Archive for October, 2014

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, October 8th, 2014

VEHICLE THEFT

• A Chehalis woman called police at about 11:15 p.m. last night to report she had parked her newly purchased Honda Accord next to the residence on the 700 block of Southwest Moonlight Lane and two hours later discovered it was gone. Since the car was not yet transferred into her name, she was advised to have the registered owner contact police to report it stolen, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• A motorcycle stolen from Olympia was recovered yesterday at the 400 block of Iron Street in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES AT SCHOOL BUS STOP

• The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office took a report yesterday of an incident involving an exchange between a 13-year-old boy and a woman in a black sport utility vehicle at his bus stop in Rochester. It was about 6:30 a.m. when he was waiting for his school bus on the 9700 block of 180th Way Southwest and the Ford Explorer-type vehicle pulled up, the female driver spoke to the boy and said, you’ve missed your bus, why don’t I give you a ride, sheriff’s office Lt. Cliff Ziesemer said. “The kid said, no I didn’t, and they actually started arguing,” Ziesemer said. An arriving high school student asked what was going on, then the  bus arrived and the woman drove away, he said. “The 13-year-old had no idea who this was and had never seen her before,” Ziesemer said. “So that’s kinda suspicious.” Extra patrol were expected in the area, he said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, protection order violation, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street, collision on county road … and more.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, October 7th, 2014

Updated

SCORES OF PAIN PILLS LIFTED FROM VEHICLE

• A deputy responded yesterday to a report of a vehicle prowl at the 100 block of Carlisle Avenue in Onalaska in which about miscellaneous medications including 150 hydrocodone pills were taken. It happened on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s office. The value is $100, according to the sheriff’s office.

BARGING IN, BAD

• Centralia police were called about 12:30 a.m. today to the 1200 block of Alder Street after a 41-year-old man reportedly kicked in the door at his estranged wife’s residence and went inside without permission. When he realized someone was on the phone with 911, he left and police were not able to contact him,  according to the Centralia Police Department. The case is being sent to prosecutors to decide on charges to file, according to police.

BIG BANG ALARMS COURTHOUSE WORKERS

• Chehalis police were called to the Historic Lewis County Courthouse about 2:45 p.m. yesterday after employees believed they heard a gunshot. It turned out the noise was from a table that fell over or was dropped on the third floor, according to police.

OFFICERS HELPING PEOPLE

• Centralia police spent an hour or two last night at the 1000 block of North Tower Avenue in connection with a man who was distraught and wanted to harm himself. Officers spoke to him for some time before he eventually gave himself up and was taken to the hospital for treatment, according to the Centralia Police Department. Nobody was injured during the incident, according to police.

STOLEN RIFLE PART

• Chehalis police took a theft report yesterday from a seller at the gun show at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds who conducted an inventory after the weekend and discovered a lower portion from an AR15 rifle was missing. The gun part is valued at about $100, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

TOO MUCH BOOZE

• A 56-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested overnight after he was allegedly found passed out inside her vehicle at the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. Brian G. Nichols was arrested after contact with an officer around 4 a.m. and booked into the Lewis County Jail for being in physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were summoned to a home on Northeast Washington Avenue in the middle of the night over the weekend after a call to 911 in which they were told a drunken male walked in after they opened the door when they heard something outside. Police were told he was passed out on their floor, at about 1:15 a.m. on Sunday. Nobody was arrested, but aid was called to check on him, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

FIRE COMMISSIONER RESIGNS MID-TERM

• One of the three members of the board of commissioners that oversees the Napavine area fire department has resigned. Jamie Guenther was elected to a six-year term in November 2011. Guenther came into the station yesterday and dropped his letter of resignation from the board, Lewis County Fire District 5 Fire Chief Gregg Peterson said. He cited personal reasons, according to Peterson. Peterson said he was going to be contacting the Lewis County Auditor’s Office to find out the process for replacing a board member. The board’s next regular business meeting is at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants,  misdemeanor theft, hit and run, driving with suspended license, driving with no license; responses for vandalism, misdemeanor theft, collisions on city streets … and more.

News brief: Vespa rider struck by oncoming van on U.S. Highway 12

Tuesday, October 7th, 2014
2014.1007.morton.vespa.wreck

The 1982 Dodge Ram wagon and what remains of a Vespa on U.S. Highway 12 near Morton. / Courtesy photo

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Packwood man was seriously injured after his scooter-type motorcycle was involved in a head-on collision on U.S. Highway 12 near Morton today.

Troopers called just before 1 p.m. to the area near Priest Road about two miles east of town say charges are pending.

Michael W. Dearborn, 59, from Packwood, was heading west when an eastbound van turned into him in the westbound lane, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Dearborn was transported to Morton General Hospital and then transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the state patrol.

Dearborn was riding a 2007 Vespa GTS250, and was wearing a helmet, according to the investigating trooper.

Ronald G. Goble, 83, of Mossyrock, was driving a 1982 Dodge Ram wagon which was impounded. He was injured as well and taken to the Morton hospital, the trooper reports.

The roadway wasn’t cleared until after 3 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

The collision is blamed on failure to yield the right of way.

Update on Wednesday Oct. 8, 2014, at 4:30 p.m.: Haborview spokesperson reports Dearborn is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

News brief: Chehalis fire chief search ends with nobody chosen

Tuesday, October 7th, 2014

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – None of the finalists for Chehalis fire chief made the cut.

Chehalis City Manager Merlin MacReynold announced yesterday he appointed the city’s police chief as interim fire chief. Chief Glenn Schaffer will oversee the operations of both departments for the time being.

The city had identified three men as finalists for the position after a nationwide search and conducted extensive interviews early last month.

MacReynold said in a news release yesterday the process has concluded without him selecting a replacement.

“I am disappointed that we were not able to find the right candidate, but with a new city manager coming on board in a couple months it makes sense for them to determine how to proceed,” MacReynold stated.

The retiring city manager did not give a reason.

Recruiting efforts for a new chief came after the resignation about six months ago of half-time Fire Chief Jim Walkowski. Walkowski was also leading neighboring Riverside Fire Authority in Centralia, but moved to Spokane County to take a new job amid drastic budget cuts in Centralia.

The Chehalis Fire Department had a full time chief until April of last year.

MacReynold had said he believed it would take him a week or two to make a decision after Sept. 8 when the three finalists met with numerous panels and the city council. Two weeks later he said he was still waiting to hear from a couple of references.

The candidates were Gary Woodson, former fire chief for Pendleton, Ore. Fire and Ambulance Department who had been in the fire service since 1974; Joseph Sands, an engineer-paramedic in Billings, Montana, with experience as both assistant and interim chief; and Jeff Larson, who for 13 of the past 30 years of fire service was suppression battalion chief with the city of Lodi, California.

MacReynold had said finding the right fit for the community was his primary goal.

Schaffer’s new dual role begins Thursday, according to MacReynold.

Capt. Rob Gebhart who has been serving as interim chief since May will return to his captain duties.
•••

For background, read : “News brief: Meet Chehalis fire chief candidates” from Sunday Sept. 7, 2014, here

News brief: Mossyrock firefighters save downtown building when fire breaks out

Tuesday, October 7th, 2014

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A fire at a downtown Mossyrock business last night did several thousand dollars worth of damage but it seems as though the building can be saved, according to Lewis County Fire District 3.

Firefighters were called just after 9 p.m. to the truck repair business on the 300 block of East State Street.

“It was all locked up, we had to force our way in,” Chief Doug Fosburg said. “We got it knocked down fairly quickly, within 45 minutes to an hour; I finally left at about 1:50 a.m.”

The building is large, probably 80 feet by 50 feet, he said, and the fire was contained to an enclosed office area inside and storage loft above it.

None of their equipment or several vehicles parked inside the building were damaged, he said.

Mossyrock firefighters were joined by members of Lewis County Fire District 8, according to Fosburg. Nobody was hurt.

He estimated $80,000 to $90,000 worth of damage and the need for the roof to be replaced.

The cause is under investigation.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, October 6th, 2014

Updated at 6:47 p.m.

CHEHALIS MAN SERIOUSLY INJURED IN MOSSYROCK CRASH

• An unbelted Chehalis resident who was launched from the back seat of a car into its windshield when it skidded into a tree over the weekend in Mossyrock was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for possible reconstructive surgery on his face, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It was about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday when a deputy found the car parked in the middle of the road at Mossyrock Road West and Birley Road with some individuals inside and two males standing outside, one with a bloody face, according to the sheriff’s office. The deputy at first was told it happened at a fight at a party, but subsequently discovered the Volkswagen Golf had wrecked nearby at the end of the county road, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Brown indicated the driver was suspected of being intoxicated and was arrested for vehicular assault. Cody A.M. Trepanier, 22, Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Brown. She said his injuries were minor and didn’t know the extent of the injuries to the other two occupants. Everyone but the 26-year-old Chehalis man had been wearing seat belts, she said. The car was described as totaled.

GLASS DOOR SMASHED, SPIRITS STOLEN

• Two people were arrested yesterday after a night time burglary at a distillery on the 700 block of North Tower Avenue, one of them discovered hours later passed out with empty bottles nearby, a couple of blocks from the business, according to the Centralia Police Department. An officer called about 6:50 a.m. to Blind Pig Spirits recognized Gordon C. Powell Jr.’s image on surveillance video, according to Officer Patty Finch. The 44-year-old allegedly threw a large chunk of concrete through the glass front door, went inside and left with about $90 worth of liquor, according to police. Police say Powell told a friend about it and the friend went to Blind Pig and helped himself to about $180 worth of alcohol and flasks. Tyson D. Ball, 24, was discovered around noon sleeping near the railroad station, Finch said. Powell, from Chehalis, and Ball, from Centralia, were both booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree burglary, according to the Centralia Police Department.

TEEN FLEES STORE WITH HARD LIQUOR

• A 16-year-old boy was arrested after he allegedly stole a bottle of vodka and a bottle of whiskey from a drug store in Chehalis on Saturday, and fled into a nearby backyard where the resident detained him. An officer called just before 1 p.m. to the 500 block of South Market Street learned the teen was missing out of Spokane with a juvenile probation warrant, and he was intoxicated, according to the Chehalis Police Department. His companion was not arrested, according to police.

POLICE: MOSSY BURGLARY ARREST

• Morton police said they arrested a 34-year-old Joe P. Padrick of Mossyrock yesterday afternoon for second-degree burglary after he allegedly admitted breaking into a home on  Mossyrock Road West and stealing money and a credit card.

AUTO THEFT

• A Wal-Mart employee finishing his shift this morning discovered the car he’d parked in the lot last night was gone. Chehalis police called about 7:15 a.m. to the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue found security footage that showed the 1990 Acura Integra leaving the premises about 12:30 a.m., according to the Chehalis Police Department. The stolen car was subsequently found, minus all four tires and wheels, on the 100 block of Boistfort Road in Curtis, according to police. The stereo was missing as well, department spokesperson Linda Bailey said.

• A deputy took a report on Friday of a 1990 Ford Econoline van missing from the 12000 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Packwood. Its owner, a 44-year-old Lacey man, said he went to pick it up after leaving it there a year and a half ago, and it was gone,  according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The resident told a deputy he thought the owner picked it up, as it was gone back in June, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called about 11 p.m. on Saturday to a parking lot at the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue where they were told by a woman that she stepped away from her vehicle for just a couple of minutes and when she returned, her purse was gone, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• An iPod and a Canon Rebel camera were reported stolen from a vehicle parked on the 800 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

• Centralia police took a report about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday of a vehicle prowl at the 900 block of Vienna Lane. Cash was taken, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning they are looking for a 53-year-old Packwood resident for an alleged second-degree assault involving his girlfriend on Friday afternoon. A deputy responding to the 100 block of Saddle Horse Lane was told they had been arguing when he threw her onto a bed and used his forearm to pin her neck down, according to the sheriff’s office. The woman said she could not breathe until she bit him in the arm to get free, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Brown said as Kevin L. Battrick was leaving, he shoved a 70-year-old woman at the doorway, causing her to lose her balance.

FIRE AT GAS STATION QUICKLY DOUSED

• Firefighters were called about 9:50 p.m. yesterday about a vehicle on fire at a gas station on the 1300 block of Rush Road in Napavine. Someone had already put it out with a portable fire extinguisher before they arrived, according to Lewis County Fire District 5.

SPEED RACER WANTED

• Centralia police said yesterday they are looking for information about a reckless motorcycle rider who eluded officers on Saturday evening, speeding and running several stop signs. The dirt bike-style motorcycle was last seen in the area of North Tower Avenue and Sixth Street, according to the Centralia Police Department.

YARD DRIVER WANTED

• A deputy was called about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday to the 3500 block of Jackson Highway outside Chehalis after a neighbor heard what sounded like an accident and the resident found tire tracks that left the road and went through his yard. On the way through, the vehicle struck a garbage can, a fence post and fir tree, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

BUILDING HIT AND RUN

• Morton police reported this morning that about 11 a.m. last Tuesday an officer was called because a vehicle ran into a building during the night at the 100 block of Main Avenue. An exterior wall was damaged in an amount to be determined, according to the Morton Police Department.

DUI WRECK

• A 48-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for driving under the influence after his 1993 Dodge truck went over a steep embankment and rolled onto its side on the 200 block of Pleasant Valley Road outside Winlock on Sunday night. A deputy responding to the approximately 8:45 p.m. incident booked Nicholas J. Rademaker into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, forgery, shoplifting, trespassing, resisting arrest, misdemeanor assault, negligent driving, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, disorderly person, misdemeanor theft, restraining order violation, possible suicidal person, dog in distress in a parked vehicle, collisions on city streets, wrecks on county roads including one with a deer … and more.

Law investigating death of toddler from Vader residence

Monday, October 6th, 2014

Updated at 12:32 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The sheriff’s office is investigating a death after an aid call late yesterday afternoon to a Vader home where CPR was underway on a child.

Paramedics, firefighters and EMTs from five departments, plus deputies responded to the approximately 5:15 p.m. call at the 400 block of Main Street, according to Cowlitz-Lewis Fire District 20 Chief Richard Underdahl.

“I don’t have much I can say,” Underdahl said this morning. “Anything I can say, is the sheriff’s office is conducting an investigation on it.”

Crews were told by a 911 operator that it was a 3-year-old with breathing difficulty and someone there was performing CPR, according to Underdahl.

After responders arrived to the house, they continued CPR and conducted other life-saving medical interventions, he said. The child was transported to the hospital, he said.

Underdahl referred questions about the child’s sex and if the situation involved an injury as well as who was present at the house when they arrived, to the sheriff’s office.

Lewis County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said only that detectives are investigating the death of a 3-year-old boy with suspicious circumstances.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

“It was a bad day” Underdahl said.

“When something like this happens, everybody comes out of the woodwork,” he said, explaining why responders from as far away as Chehalis joined them, indicating it was the type of situation that calls for a lot people power.