Lewis County Sirens.com

CEMENT CAT GROWS LEGS

• Someone stole a concrete lion from a porch on the 100 block of North Washington Street in Centralia, according to a report made to the Centralia Police Department yesterday.

MORE THEFT

• Police took a report yesterday of a bench stolen from the 300 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia.

• Centralia police were called about 7:30 p.m. yesterday when a male walked out of a store on the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue with a cart full of groceries.

CAR PROWL

• A 25-year-old road construction worker called 911 yesterday after discovering someone got into his vehicle he’d left parked on state Route 6 near Katula Road west of Chehalis while he worked and they stole a cell phone, a driver’s license and $15 cash. It happened between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. He’d left the windows down because it was hot, the sheriff’s office reports.

GIRL FIGHT BROKEN UP

• A teenage girl and two women were arrested yesterday after an ongoing feud erupted into assaults at the 600 block of West Seventh Street in Centralia. Officers called about 2:45 p.m. to a physical dispute in progress arrested Apolinar Penaloza Ortiz, 37, for disorderly conduct and Jaqueline Dado-Ledezma, 35, for misdemeanor assault, according to the Centralia Police Department. The case of the 16-year-old girl was referred to prosecutors for a charge of misdemeanor assault, according to police. The Centralia residents were all then released, according to police. Further details were not readily available about the disagreement.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrest for warrants, shoplifting, driving with suspended license, responses for alarms, dispute, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, hit and run, car into ditch and mailbox, dogs left alone inside vehicles … and more.

Updated

RANDLE RESIDENT HURT IN WRECK

• A 65-year-old Randle man was hospitalized after his car was rear ended by a semi-truck on U.S. Highway 12 near Glenoma today. Troopers called about 11:20 a.m. to the scene found Freddie C. Rickets was stopped in his Ford Focus waiting for traffic at the intersection with Savio Road, according to the Washington State Patrol. A 2009 Kenworth tractor without any trailer stuck the rear of the car, according to the state patrol. Rickets was injured and transported by aid to Morton General Hospital, according to the investigating trooper. Bernard F. Horstman, 56, from Longview, wasn’t hurt but was cited for following too closely, the state patrol reports.

OFFICERS FLOCK TO REPORT OF GUN DRAWN AT ACCIDENT SCENE

• Nobody was injured after a two-vehicle collision yesterday on southbound Interstate 5 in Chehalis but the green Ford Explorer that came to rest in a field next to the freeway drew numerous law enforcement officers when an individual told an arriving trooper there was a firearm being brandished. William H. Carroll, 68, of Onalaska, had moved into the left lane and struck a Dodge pickup truck, according to the Washington State Patrol. The pickup pulled to the shoulder but the Explorer continued off the road. Carroll was eventually cited for an unsafe lane change, according to the state patrol. “We believe the driver was unloading the weapon after the collision,” Trooper Torson Iverson said. “We got it all cleared up after the scene was under control.” Iverson said he believed the other driver, David E. Carroll, 65, from Forks, was a relative of Carroll’s. Both vehicles were damaged but were able to be driven away from the scene, the investigating trooper reports.

CHEHALIS MAN HURT IN THURSTON CRASH

• A 41-year-old Chehalis resident was injured last night when the vehicle in which he was a passenger struck a flatbed tow truck east of Lacey. Troopers responding about 9:45 p.m. to state Route 510 at Mullen Road found the tow truck was westbound, made a wrong turn and began to back out onto the road. It was struck by a Hyundai Tuscan driven by 49-year-old Grace M. DeBoard of Rochester, according to the Washington State Patrol. She was not hurt, but Douglas W. Lohman was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital, according to the state patrol. Neither the tow truck driver, from Terrebonne, Ore. nor his two teenage passengers were injured, the investigating trooper reports. But he was cited for negligent driving. The road was closed for approximately three hours.

THREE INJURED IN CENTRALIA COLLISION

• Two women and one man suffered minor injuries when a vehicle ran a stop sign at Summa Street and Kresky Avenue in Centralia yesterday morning and hit a semi truck headed north on its passenger side, according to responders. Police and aid called about 10:15 a.m. found that a second car collided in a T-bone fashion with the first car, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Traffic was blocked and a detour was put in place, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert. The truck driver was unhurt but the three others involved were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to Weinert.

THEFT OF POT

• Centralia police were called about 9 p.m. yesterday regarding the theft of medical marijuana from a home on the 3100 block of Russell Road.

MUSIC MISSING

Centralia police took a report about stolen rental instruments yesterday from the 100 block of South Tower Avenue.

MAIL MISSING

• Chehalis police were called about 1 p.m. yesterday regarding the theft of mail on Southwest 18th Street.

FRAUD

• An officer took a report yesterday from the 900 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia about fraudulent activity on a checking account.

STREET FIGHT

• Centralia police responded about 6:40 p.m. yesterday to a report of a misdemeanor assault following a traffic altercation at the 500 block of North Rock Street. Further details were not readily available.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A 61-year-old Vietnam veteran living on social security disability and food stamps was arrested yesterday for allegedly touching a young relative in Centralia about six years ago when she was a third grader. Centralia police learned of the allegations two years ago, and this summer after further investigation was conducted, including interviews with the now teenage girl and Robert A. Kinney, Kinney was booked into the Lewis County Jail. He was charged in Lewis County Superior Court today with first-degree rape of a child, for allegedly touching the girl between her legs with his fingers and mouth while they were alone at his travel trailer home. Charging documents state the girl told an adult they were playing video games, he had been drinking and she felt scared and paralyzed and didn’t tell anyone right away what occurred. Kinney reportedly told a detective at first, he didn’t remember anything like that but if there was any touching, it was accidental as the trailer where he lived was small with not much room to move around in. He allegedly also spoke to the detective of “generations of kids” who have touched him and his efforts not to make them feel self conscious when they are exploring their sexuality. His bail was set at $500,000 and arraignment scheduled for Thursday.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrest for warrants, failing to transfer vehicle title, driving under the influence, misdemeanor assaults, driving with suspended license; responses for alarms, dispute, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, hit and run, car into a ditch, dogs left alone inside vehicles … and more.

Updated at 2:17 p.m.

ATTEMPTED THEFT

• Deputies responding about 5:20 a.m. yesterday to a Shell gas station on the 100 block of Mulford Road west of Toledo found two baseball-sized holes in the glass front door and reviewed security video that showed a male wearing a puffy jacket with fur on its collar trying to break it. He smacked the door twice with a blunt object but being made from the same material as a car windshield, it wouldn’t break, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The images from earlier show two males arrived in a vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. The loss from the damage to the Toledo woman who owns Cowlitz Food and Fuel is estimated at $500, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

THEFT

• Centralia police responded about 7:30 a.m. today to a call from the power company regarding a stolen meter discovered on a residence on the 200 block of Tilley Avenue where the electricity had been previously shut off. Police are investigating.

THEFT

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a 50-year-old Glenoma woman returned home to the 100 block of Cedar Lane about 3 p.m. on Sunday to discover her Android tablet and 32 caliber Ruger semi-automatic pistol were gone. A deputy was given possible suspect information, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

THEFT

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports the 73-year-old owner of a vacation cabin near Ashford discovered four windows were broken and someone made off with coats, jackets and other items including a metal folding table. It happened on milepost 4 of Skate Creek Road North sometime in the three weeks before Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.

THEFT

• The owner of a vacation home on the 100 block of VanHoesen Road in Onalaska called 911 on Sunday after finding someone broke through the front door and stole food, two drills and a DVD player. The victim, a 56-year-old man from Milwaukie, Ore., estimated the loss at $300, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

THEFT

• A 59-year-old Onalaska man reported on Saturday someone stole his Kymco 300 ATV from the 200 block of Burchette Road sometime during the previous few days while he was gone fishing. The value is $1,800, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

LOST AND FOUND

• A set of rosary beads found in the 400 block of Northwest Front Street in Chehalis were turned into the police department yesterday afternoon. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said if someone can describe them, they can get them back.

LITTLE POLICE PURSUIT

• A red Chevrolet Tahoe that failed to pull over when a Chehalis police officer attempted to make a traffic stop about 3:30 p.m. yesterday in the Twin City Town Center was discovered later parked in Chehalis without any occupants. Police briefly chased the SUV but terminated the pursuit when it headed into downtown, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Officers have a possible suspect, according to police.

COLLISIONS

• A 58-year-old Yakima man on a motorcycle traveled approximately 100 feet down a steep embankment off Skate Creek Road South near Packwood on Saturday afternoon after hitting a rough patch on the road and losing control. He suffered head and chest pain and was being tended to by aid when deputies arrived about 2:30 p.m. to the area near milepost 14, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Witnesses traveling behind him said they observed no erratic driving so no enforcement action was taken, according to the sheriff’s office. His 2000 Harley Davidson was described as totaled.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported today the 23-year-old Centralia woman whose car became wedged  beneath the trailer of a parked 18-wheeler on Sunday at the 600 block of Reynolds Avenue in Centralia said she had been sick and fell asleep, causing her to leave the roadway, hit a deep ditch and become airborne. The driver sustained a possible broken eye socket and possible concussion, according to the sheriff’s office. She was cited for wheels off the road and driving with a suspended license, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

CRIME STOPPERS

• Lewis County Crime Stoppers and Chehalis police are hoping someone recognizes a security video image of a heavyset balding man who walked into Wal-Mart about 1 a.m. on May 9 and broke into a jewelry case with some kind of tool and stole 17 assorted rings. He exited the store and drove away in a dark colored two-door car, according to Crime Stoppers. The loss is reported as $4,224. Crime Stoppers pays up to $1,000 for information leading to the clearance of crimes. Anonymous calls can be made to 1-800-748-6422 or information may be shared online at www.lewiscountycrimestoppers.org

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrest for warrants, obstructing, resisting arrest, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, collisions on city streets, vicious cat, dogs left alone inside vehicles … and more.

Police are looking for tips as to the identity of this man suspected of breaking into a jewelry case at Wal-Mart in Chehalis early in the morning on May 9.

Updated at 10:02 p.m.

RUBBER RAFT DUMPS PASSENGERS INTO COWLITZ RIVER

• Firefighters were called to a boating accident in the Cowlitz River in Toledo yesterday evening when a lightweight inflatable raft hit something in the water and popped. There were several people that went in the water and two girls ages 11 and 8 were plucked out, according to Lewis County Fire District 2. Fire Chief Grant Wiltbank said he understood they put their craft in upstream from the bridge over state Route 505 and one man helped one of the girls near the bridge and another man caught the second girl as she floated downstream. It could have been a deadly incident if not for the life jackets the children were wearing, according to Wiltbank. Below the surface of the river, the currents can run in all different directions, and bends in rivers often hold downed trees, the branches of which act as a strainer and can rip rafts up, he said. “Even though on the surface it looks like it’s moving slow at times, it’s extremely powerful underneath,” he said. One man who had been in the water was really cold and needed to get warmed up so he was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to Lewis County Medic One.

UNLAWFUL IMPRISONMENT

• A 25-year-old Morton resident was arrested for unlawful imprisonment after an incident on Friday that went on for about three hours at the 600 block of state Route 7 outside Morton. Deputies called about 7 p.m. after his 18-year-old girlfriend finally got away were told he didn’t want her to leave, called her names, threw things, stepped in front of her and threatened to cut his own throat, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said Jonathan J. Kaye began cutting on himself and when the young woman finally ran to her car and fled, he chased her down state Route 508. Kaye was subsequently located and booked into the Lewis County Jail, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

ANGRY EX-BOYFRIEND ARRESTED

• A 23-year-old Winlock man was arrested after he reportedly barged into a home and assaulted his ex-girlfriend and his longtime friend on Friday morning at the 100 block of Allman Road in Winlock. Sean M. Riley allegedly threw a television to the floor and stomped on it and slashed tires on the two victim’s vehicles before leaving, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies called about 9:30 a.m. learned the young woman got a next door neighbor to break up the fight, according to the sheriff’s office. Riley was subsequently located and booked into the Lewis County Jail for fourth-degree assault, malicious mischief and burglary, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

CENTRALIA HOME BURGLARIZED

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning someone made off with a vintage watch, broach and pocket watch, a handgun and numerous other valuables totaling about $4,000 from a home on the 100 block of Blanchard Road in Centralia last Wednesday. The resident called 911 about  3 p.m. when she returned home and found her belonging thrown around, according to the sheriff’s office. A dog track was conducted and it appeared someone left on an ATV, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

PURSE SNATCHING

• An Onalaska woman turned her back on her shopping cart as she loaded up her vehicle outside Wal-Mart and someone walking by took her purse, according to the Chehalis Police Department. An officer responding about 5 p.m. on Saturday learned from surveillance video it was a white male in his 20s driving a green four-door passenger car with a small spoiler, according to police.

FRAUD

• Morton police were contacted on Thursday by a resident who discovered someone had stolen checks from her purse, forged her name and cashed them in the amount of about $260. The case is still under investigation, according to the Morton Police Department.

SNOOZING IN THE BUSHES

• A 51-year-old homeless man was arrested yesterday morning for trespassing after he was found sleeping in the bushes, with empty beer cans, at a convalescent home in Centralia. Keith A. Smith is from Centralia and has been told by the owners and police he may not go to Cooks Hill Manor, except to visit his girlfriend, according to the Centralia Police Department. An officer called just before 11 a.m. to the location on the 2000 block of Cooks Hill Road booked Smith into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

DOG BITES

• First responders were called about 10:40 p.m. yesterday by law enforcement to an area near milepost 63 and Interstate 5 near Winlock and Toledo for an individual with multiple dog bites. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said it sent its K-9 to  conduct a track to assist troopers following a hit and run incident, in connection with a 29-year-old Longview man. Further details were not readily available. The patient was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to Lewis County Fire District 5.

PETS PERISH IN RV FIRE

• Two small dogs died from smoke inhalation when a fire broke out in a fifth-wheel trailer being used as a home in the Doty-Dryad area on Saturday morning. Lewis County Fire District 16 Chief Greg Feuchter said no one was home at the time and there was smoke damage throughout with heavy fire damage to the front of the trailer.

TRAILER OF HAY IGNITES ON HIGHWAY

• Firefighters were called about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday when a large load of hay bales on a flatbed trailer caught fire while being pulled down U.S. Highway 12 just east of Mary’s Corner near Larmon Road. Nobody was hurt; the man, woman and children pulled over after noticing the trailer was on fire, according to Lewis County Fire District 5. Firefighter Brad Bozarth said one lane of the highway was closed for about 20 minutes and the other for roughly three hours while crews doused the smoldering pile of hay. He estimated there were about 200 bales. The bed of the Ford F250 pickup burned, but not the cab, he said.

COLLISIONS

• A motorcycle rider from Sequim was injured yesterday when he slowed for freeway traffic yesterday in Chehalis and had to lay his bike down to avoid slamming into the back of a car. Troopers and aid called about 1:15 p.m. to the northbound lanes near Labree Road found Eric T. Thomas separated from his his bike and then slid as much as 30 feet on the roadway, according to responders. “He was wearing protective gear so that saved a lot of road rash,” Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Ted McCarty said. Thomas, 50, had a hurt shoulder and facial laceration, according to McCarty. He was flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical center in Seattle, primarily because they couldn’t be sure if he had internal injuries, according to McCarty. He was to be issued a citation for speed too fast for conditions, according to Washington State Patrol. His 1998 Honda GL 1500 was damaged, according to the state patrol.

• A woman escaped with small cuts from broken glass when she wrecked her car on the 600 block of Reynolds Avenue in Centralia yesterday afternoon, coming to rest wedged partially beneath the trailer of a parked 18-wheeler. She had left the roadway and hit a culvert, according to Riverside Fire Authority. “She was able to back out and was standing outside when we got there,” Fire Capt. Erik Olson said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrest for warrants,  trespass, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, providing false statement, failure to transfer vehicle title; responses for alarms, disputes, possible fraud, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, violation of protection order, dogs or children left alone inside vehicles in parking lots, noisy kids on playground after 10 p.m. … and more.