were called at about 7:10 a.m., according to Lewis County Fire District 5. The blaze was contained to the garage and prevented from spreading to the home, and a fire investigator called to look into it, Firefighter Brad Bozarth said.

FIGHT NIGHT

• Centralia police were called about 10:45 p.m. on Saturday to the 200 block of North Tower Avenue where witnesses said several people were fighting and one of them fell into a window and broke it. Those involved fled the area and an investigation is underway, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SPANKING LANDS MAN IN JAIL

• A 44-year-old Chehalis area resident was arrested after a Saturday night call to the 100 block of Sanderson Road where a 5-year-old boy with bruises on his buttocks said he was “whipped” by his mother’s boyfriend. James M. Waltenburg was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree child assault, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It appears the child was struck with a bare hand, but a spanking becomes an assault if it causes more then temporary or “transient” pain, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.

ANGRY HUSBAND IN TROUBLE

• Deputies spoke with a 54-year-old woman from Cinebar on Saturday evening who said her husband threw a chunk of firewood at her car as she was leaving, breaking the windshield and denting a fender. He was upset, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office is asking prosecutors to charge the 51-year-old Cinebar man with third-degree malicious mischief, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.

BARN BURGLARY

• A deputy called about 9:20 a.m. on Saturday regarding electrical wiring stripped from a barn at the 1300 block of Silverbrook Road in Randle contacted a 22-year-old local resident walking toward the property and arrested him for an outstanding warrant and suspect he was involved in the theft. The sheriff’s office says Adam I. McGowen was wanted by the state Department of Corrections in connection with a case of a previous drug violation. McGowen was booked into the Lewis County Jail for his warrant, and prosecutors are being asked to also charge him with second-degree burglary related to the wiring, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

VEHICLE THEFT

• A 26-year-old Kelso man was arrested yesterday after he allegedly stole a truck from the 1200 block of West Chestnut Street in Centralia and was followed by its owner to Chehalis where police caught up with them. Officers responding to the approximately 11:15 a.m. call arrested Thomas N. Joy for vehicle theft. Chehalis police said when Joy was stopped at the 700 block of West Main Street, he attempted to get into a car occupied by two women and a baby which pulled up and the women were arrested as well. Stacy A. Anderson, 38, Kelso, for possession of methamphetamine and Teresa M. Lock, 24, from Kelso, for an outstanding warrant,  according to police. All were booked into the Lewis County Jail. Anderson was to be released with no charges filed, pending further investigation.

SHED BREAK-IN

• Centralia police were called about 5:15 p.m. on Saturday regarding missing items from a shed at the 500 block of South Pearl Street. The total loss has yet to be determined, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MORE THEFT

• Someone stole cash and a leaf blower from the 2400 block of Seward Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police on Saturday afternoon.

SUSPECTED SCAM

• Centralia police were called just before 9 p.m. on Saturday by an individual at the 600 block of North Pearl Street regarding a text received that indicated the reporting person’s debit card had been canceled. The warning came from a bank the individual doesn’t have an account with, according to the Centralia Police Department. A couple from Chehalis called police on Sunday night after getting a text telling them to call a number to reactivate their WSECU card, although they had no account there, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The sheriff’s office reports its aware of numerous potential victims who got similar texts over the weekend and it is clearly a scam. Sheriff’s office advises people not to respond, and asks that folks pass the word along to teens and young adults as well as older people who could more easily fall for it.

BICYCLE ACCIDENT INJURES CHILD

• A 12-year-old boy was seriously injured yesterday when he was tossed off his bicycle onto his head coming down a hill in Centralia. Firefighters and medics called around 2 p.m. to East Locust Street found the child had been riding with friends and wasn’t wearing a helmet, according to Riverside Fire Authority. He was knocked out although he regained consciousness but suffered numerous injuries, including suspected bleeding on his brain, according to Firefighter-Paramedic Jade Gross. The boy was bundled up and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital and transferred to Mary Bridge Childrens’ Hospital in Tacoma, according to Gross.

DUI SUSPECTED IN TWO-VEHICLE CRASH

• Two people were hospitalized and four treated at the scene following a head-on collision Saturday night at the 3600 block of Jackson Highway south of Chehalis. Responders answering a call about 11:30 p.m. found both vehicles totaled and suspect one driver was intoxicated. The sheriff’s office says the 24-year-old Centralia man was traveling north in the southbound lane and the 29-year-old Mossyrock woman driving an SUV attempted to swerve out of the way but the vehicles met head on. The sheriff’s office said there were no serious injuries, only abrasions. The 1999 Ford expedition was also carrying two children, ages 10 and 12, from Mossyrock, along with two other adults, from Winlock. When a deputy interviewed the driver of the 1999 Saturn at the hospital, his breath smelled of intoxicants, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Cesar Hernandez-Martinez, 24, is facing a charge of driving under the influence, but deputies are waiting result from a blood sample, according to Brown.

News brief: Sheriff’s Office wants your drugs

Saturday, April 19th, 2014

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

For anyone who wants to do their part in helping take a bite out of prescription drug abuse, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is offering to help take old meds off your hands.

On April 26, the public can drop off containers of expired and unwanted medications at the ROOF Community Resource Center in Rochester on the corner of U.S. Highway 12 and Bend Street  SW, according to the sheriff’s office.

The event takes place between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The idea is to prevent theft, diversion, misuse, abuse, accidental ingestion, addiction and even death, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The number of people across the country abusing prescription drugs is higher than than those using cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants combined, officials say.

Boy Scouts will be at the location to discuss crime prevention and prescription drug abuse, as part of an Eagle Scout project aimed at raising awareness among teens and young adults, according to sheriff’s Lt. Greg Elwin.