Archive for May, 2015

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Friday, May 22nd, 2015
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ARGUMENT OVER PET ESCALATES

• A 48-year-old man was arrested overnight following an argument about his dog running around in an RV park in Toledo that ended with words to the effect of, “Go ahead, call 911 and I’ll cut your throat,” according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called to the 400 block of state Route 506 about 2:30 a.m. learned that a 68-year-old man got involved in a dispute with Ray S. Hoover about Hoover’s dog, and Hoover used profanity and threatened the man. The sheriff’s office reports Hoover got into his vehicle driving around and at the other man, tearing up a driveway. Hoover was booked into the Lewis County Jail for felony harassment, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said.

ANGRY BOYFRIEND

• Deputies called about 8:30 p.m. yesterday to the 100 block of Battle Ridge Road outside Centralia ended up arresting a 50-year-old Centralia man for allegedly repeatedly kicking the doors of his girlfriend’s 2014 Chevrolet Camaro and also leaving her with a small bump on her forehead. Clay A. Core was arrested for second-degree malicious mischief because of an estimated $1,500 damage and booked him into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The case is also being referred to prosecutors for a charge of fourth-degree assault. Core was released with no charges filed pending further investigation.

FAMILY JEWELRY THEFT

• A Chehalis area woman who said she discovered her $5,000 wedding ring had been sold by her teenage daughter for $120 called 911 last night to report the loss. She got the ring back but now deputies are looking for the 18-year-old to arrest her for first-degree theft, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

JEEP PROWLED

• Chehalis police responded to an approximately 6:30 p.m. call yesterday regarding a vehicle prowl in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. The Jeeps’ windows were not closed and stolen were identification cards for the victim and other family members, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

TRESPASSING

• Centralia police arrested two individuals for charging their cell phone behind a closed business last night. Adam T. Kay, 32, and Hannah G. Kay, 34, both of Centralia, were issued citations for second-degree criminal trespass after contact with an officer about 1:20 a.m. at the 600 block of West Main Street, according to the Centralia Police Department. They were then released, according to police.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police yesterday morning got a report of a window broken on the 1000 block of West Main Street.

AND MORE

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

News brief: S’more safety

Friday, May 22nd, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – There’s almost nothing better than sitting around a campfire, but officials are worried that forests on both sides of the state are more more vulnerable than usual to catastrophe this weekend.

2015.0522.smorecampfireIn Western Washington, the snowpack is a fraction of normal, and much of Eastern Washington has endured years of persistent drought, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

DNR urges everyone to be careful and please help prevent wildland fires over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer.

Simple steps to do your part include: before leaving home, check to find out what the campfire restrictions are for the area you plan to visit.

And then, authorities advise:

If campfires are allowed; extinguish them properly before leaving:
• Never leave a campfire unattended at any time.
• Drown fire thoroughly with water.
• Stir until cold.
• Drown fire again and stir.
• Never leave a campfire until it is completely out and cool to the touch.

Already this year, the state agency has responded to 124 wildland fires.

Stay connected during the wildfire season through DNR’s Twitter at http://twitter.com/waDNR_fire

Prison awaits Vader heroin dealer, girlfriend’s case dropped

Thursday, May 21st, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Vader man arrested following an investigation into what police called a large supplier of heroin in Lewis and Cowlitz counties was sentenced yesterday to 20 months in prison.

Francisco “Poncho” Guerrero, 36, was charged in March in Lewis County Superior Court in connection with a search of his home on Alpine Court in which police seized several thousands of dollars in cash, about nine ounces of pure heroin and approximately 20 grams of cocaine.

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Francisco Guerrero

Guerrero pleaded guilty yesterday to delivery of heroin, as well as possession with intent to deliver heroin.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello said as part of a plea deal, he dropped a charge of possession with intent to deliver of cocaine because it wouldn’t change the amount of time the defendant faced. Masiello said he also dropped a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm, because he didn’t have evidence Guerrero actually possessed the weapon.

The investigation was conducted by the Centralia Police Department’s special Anti-Crime Team, Chehalis police detectives and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

The search of the residence took place back in December, and for unspecified reasons police did not make any arrest until March 3. Arrested at the same time was Guerrero’s 33-year-old girlfriend Jennifer M. Hayes who also lived in the home.

Her lawyer in mid-March filed a demand for so-called discovery materials, and by the end of March, prosecutors dropped the case against her.

Masiello asked for and was granted a dismissal of the charges, noting a lack of evidence against Hayes. They were dismissed without prejudice, leaving open the possibility they could be filed again in the future, he said.

Masiello said today the girlfriend was present, but in order to be an accomplice, one has to do more than just be present.
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For background, read “Accused Vader drug dealers plead not guilty” from Friday March 13, 2015, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Thursday, May 21st, 2015
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BOOZE, BOOZE, BOOZE

• Centralia police were called to Safeway about 8:30 a.m. yesterday about a 17-year-old boy who allegedly stole a bottle of hard liquor. The case is being referred to prosecutors for a charge of third-degree theft, according to the Centralia Police Department. An officer was called back to the same grocery on the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue about 7:30 p.m. after two females were reportedly seen stuffing bottles of hard liquor into bags, according to police. They were gone when officers arrived, police said.

• Twice police and firefighters were called yesterday in Chehalis regarding juveniles who had drank too much alcohol. It wasn’t clear yet if the incidents would result in citations, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ATTEMPTED THEFT

• Chehalis police were called about 6 p.m. yesterday to the 1800 block of Southwest Snively Avenue following the discovery that someone had broken a door handle to a church’s shed.

VANDALISM

• Police were called about 11 p.m. yesterday regarding a rock thrown through the window of a business at the 100 block of North Rock Street in Centralia.

• Centralia police yesterday evening got a report of a window broken on a business at the 800 block of West Main Street.

• Graffiti on a fence at the 700 block of West Main Street in Centralia was reported to police just before 9 p.m. yesterday.

AMBER ALERTS WORK

• A trooper and a Castle Rock police officer caught up to a vehicle identified in an Amber ALERT on northbound Interstate 5 near Vader yesterday afternoon, following an approximately  2:45 p.m. call to 911 from a motorist who heard the alert and spotted the vehicle, according to the Washington State Patrol. A father wanted for custodial interference out of Idaho was taken into custody and a pair of children ages 2 and 3 recovered safely, according to authorities. The state patrol reports it had responded to a 2 p.m. request from the Nampa Police Department to extend the alert to Washington and Oregon and the motorist heard the alert broadcast on a Portland radio station.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor domestic assault, driving under the influence, reckless endangerment; responses for alarm, dispute, found credit card, suspicious circumstances, report of a child sexual assault from several years ago, an inmate at the jail who said he needed a shower so he “popped” the fire sprinkler head in a cell … and more.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015
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Updated

ONLOOKER CAPTURES MAN RUNNING FROM POLICE

• Police were called about 6:20 p.m. yesterday about an individual stealing a jacket from a store on the 100 block of West High Street in Centralia. An arriving officer saw a suspect flee on foot and then a citizen near Burger King on Harrison Avenue tackled the man, and held him for the officer, according to the Centralia Police Department. Thirty-four-year-old Lupe Ramos said he and his son were in the play area at the fast food establishment when he looked out the window and saw a guy running, carrying an orange jacket, and then saw a patrol car cut off the runner at the driveway. “He doubled back, I just saw an opportunity,” he said. Ramos, who said he stands 6-feet 5-inches tall and is as big as a doorway, said he ducked outside, took two steps, and jumped into him. “It was mostly his momentum,” he said. “We were on top of him, the officer turned him over, and then the officer high-fived me, and said, ‘that was awesome dude, thanks’,” Ramos said. The suspect, Anthony R. Madison, 26 of Aberdeen, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree theft, according to police. Ramos, who lives in Rochester and works at W.F. West High School, said he played football when he was a teenager. “It’s been years since I’ve done that,” he said. “But it all comes back to you.”

BURNED OUT OF HOME

• Centralia police were contacted last night by a homeless man in his 30s who said someone burned his tent. Officers found a burn pile near the 1400 block of West Main Street with what appeared to be a tent pole, according to the Centralia Police Department. Its owner had been away away at the time, police said.

GARAGE BURGLED

• Centralia police were called about 6 o’clock yesterday evening regarding a welder stolen from a a garage on the 600 block of South Diamond Street.

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

•  A 45-year-old Toledo man who allegedly assaulted his wife on Monday night turned himself in yesterday morning. Ronald J. Mitchell went to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault, according to the sheriff’s office.

TEEN ARRESTED WITH STOLEN HONDA

• An 18-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of methamphetamine yesterday morning on the 500 block of Coal Creek Road outside Chehalis. A deputy was responding about 7:15 a.m. to a report of a suspicious vehicle and found two vehicles parked off the road with a man and a woman standing nearby, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. When the deputy checked, it was discovered the green 1999 Honda Civic had been reported stolen from Chehalis a few hours earlier, according to the sheriff’s office. Uriah W.C. Osborne was booked into the Lewis County Jail, detective Sgt. Steve Aust said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, harassment, trespassing, resisting arrest, misdemeanor assault, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, vandalism, protection order violation, collision on city street … and more.

Prisoner accused of beating to death fellow inmate, a local man

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

Updated

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Lewis County man sent to prison last fall has died after sustaining serious injuries during an assault there.

Gordon C. Powell Jr., 45, was arrested in early October for breaking the glass front door at a distillery on North Tower Avenue and stealing four bottles of liquor and then hours later tussling with a police officer who tried to remove an extremely intoxicated beggar from an area store, according to court documents.

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Gordon “Casey” Powell Jr.

Powell was serving a five year sentence, for second-degree burglary and third-degree assault, at the Monroe Correctional Complex.

“I’m very disappointed,” his lawyer David Arcuri said upon hearing the news. “Gordon was not a violent person.”

Arcuri represented Powell in Lewis County Superior Court at least once, and likely other times over the years.

“He was a young man, and though he may have had issues that caused him to be taken out of society, it’s pretty sad he goes to DOC and ends up getting killed,” Arcuri said.

Court documents show Powell as transient, police reported he lived in Chehalis when he was arrested.

Prison officials say Powell was transported to the hospital on May 9 and passed away Monday morning.

He was being held at the Special Offender Unit at Monroe, according to the state Department of Corrections.

A 35-year-old fellow inmate doing time for first-degree manslaughter was being held in segregation and prison officials are working closely with local law enforcement who are investigating the incident, according to DOC.

The assault occurred in a common area, prison officials said.

The other inmate, Benjamin Price entered the prison system in August 2010 for the conviction out of Skagit County and was serving a sentence of just over 12 years. Price also had a prior conviction for second-degree assault with a firearm, according to the news release.

The (Everett) Herald reports Price has a history of mental illness and is alleged to have waited for Powell while inmates were returning from the dining room, and kicked and stomped him during an attack that lasted nine seconds; Powell never regained consciousness.

Powell’s older sister said the Centralia native who went by the nickname Casey was a victim of the system.

“They knew he was mentally ill,” Stephanie Leisure said. “He should never have been put in prison, he should have been sent to Western State.”

At least twice before he’d been to the psychiatric hospital and found not competent to assist with his defense, according to Leisure.

He lived with her family in Centralia, she said.

“He was basically an outgoing, sweet guy,” she said. “Always smiling, always happy; he loved everybody.”

Her brother started showing signs of mental illness in his 20s, she said. He was being seen at a local clinic regularly before his arrest, she said.

“The police are always arresting him,” she said. “He does things he’s not supposed to do, but he’s still a really good kid; he couldn’t help it.”

Monroe’s Special Offender Unit was opened in 1981 to provide a facility to treat and house the many seriously mentally ill offenders, according to DOC spokesperson Andrew Garber.

No phones, Internet for 1,172 Centralia customers

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

Updated at 3:36 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A road construction crew working near the freeway exit ramp by the Outlet Mall cut CenturyLink’s communications cables, causing a loss of service to more than 1,000 customers in Centralia.

The issue came to light yesterday morning and there is no estimated time of repair yet.

The outage is affecting landline phone service and Internet service, but not cell phones, according to company spokesperson Brian Dalessi.

Dalessi said technicians are working on the problem, but it’s a very involved and complex fix.

“Unfortunately, it’s pretty large copper trunks and two fiberoptic cables,” he said this morning.

Lewis County 911 Manager Craig Larsen said their system based in Chehalis is not affected, except that any person in Centralia without phone service can’t call them, unless they use a cell phone.

One large customer, the Centralia School District, is working to create alternate ways for parents and others to contact the schools if they need to.

District spokesperson Ed Petersen indicated he learned of it about 10 a.m. yesterday, and the best estimate he’s heard so far is it could continue at least until Sunday.

People trying to call them get just a busy signal, Petersen said.

Dalessi said he notified the news media yesterday evening to try to get the word out, to reassure the public technicians are working to isolate the problem and restore services as quickly as possible.

He said he understood the damage was related to the Interstate 5 construction project, and the outage is mostly west of the freeway.

Eleven hundred and seventy two residential and business customers are affected, he said.

Dispatchers at the Lewis County 911 center suggest anyone who is unable to contact them to report an emergency ought to use a cell phone to dial 911 or contact their local fire or police department.

They ask also that members of the public take a moment to check on neighbors, friends or relatives who could be affected by the outage to make sure they are safe and secure.

And further, they ask anyone who sees, hears, or becomes aware of any alarm or emergency or other need for police, fire or medical aid, to please call 911 immediately if they can.