Archive for June, 2014

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, June 18th, 2014

SKETCHY VAN

• Deputies have their eyes out for a dark green Chevrolet Astrovan that was seen seemingly suspicious at an Onalaska home yesterday and also pulling in and out of driveways on Davis Lake Road in Morton. A 28-year-old woman who believes its occupants were looking in her mailbox called 911 last night after she saw two males running from the back of her house and leaving in the van at about 7:15 p.m., according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. That happened at the 3000 block of state Route 508, according to the sheriff’s office. The woman followed the vehicle to Cinebar Road and took a picture, but then got nervous because her children were with her, and returned home, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Nothing appeared to have been stolen, Brown said. The van has black running boards and the two men looked to be about 40 years old, of average height and weight, according to Brown. Anyone who sees it is asked to call the sheriff’s office right away, as deputies would like to speak with the men about their activities, Brown said.

DRUGS

• Centralia police responding about 5 p.m. yesterday to someone trying to break into vehicles in the parking lot at the Outlet mall on the 1300 block of Lum Road arrested a 47-year-old woman from Fife for possession of methamphetamine. A 40-year-old Tacoma man was arrested for a warrant and possession of PCP, but aid was called to evaluate him because he was lethargic. He was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital to be checked out. Larry B. Robinson was subsequently booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. Prosecutors declined to charge the woman and she is to be released.

BIG GUY WITH WARRANT

• Several law enforcement officers congregated in the area near Applebees in Chehalis yesterday afternoon when they learned from Portland police a man who had left the state of Oregon in violation of his probation was there with his wife, and she might be in danger. It was just before 3 p.m. at the 1600 block of Louisiana Avenue and the woman said she was fine but 27-year-old Jordan Solomon was taken into custody, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Police said the 6-foot-6-inch tall man smashed his head against the inside of a patrol car window, popping it out. He was booked for his warrant and for third-degree malicious mischief, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. Wilson indicated Portland police were able to track the vehicle using its GPS system provider because the woman may have been endangered. He said the large police response was made because Solomon has a bad history with police.

YOUR MONEY’S NO GOOD HERE

• Centralia police arrested a 35-year-old Auburn man for counterfeiting after he allegedly tried to use fake bills to put money on his account at the jail early this morning, after they arrested him for a warrant. Prosecutors declined to file a criminal charge against him.

MOSSYROCK BREAK-IN

• Morton police report they are investigating a burglary discovered at a Mossyrock business about 6:45 a.m. on June 10, in the 100 block of East State Street. A door was kicked open and approximately $100 was missing, according to police.

MESSAGE FROM THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL

• Sales of consumer fireworks begin on June 28 at noon and end on July 5 at 11 p.m. A number of city and counties have restricted or banned the sale and discharge of fireworks. The state fire marshal recommends to always be sure to check with your local jurisdiction before using fireworks.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, misdemeanor theft such as a book, possible theft of money at a retail business, vehicle hitting mailbox on county road, graffiti in a bathroom at the college, teens on the roof of a school, deer running around on the road, concern about rats by an overflowing dumpster, concern about neighbor dogs without food or water … and more.

Breaking news: Explosion at Maytown fireworks business injures three

Wednesday, June 18th, 2014
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Airlift Northwest takes off with a patient headed to Harborview Medical Center. / Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority

Updated at 1:39 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Three employees at a fireworks manufacturing company were injured this morning, one fatally, by an explosion and fire in Maytown, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies and firefighters were dispatched just before 10 o’clock to the incident at the 13000 block of Reeder Road; it happened at the front of an outbuilding belonging to the business, sheriff’s Lt. Greg Elwin said.

A witness who was doing work with a friend outside a house across the street said he heard about 15 commercial mortars. It went on for perhaps 20 seconds, 33-year-old Eathon Wesen of Napavine said.

“All the sudden there was like, boom, boom, boom,” Wesen said. “We looked over there, you could see fireworks going off like at ground level; well, about 10 to 12 feet in the air.”

A 74-year-old man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, but  died enroute, according to the sheriff’s office. Two males were taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

One of them, age 25, subsequently was flown to Harborview, according to Elwin. The third victim is a 52-year-old man with a burned hand, he said.

A spokesperson for West Thurston Regional Fire Authority said workers were inserting detonators into firework displays, to be used at a future event.

The fire chief was at a meeting at the station at the intersection of Maytown and Reeder roads, heard explosions and called 911 then responded, Lt. Lanette Dyer said.

Deputies have secured the scene and conducted an initial investigation, and are now waiting for investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm as well as the state Department of Labor and Industries according to Elwin.

Numerous employees are on the scene, he said. The company is Entertainment Fireworks, he said.

Elwin described the injuries as burns and concussion injuries.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

Updated at 7:19 p.m.

POLICE: YOUNG MAN THREATENS TO CUT UP FATHER

• Deputies were called about 11 a.m. yesterday to a home in Mineral where a 22-year-old son had allegedly threatened to shoot his father and then himself. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said an argument took place at the parent’s home on the 200 block of Lutkens Road and the son, who is described as transient, reportedly told his 57-year-old father he was going to place duct tape over his mouth, cut him up and then use a gun. The father was able to go inside the residence and lock the doors to get away from his son, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Arriving deputies found Matthew C. Nyman standing on the front porch, arrested him for felony harassment and booked him into the Lewis County Jail, according to authorities. Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello said it wasn’t clear from the reports what Nyman was upset over, but it appeared he may suffer from a mental health disorder. A judge ordered him held on $10,000 bail when he appeared in court this afternoon, charged with felony harassment, domestic violence. The judge also ordered him to have no contact with his father, Masiello said.

TV GONE

• Centralia police were called about 10:20 a.m. yesterday regarding a flat screen television taken from a room at the 1000 block of Eckerson Road in Centralia.

CHAINSAW GONE

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday that someone stole a $900 Stihl chainsaw when they broke a padlock to a shed on the 100 block of Cinebar Road in East Lewis County. The victim said it happened between 3 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.

FRAUD

• An individual called Centralia police yesterday from the 800 block of K Street to report he had learned from his bank someone back in 2010 filed taxes in Florida using his personal information, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DENT GETS MAN LOCKED UP

• A 33-year-old Centralia man was booked into jail last night for allegedly kicking a dent into someone’s vehicle. Centralia police called to the 1600 block of North Schueber Road about 9:20 p.m. arrested Ryan A. McCarter for third-degree malicious mischief and booked him into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

LOST AND FOUND

• A citizen turned into the Chehalis Police Department yesterday a small glass bottle of marijuana found on the side of the road at Southwest 11th Street and McFadden Avenue. Don’t bother checking with the lost and found there, police say, it will be destroyed. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said it may be legal for individuals to possess small amounts, but the state of the current law doesn’t mean officers can “deliver” marijuana to even its rightful owner.

TOO FAST FOR CORNER

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office responded yesterday to the 1500 block of Bishop Road south of Chehalis where the Kenworth tractor and trailer loaded with lumber tipped onto its side. The 57-year-old driver from Brigham City, Utah was southbound and traveling too fast for a sharp corner, the sheriff’s office said. He was reportedly uninjured. No ticket has yet been issued, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, misdemeanor assault; responses for suspicious circumstances, neighborhood parking issues, possible IRS scam over the telephone, an individual who rented a washer and dryer from a business and did not pay … and more.

Read about Pacific County deputy accused of extortion …

Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The (Aberdeen) Daily World reports that 11 criminal charges including extortion and bribery were filed yesterday against a Pacific County sheriff’s deputy following an investigation conducted by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office at the Pacific County sheriff’s request.

The newspaper writes that Deputy Vance O. Johnson, 44, has been on administrative leave since April; and that the charges in Pacific County Superior Court stem from on-duty behavior.

Read about it here. KXRO Newsradio has more

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, June 16th, 2014

Updated at 6:41 p.m.

RUN, RUN, RUN, RUNAWAY

• A 48-year-old Ethel man was arrested following a brief nighttime police pursuit west of Onalaska which turned into a foot chase and ended when the subject running at full speed collided with a building covered in blackberry bushes. Brian S. Steward was wanted on a warrant and was taken into custody, after the early Saturday morning incident, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It began when a deputy was called to a dispute just after midnight on Friday at the 400 block of Burchett Road but Steward left before the deputy arrived, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies learned Steward was driving with a suspended license and had a warrant from the state Department of Corrections and spotted his car near state Route 508 and Tauscher Road, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Brown said Steward didn’t pull over, instead continued down Jackson Highway to a farm where he left his Chevrolet Impala and took off running. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for eluding, Brown said.

DOMESTIC UN-TRANQUILITY

• Police arrested a 62-year-old Centralia woman last night after she allegedly pulled a gun on her roommate. Officers called about 9:40 p.m. to the 900 block of Marion Street booked Rita J. Finegan into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault. Prosecutors sent the case to municipal court, which handles misdemeanors.

• A 45-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested this morning after she allegedly entered a home on the 1800 block of Shamrock Avenue in Centralia, illegally, broke several items and assaulted her husband. Tamara L. Twidwell left when police were called about 5:30 a.m. but was located a short time later and booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree burglary and fourth-degree assault, according to the Centralia Police Department.

POLICE: UNRULY NY MAN KICKS OFFICER

• A 64-year-old man from New York who was kicked off a train in Centralia for being disorderly found himself lodged at the Lewis County Jail because he allegedly pushed and then kicked a police officer. Police called about 3:40 p.m. on Friday to the Amtrak station to remove an intoxicated and belligerent passenger from the premises arrested James C. Davis for assault after he pushed an officer, Sgt. Kurt Reichert said. He was taken to the hospital first for a pre-booking screening because of the level of intoxication and as the same officer was placing him back into the patrol car, Davis allegedly caught the side of the officer’s head with his foot, Reichert said. He was booked for two counts of third-degree assault, according to police.

BURGLARY AND THEFT

• Jewelry and cash were stolen from a home on the 300 block of Courtland Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police just before noon yesterday. It appears they got in through an unlocked door, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police were called about 1:35 p.m. on Saturday to the 1800 block of Juneman Street where someone had broken into a home and ransacked several rooms, leaving with a lock box and unspecified documents.

• Someone stole a utility trailer during the night from the 2900 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 5:45 a.m. yesterday.

RIFLE CLEANING ACCIDENT WOUNDS ONE

• A 30-year-old Randle man was hospitalized after he accidentally shot himself in the forearm as he was cleaning a .22 rifle on his back porch. Deputies called about 12:20 p.m. on Friday to the 100 block of Baugh Road learned that he was getting ready to test fire the weapon when something dropped and when he leaned down to pick it up, he bumped the trigger, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

THREE INJURED IN WRECK NEAR MAYFIELD LAKE

• Three people were hospitalized after a single-vehicle wreck yesterday afternoon when a 1966 Ford Mustang hit a ditch on U.S. Highway 12 traveling along about 150 feet before colliding head on with the end of a guard rail. Troopers called about 4:40 p.m. to the scene roughly four miles west of Mossyrock found the car totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol. The vehicle had been traveling westbound  and was approaching Mayfield Lake bridge when the driver was distracted by something as-yet-unspecified, according to the state patrol. Transported to Providence Centralia Hospital were the driver Albert L. Cheney, 52, from Centralia; and passengers Denise R. Salts, 55, of Silver Creek, and 3-year-old Aiden Robbins, according to the investigating trooper. Cheney was treated and released and a hospital spokesperson said no information can be released about children. Salts was transferred to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, in Vancouver, where this afternoon she was listed in serious condition. Salts is the same woman who survived a gunshot wound to her face when her boyfriend and two others were slain almost four years ago inside a Salkum-Onalaska area home on Wings Way.

• A semi truck loaded carrying lumber tipped onto its side on Bishop Road near Labree Road in Chehalis this afternoon, but the driver was uninjured, according to Lewis County Fire District 6. Chief Tim Kinder said crews from fire districts 5 and 6 responded about 1 p.m. and tended to the oil that spilled from the engine. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the wreck, according to Kinder.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, violation of protection order, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarms, disputes, vandalism, underage drinking, collisions on city streets, misdemeanor theft such as wallet left in shopping cart, shoplift of dog food … and more.

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Bishop Road near Labree Road in Chehalis this afternoon / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Fire District 6

Tacoma teen’s body pulled from Chehalis River at state park

Monday, June 16th, 2014

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Tacoma teen originally from Nigeria experiencing camping for the first time drowned in the Chehalis River over the weekend.

Linsey Mike was 17 years old.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said the young man had only been in Washington for eight months.

Rescuers were called about 3:20 p.m. on Saturday to an area near the falls, by the entrance to Rainbow Falls State Park, approximately12 miles west of Chehalis but didn’t recover his body until yesterday morning.

Mike was camping with a group of friends at the park when they all decided to go swimming in the river, according to responders.

The sheriff’s office said Mike told his friends he was not a good swimmer and one of them told him not to jump in the water, but he did.

“One witness said when he surfaced from the jump, he looked panic stricken and began flailing his arms,” the sheriff’s office stated in a news release. “The witness, a 19 year old female, jumped in to save him but he was flailing his arms so much that she was unable to make contact before he quickly went under water and did not resurface.”

The falls are not tall, but the water is cold and the current is swift.

Members of fire districts in Pe Ell and Dryad-Doty, along with the sheriff’s office swift water rescue team and a diver from Thurston County responded on Saturday afternoon and returned yesterday morning.

His body was found in the same area where he went under, the sheriff’s office said.

It’s the second river drowning in the county in recent weeks and the third drowning locally this spring.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield took the opportunity to issue a statement noting that 90 percent of water-related fatalities could be prevented by wearing life jackets or some type of flotation device, something especially important for those who aren’t good swimmers.

Breaking news: Teen lost in Chehalis River

Saturday, June 14th, 2014

Updated

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Responders are looking for a 17-year-old Tacoma boy in the Chehalis River at Rainbow Falls State Park.

He and his friends had been camping and decided to swim near the falls when he went under, came up flailing and was pulled under again, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Fire Chief Tim Kinder said he responded with a thermal imaging camera to assist but the current was too swift.

The initial call came about 3:20 p.m.

“My understanding is another teen grabbed a hold of him, but was not able to hold on,” Kinder said.

A diver was on the way to the scene about 6 p.m.

The swift water rescue team from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has been searching and are still out there this evening, sheriff’s office Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said at about 8 p.m.

More to come as information becomes available.

Update Sunday June 15, 2014: The young man’s body was recovered this morning in the same area where he went under, a teen originally from Nigeria, only in Washington for eight months on his first-ever camping trip, according to the sheriff’s office.

Lewis County Fire Districts 16 and 11 along with the sheriff’s office swift water rescue team and a diver from Thurston County reconvened this morning after a search last night that went until dark, according to Brown.

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CORRECTION: This has been updated to correct an error made in relating a statement made by Chief Kinder.