Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 4:17 p.m.

TENINO HOUSE FIRE

• Tenino firefighters were called to a house fire last night on Vantime Road about three miles northeast of town. “On arrival we had smoke coming out of the house, on the second floor,” Thurston County Fire District 12 Battalion Chief  James Fowler said. “The interior crew got upstairs and found fire in a closet.” Crews were joined by personnel from three other fire departments and were on the scene about two hours, Fowler said. Nobody was hurt, he said. He estimated the damage at perhaps $50,000 because of wallboard that will have to be replaced. The bedroom sustained smoke damage and the first floor just a little water damage, he said. The contents of the closet were consumed. The two-story structure is like a mother-in-law house where the property owner’s band practices, according to Fowler.

ASSAULTS

• Centralia police booked a 23-year-old man into the jail this morning in connection with an incident reported yesterday at the 200 block of North Iron Street in which he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and took her cell phone. Officers called about 1:40 p.m. yesterday learned David J. Rangel had left before they were called, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers later went to the residence because Rangel was there and he fled out the back door, according to police. Police dog Lobo was called to the area and located their suspect hiding in some bushes several blocks away. He was booked for second-degree robbery. Officers also arrested an 18-year-old Centralia resident for obstructing, contending they had delayed Rangel’s arrest, giving him time to escape. Baylor Jackson Scott was cited and then released, according to police.

• Centralia police were called about 7 p.m. yesterday to a dispute at Centralia College Boulevard and Silver Street where witnesses said a male pointed a gun at several people and pulled a female into his dark-colored sport utility vehicle and assaulted her. The participants are all known to each other, according to the Centralia Police Department. No arrest has been made, police report this morning.

DRUGS

• A 22-year-old Centralia man was arrested yesterday for a warrant and possession of methamphetamine after contact with an officer about 1:15 p.m. at the 1000 block of Scammon Creek Road in Centralia. Jarrin A. Smalley was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FORK PEAK FIRE UPDATE

• The Fork Peak Fire southwest of Pe Ell has been held to 126 acres and is now 95 percent contained. “There is still some heat in the interior of the burned area that is also being mopped up to minimize the chance of wind-thrown embers,” the Department of Natural Resources states in its morning report. There is very little fire activity near the fire’s edge, according to DNR spokesperson Jay Guthrie. The forest fire about five miles southwest of town began Sept. 11 in an active logging area, on private timberland owned by Rayonier. Still, 103 personnel are working the site, with three hand crews, seven fire engines, two water tenders and one piece of heavy equipment, according to Guthrie. Guthrie notes he expects the update he sends out tomorrow will be the final one for this fire. DNR took the opportunity to suggest to the public that autumn is a great time to improve your property and implement a firewise home and community. For more information about Firewise Communities check out the website www.firewise.org

WSP WELCOMES NEW TROOPERS

• A new trooper is joining the state patrol detachment in Morton  following his graduation from the Washington State Patrol Academy. Justin R. Schaffer, from Centralia, is among 39  individuals sworn in this week at a ceremony at the Capitol in Olympia. Also presented their official commission cards on Wednesday by Gov. Jay Inslee and WSP Chief John Bastiste were Centralia resident Jacob D. Payne, who will be working out of Yakima and Christopher L. Hendrickson from Tenino who is assigned to the Hoquiam detachment, according to the state patrol.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor theft; responses for collision on city street, misdemeanor assault … and more.

POLICE: GUN IN FACE LANDS DAD IN JAIL

• A 43-year-old Toledo man was arrested yesterday for allegedly pointing a firearm at his 16-year-old daughter’s face in their home on the 100 block of Barnes Drive. Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said it apparently occurred on Saturday and deputies learned of it on Monday from Child Protective Services and investigated. The girl said her father had been drinking with his friends, and the incident was related to a dispute over him making his daughter dance with one of his friends, Brown said. Jose C. Rodriguez was contacted yesterday and then booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault, Brown said.

MISSING MEDS

• Centralia police took a report yesterday morning regarding prescription medications stolen from the 900 block of South Tower Avenue.

ANGRY TEEN

• Chehalis police were called about 10:15 p.m. yesterday to a report a female was seen putting sugar in the gas tank of a car at the 300 block of Southwest Third Street. Two girls who were contacted in the area said the woman who owns the vehicle had been harassing them on Facebook, according to the Chehalis Police Department. One of them a 15-year-old, was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center for second-degree malicious mischief, according to police.

VACANT HOUSE NOT EMPTY

• A 44-year-old homeless man was arrested yesterday when cleaners showed up at a vacant rental home in Centralia and found him sleeping inside. An officer responding about 9:45 a.m. to the 600 block of Alder Street booked Gordon C. Powell Jr., of Chehalis, into the Lewis County Jail for trespassing, according to the Centralia Police Department. Powell said he found the front door unlocked, Officer Patty Finch said.

FORK PEAK FIRE UPDATE

• Authorities report this morning the fire activity on the Fork Peak Fire has been greatly reduced by all the hard work of firefighters, who were assisted by rain overnight on Wednesday. The 126-acre fire is 90 percent contained,  according to the Department of Natural Resources. The forest fire about five miles southwest of Pe Ell began late last week in an active logging area, on private timberland owned by Rayonier. The area has been assessed for hot spots with a hand-held infrared viewer, according to DNR’s morning report. One hundred thirty six personnel are assigned to the fire. Today’s objective continues to be to keep fire south of A-Line, north of the 7820 Road, west of the F-line and east of the Weyerhaeuser ownership, according to the report.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, disorderly conduct, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor assault; responses for disputes, shoplifting, suspicious vehicle … and more.

A map from DNR shows the footprint of the Fork Peak Fire. Click here to open a PDF of this image.

Updated at 6:34 p.m.

BANK FRAUD

• Centralia police yesterday took a report from the 200 block of North Pearl Street regarding fraudulent checks being written at a bank.  The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• Centralia police arrested  25-year-old man yesterday morning for possession of heroin and a warrant. Panther W. Risling of Centralia was booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with an officer at the 1200 block of Alder Street about 9:30 a.m., according to the Centralia Police Department.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE: NAPAVINE’S NAKED DRIVER LOCATED

• Jeremy R. Hamilton was charged only with attempting to elude police for the Napavine incident in which he allegedly slipped away as he was being handcuffed and fled through a field into the night, barefoot and completely unclothed. The 39-year-old Napavine resident is expected in Lewis County Superior Court tomorrow for his arraignment; he was charged on Monday following his arrest over the weekend. According to charging documents, Napavine Police Chief Chris Salyers discovered Hamilton was in the jail on outstanding warrants. The Sept. 5 incident began about 10 p.m. when police were called by a resident on the 400 block of Eighth Avenue who said a person was in a car parked in front of her house, she asked him to leave and he refused, according to the documents. Police said as a patrol car approached, Hamilton drove away without turning on his headlights, and  a short pursuit ensued, basically around the block and ended back in front of the original home. Officer Noel Shields drew his Taser and ordered Hamilton from the vehicle, which he did, charging documents state. Hamilton was naked and struggled away after he was partially handcuffed, according to police. He escaped over a fence, but Shields identified him by the Washington State identification card in the wallet on the ground next to his car, charging documents state. The court papers offer no explanation as to why he was driving around nude, nor if he was acquainted with the woman whose house he was parked in front of. However, among his past criminal offenses are harassment, a drug violation, a protection order violation and a warrant for an unresolved indecent exposure offense from 2009, according to court documents. He remains in the jail on $25,000 bail.

FORK PEAK FIRE UPDATE

• The seventh day of firefighting on timberland outside Pe Ell began with the Fork Peak Fire at 80 percent containment. The forest fire has spread over 126 acres since it was discovered, about five miles southwest of town in Pacific County, according to the Department of Natural Resources. The property is owned by Rayonier. DNR reported this morning it continues to smolder, with low spread potential. Two hundred and twelve personnel are assigned to the fire. On today’s plan of action was to keep fire south of A-Line, north of the 7820 Road, west of the F-line and east of the Weyerhaeuser ownership, according to the report.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor theft; responses for disputes, suspicious circumstances, drug investigation, telephone harassment, dead deer across from Southwest Moonlight Lane in Chehalis, a vehicle stuck on railroad tracks on Floral Street in Centralia, naked man sitting in the bushes near Best Western Hotel in Chehalis who turned out to be sleepwalking; complaints about landlord, people laying on outdoor benches, vehicle owner’s behavior when contacted by a repo man … and more.