Lewis County Sirens.com

DRIVER PINNED AFTER HIGHWAY 12 CRASH

• An 18-year-old Salkum resident is being treated at Providence Centralia Hospital after a single-vehicle wreck on U.S. Highway 12 that left his legs trapped beneath his car early this morning. Troopers and aid called about 4:30 a.m. to the area near Jackson Highway found Roberto A. Sanchez had rolled his 1996 Hyundai and was ejected, according to the Washington State Patrol. The car was probably 30 feet off the south side of the roadway and up against a tree, not really visible to passing traffic, according to Lewis County Fire District 5. The patient didn’t know how long he’d been there or remember what happened, Firefighter Maria Kennedy said. “He called himself in,” Kennedy said. “If he didn’t have a phone, I don’t know how long he’d have been sitting there; probably until the sun came up.” With help from a crew from Lewis County Fire District 6, troopers, a deputy and a paramedic, they were able to safely raise the car and remove the young man, Kennedy said. By that time, he was alert and oriented and doing surprisingly well, she said. The investigating trooper concluded Sanchez had been traveling eastbound and fallen asleep, without a seatbelt. He was cited for second-degree negligent driving, according to the state patrol.

DRIVER KILLED IN CAPITOL FOREST

• A 53-year-old Tacoma man is dead after a wreck in the Capitol Forest yesterday, in which a UTV went off the road, down an embankment and rolled. Richard S. Daniel was driving a 2014 Kawasaki KRT800 – also known as a side-by-side, according to Trooper Guy Gill – on the B-Line Road just west of the C-Line Road at Rock Candy Mountain, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers called about 1:30 p.m. found his two passengers unhurt. The crash was blamed on going too fast.

BRUSH IGNITES NEAR WINLOCK HOME

• Firefighters from three surrounding departments joined Lewis County Fire District 15 yesterday afternoon when a brush fire broke out north of Winlock. Crews called about 4:15 p.m. to the area near Tennessee and Nelson roads found grass, trees and blackberry bushes burning and heading toward a home, District 5 Firefighter Maria Kennedy said. “We immediately put a defensive line around the residence,” Kennedy said. District 5 Chief Gregg Peterson, who served as incident commander, said it covered probably less than an acre and two small outbuildings burned. Nobody was hurt, personnel from the state Department of Natural Resources took over and will be determining the cause, Peterson said.

MISSING GUN FOUND

• Centralia police recovered a firearm stolen in Everett during a traffic stop at Cherry Street and Tower Avenue late yesterday afternoon. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A 38-year-old Kelso woman was arrested for possession of methamphetamine last night after contact with an officer about 9 p.m. at Main and Yew streets in Centralia. Lisa M. Cahoon was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

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

Updated at 6:29 p.m.

FIRE IN CENTRALIA’S INDUSTRIAL PARK

• Five engines and a ladder truck responded when a fire broke out at Sierra Pacific in Centralia this morning. The fire was in a building connected to the structure that holds the sawmill’s boiler, a ways away from where they do the milling, according to Riverside Fire Authority. The 9:23 a.m. alarm activation at  the 3100 block of Kuper Road in the Port of Centralia’s industrial park off Harrison Avenue drew crews from Chehalis and Rochester as well, Capt. Terry Ternan said. “They opened up the wall, shut the power off and extinguished the fire,” Ternan said. There was a little bit of extension into the ceiling and firefighters were on the scene about two hours, he said. Ternan didn’t know the cause but described the damage to the smaller building as significant. “Not a lot of dollar loss, but a lot of cleanup,” he said. Employees on the scene got on the cleanup while firefighters were there, he said.

RANDLE RESIDENTIAL FIRE RULED ACCIDENTAL

• A fire investigator found wiring had shorted out in the back of an old stove, sparking a fire on the 100 block of Kiona Road in Randle yesterday morning. No one had been there for a few days, Fire Investigator Jay Birley said this morning. The fire damage to the double-wide mobile home was primarily contained to the kitchen, but left smoke damage throughout, according to Lewis County Fire District 14 Chief Jeff Jaques.

FUNNY MONEY

• Centralia police were called yesterday morning to a store on the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue that had taken in two fake $100 bills.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence; responses for hit and run, collision on city street … and more.

Updated at 6:12 p.m.

ACRE OF BRUSH IN NORTH CENTRALIA BURNS

• Members of Riverside Fire Authority spent the better part of five hours today extinguishing a fire on property next to the abandoned Centralia Plywood Mill at the north end of town. Crews were called about 10 a.m. to the area where Central Boulevard dead ends after they began to get calls about a large amount of thick black smoke, Chief Mike Kytta said. “We did find fire in vegetation, so it was in grass, brush and some trees,” he said. “It spread out over about one acre.” The chief said they had reason to suspect it may have been burning all night, as they found deeply charred logs. The smoke began when the rubber on old conveyors and tires laying around ignited, he said. They were joined by an engine from Chehalis. Assistant Chief and Fire Marshal Rick Mack is looking into the cause, he said. The area is overgrown with berry vines, and not really frequented, he said. Representatives of the property owners, Jorgensen Timber LLC, were bringing in an excavator and planned to sit on it and watching for spot fires, according to Kytta.

RANDLE HOME CATCHES FIRE

• Firefighters responded about 9 o’clock this morning to a fire in a double wide mobile home in Randle that appeared accidental, according to Lewis County Fire District 14. Chief Jeff Jaques said nobody was home at the time at the residence on the 100 block of Kiona Road. “There was fire damage to the kitchen but there was smoke damage throughout,” Jaques said. It was extinguished by 11 members of the fire departments in Randle and Glenoma. The cause is being looked into by a fire investigator, he said.

ASSAULT

• Police were called to the emergency room at Providence Centralia Hospital about 5:10 a.m. today after a patient allegedly punched a nurse in the face. Further details were not readily available.

THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 4:20 p.m. yesterday to the 1600 block of Johnson Road regarding the theft of jewelry.

• Chehalis police were contacted yesterday about a compound bow missing from Northwest Middle Street.

DRUGS

• A 22-year-old woman was arrested yesterday in Chehalis for alleged possession of heroin in connection with a search of a vehicle discovered unoccupied after a short police pursuit early last week. Sarah J. Branam, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Centralia police arrested two underage males yesterday evening for possession of marijuana at the 1200 block of Woodland Avenue. Grant T. Brandt, 20, of Centralia, and Dakota J. Tryon, 18 of Olympia, were cited and then released according to the Centralia Police Department.

DOG FIGHT

• An Onalaska pet already labeled a potentially dangerous dog from a June incident is in trouble again after allegedly fighting with a neighbor dog and biting the neighbor who tried to break it up last night. A deputy called to the 500 block of Burnt Ridge Road was told by the 64-year-old man he heard his dog yelping as they walked back from the mailbox, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said he got bit near his thumb and his pet had injuries on its stomach and leg but didn’t note what if any injuries the Pit Bull sustained. Its owner, a 28-year-old Onalaskan, will be getting a citation in the mail, Brown said. The case will also be referred to animal control for review, according to Brown.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, resisting arrest; responses for disputes, misdemeanor theft, violation of protection order; complaint of surly subject in a wheelchair at freeway offramp, woman screaming at children to quit crying in Wal-Mart parking lot … and more.

Updated at 7:08 p.m.

THEFT IN CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called about 11:25 a.m. yesterday regarding two televisions stolen from the 600 block of Nick Road. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT IN VADER

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports this morning a Vader resident was cited for allegedly restoring his water service himself by cutting a lock after he had been blocked from the service. A deputy responding on Monday to the 500 block of B Street learned that Jason Rayfield benefitted by getting possibly as much as 500 gallons of water, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said Rayfield admitted he did it but said he didn’t know it was a crime. He was issued the citation and then released, according to Brown. The loss is estimated at $178, Brown said.

FRAUD OVER THE PHONE

• Chehalis police were contacted yesterday morning regarding a possible telephone scam involving the IRS. Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said the department has been getting a lot of those kinds of reports lately.

ANIMAL SOUNDS EMITTING FROM UTILITY POLE

• Chehalis police were called about 1:10 a.m. today about a power pole making river otter noises for the previous two hours. Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said he had no information on what the officer may have found. The Chehalis Fire Department said it apparently was one of three old emergency speakers around town and public works went out and turned it off, as perhaps its battery was dying.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• Benjamin E. Hearn made an Alford plea – not admitting guilt – yesterday to third-degree rape of a child, in connection with allegations of a sexual relationship with a teenage girl. The 35-year-old Curtis resident was arrested in January for events that allegedly began in 2012 involving a 14-year-old friend of his daughter. He was taken into custody yesterday on a no-bail hold until his sentencing, which is scheduled for the morning of Sept. 17 in Lewis County Superior Court, according to court documents. His lawyer David Arcuri has said Hearn faces a year and a day in prison. The standard range for the offense for a defendant with no criminal history is 12 to 14 months.

COLLISIONS

• Troopers were called last night after a Chehalis police car traveling on the 2300 block of Jackson Highway collided with a deer at about 10:20 p.m. Nobody was injured except for the deer and the damage to the vehicle was fairly minor, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• A 45-year-old Onalaska man sustained a possible concussion when he totaled his car on the 800 block of Middle Fork Road at about 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said this morning. Darren S. Carmen was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence and with a suspended license, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

• A 25-year-old Pe Ell woman and a 1-year-old child both suffered possible head injuries when she lost control of her Ford Bronco and rolled it last night on Lost Valley Road in Curtis near milepost four, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called about 10:45 p.m. was told by the driver she was going too fast down a hill, according to the sheriff’s office. The baby boy had been strapped into a car seat, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. They were both transported to the hospital, she said. The driver was cited for speeds to fast and no insurance, according to Brown.

• Three adults and a 3-month-old infant were hospitalized last night after a three-vehicle wreck on Interstate 5 in Centralia that began with a deer on the roadway. Firefighters called about 10:50 p.m. to the northbound lanes north of the Wal-Mart exit found all lanes were blocked and all victims had gotten out of their cars on their own. Troopers report a couple from Edmonds swerved to avoid the deer, lost control and rolled their four-door Saturn before hitting the center barrier. A 29-year-old woman driving a Ford Focus stopped so she wouldn’t hit them, and a 21-year-old Onalaska resident in another Focus ran into the first Focus, according to the Washington State Patrol. They were all (except for the 29-year-old) transported to Providence Centralia Hospital in stable condition, according to Riverside Fire Authority. According to a hospital spokesperson, treated and released were Dennis M. Campion, 57, Donna J. Jensen, 59, both of Edmonds; and Phaedra S. Witzel, 21, Onalaska. The state patrol described  the baby boy as uninjured.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarm, disputes, misdemeanor theft, hit and run, collisions on city streets, suspicious circumstances; complaint of dog on a walk leaving poop in yard … and more.