Archive for March, 2015

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, March 10th, 2015

Updated at 3:08 p.m.

VEHICLE THEFT

• A 66-year-old Centralia man called about 7:30 a.m. yesterday  to report that as he was leaving for work, he saw someone had taken his riding lawn mower out of his barn and left it at the end of his driveway on the 1700 block of Little Hanaford Road outside Centralia. It was sitting on a ramp fashioned from items in his barn and a closer look, revealed his Trek1600 mountain bike was gone, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The theft took place sometime after 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.

• A Bellevue resident called the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office yesterday to report someone stole his blue 2005 Suzuki motorcycle the day before when it broke down near Glenoma. He left it parked near the southwest corner of Kosmos Road about noon and went to get friends from a campsite, but when they got back there about 4 p.m., it was gone, according to the sheriff’s office. The loss is estimated at $5,000, Chief Stacy Brown said. It has a license plate reading 6C1523, according to Brown.

IDENTITY THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 8:30 a.m. yesterday to the 1200 block of Rhobina Street regarding an identity theft that took place in another state. They are investigating, according to the Centralia Police Department.

UNRULY ARRESTEES

• A short foot pursuit ended with the arrest of a 21-year-old man yesterday morning in Centralia, around 11:40 a.m. Officers were responding to a report of fourth-degree assault associated with the 100 block of West Cherry Street, according to the Centralia Police Department. Derrek J. Larson, tried to run away but was taken into custody and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. He was booked also for obstructing and a warrant, according to police.

• Christopher A. St. Jean, 31, was arrested yesterday at his home after a complaint of a white Chevrolet pickup truck racing through streets and alleys in Vader. An individual told law enforcement that St. Jean got extremely upset when he tried to film him, and later came running through a field threatening to assault the individual, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responding to the approximately 11:25 a.m. call contacted St. Jean at a home on the 500 block of A Street and ended up displaying a Taser after the suspect allegedly slammed the door on a deputies foot and refused to open it back up, the sheriff’s office reports. He was taken into custody and booked into the Lewis County Jail for reckless driving, reckless endangerment and harassment, Chief Stacy Brown reports.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called about 11 a.m. yesterday to the 100 block of West Main Street where someone had broken the passenger side window of a vehicle with a rock. it wasn’t immediately known if anything was taken, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police yesterday responded to several reports of slashed tires on vehicles, beginning at bout 8 a.m. on the 900 block of Southwest William Avenue where two vehicles were affected. The owner in that case said they had an idea of a suspect, according to the Chehalis Police Department. An officer took another report at 9 a.m. on the 400 block of Southwest 18th Street and then it happened again shortly before 8:30 p.m. in an alley near the 1200 block of Southwest William Avenue, according to police.

• Graffiti was discovered painted onto the side of a garage at the 1200 block of Ward Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday afternoon.

FIRE IN TENINO

• Firefighters called about 2:20 a.m. today to the 300 block of Sussex Avenue West in Tenino found a detached single-car garage fully involved in flames when they arrived. The structure and a vehicle inside are a total loss, according to Thurston County Fire District 12. Battalion Chief James Fowler said nobody was injured and what ignited it is undetermined. “There’s no electricity and no heat source in the garage, so we’re not sure what caused it,” he said.

BIKE VERSUS CAR

• A 41-year-old bicyclist was hospitalized yesterday afternoon after he collided with the opening door of a vehicle on the 200 block of Northwest Cascade Avenue in Chehalis. The driver was getting ready to go into the post office and checked but didn’t see him, before opening the door, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The bicyclist said he was traveling close to the sidewalk and went to go around the car when its door opened, police report. He said he didn’t know there was anyone in the car, spokesperson Linda Bailey said. The bicyclist had a sore back and possible neck injury and was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital to be evaluated, authorities report.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespass, misdemeanor assault, drinking in public; responses for disputes, shoplifting, suspicious circumstances, protection order violation … and more.

News brief: Child luring attempts reported in Pe Ell

Tuesday, March 10th, 2015

Updated

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Pe Ell Marshal Mike Hartnett is urging parents to talk with their children about what their safety plans should be following two reports of attempted child lurings.

Hartnett, in a news release he asked the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office to distribute, said both situations involved 10-year-old boys who said a man asked them to get in his pickup truck.

The first incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. on Friday in which the the subject told the boy if he got into his vehicle, he would give him money and a game;  and the other about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday a block away in the area of state Route 6 and Seventh Avenue where the subject offered an Xbox, according to Hartnett.

In both cases, the children told the man no, they didn’t need a ride because they lived nearby, according to the news release.

The vehicle is described as a dark blue Ford Ranger extended cab pickup with green pinstripe on the door. The driver is described only as a white male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt pulled down over his head.

The truck left east on state Route 6 the first time and westbound after the second incident, according to the marshal.

Hartnett, who has been policing the tiny West Lewis County town since July, said nobody in Pe Ell has seen that vehicle before.

“I’m reaching out to other agencies in the three to four county area to see if they’ve had any similar incidents,” he said.

The marshal commended the youngsters for their responses.

“The boys did an excellent job avoiding the offers to get into the vehicle and reported the incidents to their parents and the parents contacted law enforcement,” he wrote in his news release.

He is requesting anyone with information to contact law enforcement.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, March 9th, 2015

Updated at 4:58 p.m.

WANTED RANDLE MAN TAKEN DOWN WITH BEAN BAG

• A 39-year-old Randle man was arrested yesterday for an eluding incident the night before that began on U.S. Highway 12 near Glenoma. It was about 5:45 p.m. when a deputy attempted a traffic stop on a speeding vehicle but the vehicle took off, turning onto Kiona Road, and then onto Falls Road, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy discontinued the pursuit when the roadway turned to gravel, but then about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, the sheriff’s office got information the vehicle was broken down on a forest service road near Taidnapam Park. Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said when a pair of deputies approached, the driver was sitting inside the Chevrolet pickup, and refused to follow commands. Brown said Christopher S. Haegen wouldn’t show his hands, and then once he exited the truck, he wouldn’t turn around and he reached into his pocket. A deputy fired a bean bag round from a shotgun, striking Haegen in the leg and he was taken into custody, according to Brown. All deputies carry the less-lethal rounds, Brown said. “In this situation, it was fortunate that it played out so we could use the less-than-lethal weapon,” she said. Haegen said his leg was sore, but didn’t need to go the hospital, according to Brown. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for felony eluding and a warrant, according to the sheriff’s office.

QUARRY HIT WITH WIRE THEFT

• Someone stole as much as 2000 feet of wire from rock crushing equipment and a truck to haul it away in from the 200 block of Winston Creek Road outside Mossyrock. Deputies responding to the Winston Quarry found that sometime between 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and 7:30 the following morning, someone rode a bicycle up to the top of the quarry where the machines are, cut the power cable wire and loaded it into a truck, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The truck ran out of fuel about halfway down the road, and the person then stole a box van to use, the sheriff’s office reports. The van was found on Saturday in the general area, without the wire in it, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning. The loss is estimated at $20,000.

BURGLARY MORTON

• Police were called about 8:30 p.m. yesterday when a Morton resident returned home after being gone a few days and discovered their front door open and some of their belongings missing. It happened at the 400 block of Westlake Avenue, according to the Morton Police Department.

MOOSE RACK STOLEN

• Someone stole a set of moose horns from a home on the 1300 block of Lakeshore Drive in Centralia, according to a report made to police at noon yesterday.

MORE MORTON BURGLARIES

• Morton police are investigating a break-in to a home on the 600 block of Westlake Avenue that was reported on Thursday at about 9:30 a.m.

• Morton police were called at approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday regarding an attempted break-in to a business on the 200 block of Seventh Street.

• An outbuilding door was damaged but nothing appeared to be missing following a burglary at the 400 block of Third Street in Morton which was reported on Thursday morning.

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police took a report about 8:25 p.m. on Saturday of a 1998 Ford Ranger pickup stolen from the 400 block of North Tower Avenue. It has a license plate reading B38108L, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called about 6 p.m. yesterday regarding an air compressor stolen from the bed of a pickup truck at the 1000 block of E. Street.

• Centralia police were called Saturday night about a vehicle prowl at Arby’s at the 1200 block of Belmont Avenue. Missing was an antique money collection, according to the Centralia Police Department.

OTHER THEFT

• Chehalis police took a report on Saturday from Southwest 18th Street of a license plate stolen from a vehicle. It’s not clear where it occurred, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRINKING IN PUBLIC

• A 36-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for obstructing after an officer responded about 12:15 a.m. on Sunday to the 600 block of West Main Street, where an employee said a man opened a beer inside the store and wouldn’t leave. Joseph W. Rogerson denied he had anything to do with it, but was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

• A 44-year-old Onalaska man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after he allegedly threw a baggie of five-plus grams of meth out his passenger window just before pulling over a for a deputy on Friday night. The deputy was making the traffic stop for speeding about 8:20 p.m. at the 100 block of Middle Fork Road, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Gary L. Hitch Jr. was also found to have a warrant and driving with a suspended license, according to the sheriff’s office. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

VANDALISM

• Gang graffiti was discovered spray painted on a garage at the 1200 block of Ward Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday afternoon.

ROADWAY INCIDENTS

• Centralia police responded about 1:15 p.m. yesterday to Pearl and Sixth streets where a man had jumped from a vehicle during an argument. He was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries, according to the Centralia Police Department. His wife, Felicia R. Alexander, 20, of Centralia, was cited for driving with suspended license, according to police.

• A 25-year-old Winlock man was arrested for driving under the influence after a vehicle wreck about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday at the 400 block of Berry Road outside Chehalis. The vehicle struck a large tree and rolled onto its top, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Bradley J. Hunter was arrested by the state patrol, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespass, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarms, disputes, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, collisions on city streets, collisions on county roads, noisy neighbor music … and more.

2015.0309.tom.sparks.prowl copy

Tom Sparks said five panels of collectibles like this one were stolen from his car, while he was Arby’s in Centralia around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Saturday, March 7th, 2015

POLICE: VADER HEROIN DEALING COUPLE BUSTED

• The Centralia Police Department’s special Anti-Crime Team announced this morning an investigation they conducted with federal agents and Chehalis police detectives into what they called a large heroin supplier led to the arrests of a Vader couple at their home. The two were first contacted at the end of December when officers undertook a search at their residence on Alpine Court and seized several thousands of dollars in cash, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, a Glock 40 caliber handgun with ammunition, about nine ounces of pure heroin and approximately 20 grams of cocaine, according to a news release. The information from Centralia police Sgt. Brian Warren indicates officers allowed both suspects to remain at their home until arrest warrants were issued this week. Warren states that Francisco “Poncho” Guerrero admitted to selling drugs for 20 plus years and acknowledged he was a convicted felon. On Tuesday, Centralia officers and Lewis County detectives arrested 36-year-old Guerrero and his girlfriend 33-year-old Jennifer M. Hayes at the home, according to police. They were booked into the Lewis County Jail without incident, on two counts each of delivery and possession of controlled substances, according to Warren. Guerrero was additionally booked for unlawful possession of a firearm, the news release states. Their arraignments are scheduled for March 12 in Lewis County Superior Court.

BRIEF ESCAPE FROM ARREST

• A 38-year-old man, already handcuffed, slipped away from police as he was being placed in a patrol car and ran away yesterday afternoon at the 700 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. Steven G. Ward was physically subdued and then booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. It happened around 2:15 p.m. when police detained him for allegedly punching his girlfriend and throwing her keys in the river, according to police. He was arrested for fourth-degree assault and for third-degree escape, police report.

POLICE: MARIJUANA DEALING BUST

• A 24-year-old homeless woman was arrested last night for two counts of delivery of marijuana, one to a 14-year-old girl and the other to an 18-year-old male, according to the Centralia Police Department. The arrest around 10 p.m. associated with the 700 block of East Locust Street in Centralia ended with  Shanna L. Wilson booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. The 18-year-old – Zachory J. Schultz, from Centralia – was also booked into the jail for possession of marijuana, according to police.

AND MORE

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

News brief: Toledo infant’s cause of death unknown

Saturday, March 7th, 2015

Updated

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County coroner announced yesterday nothing suspicious was found during an autopsy of an 8-month-old Toledo area baby.

Deputies responded about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday to the 200 block of Foster Creek Road where the father said he’d found the infant boy in his crib not breathing, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

CPR was conducted and medics responded as well, but the child was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office is investigating the death, but has not revealed why.

Coroner Warren McLeod indicated yesterday there were no signs of trauma to the baby and he doesn’t yet know what caused the death.

It could take three to four months to get back the results of tests, information he needs to make a determination, according to McLeod. The tests are ones automatically done on unexplained infant or child deaths, he said.
•••

For background, read “News brief: Infant death investigation underway in Toledo area” from Thursday March 5, 2015, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Friday, March 6th, 2015

VEHICLE THEFT

• A motorcycle was reported stolen about 5:20 p.m. yesterday from a parking lot of a business on the 1000 block of South Gold Street in Centralia. The owner told police he left it for a short period of time and when he returned it was gone, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A Chehalis woman found to be driving with a suspended license when she was the subject of a traffic stop last night found herself in further trouble as it turned out she was wanted on an outstanding warrant, related to driving with a suspended license, and then it got worse when she got to the jail. During the intake process, when she stood up from a bench, something fell from her shirt to the floor, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The white crystalized substance tested positive for methamphetamine and Veronica L. Valderrama, 51, was booked for a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, according to the sheriff’s office.

LOST APPEAL

• The Washington State Court of Appeals rejected a former Randle man’s claim his convictions for second- and third-degree child rape should be reversed. In an opinion issued on Tuesday, the three-member panel ruled that David C. Haviland’s sentence of 340 months should stand. The former longtime Hampton Mill employee was convicted in a bench trial in Lewis County Superior Court in June 2013. The appeals judges disagreed with Haviland’s contention that a bill that amended a statute related to a case was unconstitutional, as well as other issues in his appeal.

AND MORE

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

News brief: Dental match confirms identity of Kresky Avenue remains

Thursday, March 5th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The skeletal remains found last week on a hillside along Kresky Avenue in Chehalis have been positively identified, but the name is being withheld until authorities can locate and notify next-of-kin.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said the female in her mid-50s was living locally, but no missing person report was filed with police by anyone.

Investigators found papers in a bag near her body with her name on them, and found dental records locally to compare with the remains.

Dr. Kathleen Taylor, the forensic anthropologist at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office made the identification using the records, according to McLeod.

Chehalis Police Department detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said earlier this week their investigation of the death was is in somewhat of a holding pattern, waiting for the coroner to tell them who she was.

As of Tuesday, neither office had been in contact with family of the woman.

The human remains were found by a surveyor about a quarter mile east of the 2200 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue on Feb. 23. Sgt. Wilson estimated she had  been dead about a year. Her cause of death remains undetermined.
•••

For background, read “Possible ID could come this week of remains found off Kresky Ave.” from Tuesday March 3, 2015, here