Lewis County Sirens.com

DEPUTY INJURED DURING DOMESTIC DISPUTE CALL

• A 21-year-old woman was arrested yesterday for allegedly attacking a deputy in Rochester, leaving him with a broken hand and scratches on his face. Law enforcement had been called about 4:30 p.m. regarding a disturbance between a husband and wife at their home on the 3900 block of 183rd Avenue Southwest, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. They were told she picked up a shovel and threatened her husband with it, according to Lt. Cliff Ziesemer. An arriving deputy made contact with Nicole J. Duff who was sitting on the porch, the shovel nearby, according to the sheriff’s office. When the deputy attempted to detain her, she began kicking, biting, punching and scratching at him, according to Ziesemer. Duff was Tased and taken into custody with the help of her husband, Ziesemer said. Duff had just been released from jail in Lewis County for punching an officer, Ziesemer said. She was booked into the Thurston County Jail for second-degree assault.

TWO CAMPERS FALL INTO FIRE

• Firefighters and paramedics were called early yesterday to an area off the 1900 block of Spencer Road near Salkum where they were told a man and a woman fell into a fire pit. Both were burned, the woman more seriously with injuries on her abdomen and over more than 20 percent of her body, according to Lewis County Fire District 8. It happened about 1:30 a.m. at Cowlitz Timber Trails, an association of lot owners along the river, Chief Duran McDaniel said. Others at the scene brought the couple to the gate and they were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, McDaniel said. “I don’t know her status, but I’m sure she got shipped out to another facility,” McDaniel said today.

KNIFE THREAT

• A 43-year-old Centralia man was arrested yesterday for second-degree assault after allegedly pulling out a knife and threatening an individual after an argument at Maple Street and Tower Avenue in Centralia. Officers responding about 2 p.m. booked Steven L. Baker into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. Further details were not readily available.

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police took a report shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday from a parking lot at the 100 block of West High Street of a green 1998 Honda Civic stolen from its owner by a relative. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FOUR-VEHICLE COLLISION

• A 42-year-old Olympia woman was arrested for driving under the influence after she slammed into the rear of a car stopped for heavy traffic on northbound Interstate 5 south of Chehalis yesterday, sending three of its occupants to the hospital and totaling their Hyundai Sonata, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers called about 11:45 a.m. to the scene near milepost 72 found the Sonata was shoved into a another vehicle, which was pushed into the vehicle in front of it. Transported to Providence Centralia Hospital were Heather L. Bittle, 35, of Olympia, and two 16-year-old boys, according to the state patrol. Booked into the Lewis County Jail was Suzanne M. Mansker, of Olympia, the investigating trooper reports.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrant, trespass, driving with suspended license; responses for domestic dispute, collision on city street … and more.

Four-vehicle chain reaction collision on northbound Interstate 5 south of Chehalis. / Courtesy photo by Stevie Roberts

DRUGS

• A 39-year-old man was arrested for delivery of methamphetamine and other offenses following a search of his bedroom on the 100 block of Northeast Division Street in Chehalis by Centralia’s special Anti-Crime Team, in which they reportedly found a stolen air conditioning machine, a spoon with heroin residue and a plastic baggie with meth residue. Galen J. Jorden was booked into the Lewis County Jail on Thursday and charged in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday. Charging papers allege that sometime during the month of August Jorden sold an unspecified amount of meth to an un-named person working under the supervision of a Centralia police detective. The detective was told the air conditioner, worth as much as $4,500, was stolen from a Shell station on Ellsburg Road and Jorden had had it for some time, the documents state. He was charged with second-degree possession of stolen property, delivery of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and possession of heroin. Bail was set at $25,000 and his arraignment set for this coming Thursday.

• A 22-year-old woman with a business as a painter and no previous criminal history was charged with allegedly twice selling heroin and once selling meth in recent weeks to an un-named person or persons working under the supervision of a Chehalis police detective. Stephanie Nelson was allowed to be released yesterday on a $10,000 unsecured bond after appearing before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court. According to charging documents, the first transaction occurred with 1,000 feet of a school zone in Chehalis. Nelson and 27-year-old Brett A. Economou were both arrested on Thursday in Chehalis by a detective who stopped their vehicle, according to court documents. Economou was charged with delivery of meth as well, as he allegedly was a passenger in Nelson’s vehicle during one transaction and was the one who the confidential informant handed the money to and he handed drugs back to the informant. Charging documents in his case allege when he was booked into jail, some amount of a substance that field tested positive for heroin was found in his under-clothing, so he was also charged with possession. The judge was told he was anticipating starting work next week at a lumber mill in Chehalis. Economou was allowed to be released from jail on the same conditions as Nelson. Their arraignments are scheduled for this coming Thursday.

MISSING MOTORCYCLE

• Centralia police responded about 7:20 p.m. yesterday to a report from the 1000 block of Scammon Creek Road regarding the theft of a black and white Kawasaki ZX600 motorcycle. Police have a suspect in mind and the investigation is ongoing,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

ALLEGED SEX CRIME

• A 76-year-old lifelong Centralia resident was arrested in connection with recent allegations that about three years ago he inappropriately touched the 6-year-old granddaughter of a neighbor while they were in the backseat of a vehicle on their way to look at Christmas lights at Fort Borst Park. George R. Smith was charged yesterday with two counts of first-degree child molestation in Lewis County Superior Court. Charging documents indicate the child’s mother contacted police in April, the girl was interviewed in June and Centralia police detectives on Tuesday recorded a phone conversation in which the mother called Smith. The girl told a detective Smith put his hand under her shorts, more than once, according to the documents. A judge yesterday allowed Smith to be released pending trial on a $25,000 unsecured bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 11.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license; responses for misdemeanor theft, possible Internet scam … and more.

Updated at 3:48 p.m.

WALL INSIDE CENTRALIA RESIDENCE CATCHES FIRE

• Firefighters were called about 7:20 p.m. yesterday to a home on the 1000 block of North Washington Avenue in Centralia where a fire broke out, burning a wall of a room used as an office. “The residents, they attempted to extinguish it, which they did a pretty good job,” Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Casey McCarthy said. “We put more water on it and opened up the wall.” McCarthy said the residents had grabbed a bowl of water with rice they were cooking to douse the flames. The fire appeared to have been caused from a malfunction of a piece of electronic equipment, like a printer, he said.

MISSING MEDS

• Police were called about 3:30 p.m. yesterday to a home on the 1100 block of South Pearl Street in Centralia regarding the theft of pain medication. The victim had a suspect in mind,  and the case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

POSSIBLE PROWLER

• Centralia police were called about 8:10 p.m. yesterday to the 400 block of West Center Street where they an individual told them someone pried open his neighbor’s garage door. It wasn’t immediately known if anything was missing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called yesterday morning regarding a nighttime vehicle prowl on the 1100 block of Brotherson Road.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report yesterday morning of graffiti spray painted onto a building on the 100 block of South Silver Street during the night.

• Someone threw a rock through the window of a vehicle parked on the 700 block of West Cherry Street in Centralia during the night, according to a report made to police yesterday morning.

DISAGREEMENT WITH A GUN

• Chehalis police were called about 12:40 p.m. yesterday to the 600 block of Southwest Pacific Avenue in connection with a dispute involving a vehicle reportedly speeding through the neighborhood. “It looks like there was a confrontation, some allegations of a gun being displayed, although not pointed at anyone,” Chehalis Police Department Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said. The incident is still under investigation and no arrests were made, according to Kaut.

HIT AND RUN FROM ACROSS CENTER LINE

• Deputies are looking for a dark blue two-car car with driver’s side damage that crossed the center line on the 3000 block of Jackson Highway early yesterday evening, striking an oncoming vehicle. Deputies arriving about 6:55 p.m. shortly after it happened were told by the 44-year-old Centralia man he was northbound and tried to get his Nissan Sentra onto the shoulder but couldn’t avoid the  collision, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect vehicle was possibly a Mitsubishi, the sheriff’s office said. The Sentra sustained major damage and the victim said he had minor back pain but declined aid, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

MOTIVE FOR ROAD RAGE A MYSTERY

• A man accused of ramming another motorist on the freeway, more than once and causing it to spin out into the concrete center barrier will get his opportunity to make his plea next week in Lewis County Superior Court. Troopers responding to the incident on Interstate 5 south of Chehalis saw a plume of dust consistent with an accident and then followed a trail of smoke off exit 71 at Napavine and came upon a slow-moving sport utility vehicle that pulled to the side of the roadway and then went nose first into the ditch, according to the Washington State Patrol. The driver, a 36-year-old software engineer from Redmond, was arrested and then charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and second-degree assault, according to authorities. It happened in the southbound lanes about 3:30 p.m. on Monday and Tony C. Chiang was allowed the following day to be released on a $25,000 signature bond. The two individuals in the other car were not hurt, and didn’t know what prompted it, Washington State Patrol Sgt. Neil Weaver said. “They were shocked and surprised by it,” Weaver said. They said they saw the red SUV coming up fast in the rear view mirror, he said. The driver came alongside them and stared at the car’s occupants, before turning his vehicle into theirs striking its side, charging documents relate. He then allegedly got behind the car and struck its back end and continued pushing it until it spun out, according to charging documents. Weaver said troopers didn’t learn from Chiang why he was upset. “We don’t know, because he didn’t want to talk to us,” Weaver said. Chiang’s arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, disorderly conduct, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarms, disputes, misdemeanor theft, collision on city street, hit and run … and more.

Updated at 1:23 p.m.

DIGGING FOR COPPER

• The Lewis County Public Works department is getting an estimate for dollar value of the loss of as much as a mile of underground street light wiring. Someone knocked over concrete junction boxes along the 1600 block of Rush Road south of Chehalis and removed the insulated and non-insulated copper wiring, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. It happened sometime between Friday and Monday, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

SUSPICIOUS PRIZE

• An individual at the 300 block of N Street in Centralia reported yesterday they received a message over the Internet that requested they send money in order to receive cash winnings from a contest, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FRAUD

• Centralia police took a report from the 500 block of Hemlock Street on Tuesday about a possible identity theft that occurred sometime during the past year.

• Centralia police were called on Tuesday afternoon regarding a forged prescription for pain medications at the 500 block of South Tower Avenue.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police responded on Tuesday morning to a report of a vehicle prowl on the 600 block of Southwest Pacific Avenue and later in the day to another prowl on the 300 block of the same street.

• Police took a report of a vehicle prowl at the 1000 block of Woodland Avenue in Centralia on Tuesday.

• Someone broke into a vehicle at the 400 block of South Buckner Street in Centralia and stole a backpack, according to a report made to police on Tuesday.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called about 10:15 a.m. yesterday to the 700 block of G Street where sometime during the night someone damaged a vehicle by slashing a tired and cutting a seat.

• Several buildings in the area of the 200 block of South Pearl Street were tagged with gang-style graffiti between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to the Centralia Police Department. Spray paint was used leaving some type of moniker, according to police.

DRUGS

• Two woman were arrested overnight following a traffic stop in which both were wanted on warrants from the state Department of Corrections and police found in the vehicle a set of digital scales and two baggies of suspected methamphetamine, according to the Chehalis Police Department. It happened on the 600 block of West Main Street about 12:15 a.m., according to police. Detective Sgt. Gary WIlson said the driver, Nichole A. Bryant, 25, from Chehalis, was booked for possession and conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine. A suspected meth pipe on the passenger, Deonna A. Williams, 27, of Centralia, got her booked for possession of meth, Wilson said.

GRASS FIRE ONALASKA

• Firefighters called to the 100 block of Leonard Road in Onalaska about 5:30 p.m. yesterday found a grass fire that apparently had begun from the neighboring church, where an individual earlier had done some weed burning along the fence line. It grew to about 30 feet by 30 feet but was knocked down quickly, Lewis County Fire District 1 Chief Mark Conner said.

GRASS FIRE TENINO

• Firefighters spent nearly four hours on Tuesday dealing with a brush fire that covered about six acres of mostly pastureland west of Tenino. Thurston County Fire District 12 Battalion Chief James Fowler said it started beneath a pair of old growth fir trees but its cause was not obvious. They created a wet perimeter to keep the fire away from three homes on Goddard Road Southwest off Tilley Road, he said. Thee horses in the area were moved to a nearby barn as a precaution, according to Fowler.

DUIS

• Chehalis city council member Robert J. Spahr was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol last night in Centralia. He was pulled over about 11 p.m. near the area of Johnson Road and Borst Avenue for not using a turn signal and the officer smelled the odor of intoxicants, according to Centralia Police Department Officer Patty Finch. Spahr was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• A 58-year-old Centralia man was hospitalized after a single-vehicle wreck on the 800 block of North Fork Road outside Chehalis on Tuesday night. Deputies responding just after 9 p.m. found aid personnel extricating the driver from the totaled van, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Criminal Deputy Gene Seiber described Stephen C. Connon’s injuries as minor. Connon was subsequently booked into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence, according to Seiber.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license; responses for  alarms, disputes, counterfeiting, shoplifting  and other misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor assault, collision on city street, hit and run to mailbox; complaint about group of pre-teenish boys at a park skateboarding on the toys and using inappropriate language … and more.