Archive for June, 2015

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, June 30th, 2015
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•••

Updated at 8:03 p.m.

DRUGS MISSING

• Centralia police took a report yesterday morning of 70 hydrocodone pills stolen from a residence on the 1100 block of South Schueber Road, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FRAUD

• Police received a report of credit card theft, possibly from the mail, yesterday associated with the 600 block of South Rock Street in Centralia.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called about 7:20 a.m. today about a vehicle prowl on Southwest James Street.

VANDALISM

• Police were called to the 500 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia about 11:30 a.m. yesterday because of graffiti written on a sculpture.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE, ANGRY YOUNG MAN

• An 18-year-old Randle resident was ordered held yesterday on $50,000 bail in connection with the shooting death of his grandparent’s dog. Kolby G. Mullins was booked into the Lewis County Jail on Friday and appeared before a judge yesterday afternoon. According to charging documents, Mullins is accused of vandalizing the grandparent’s motorcycle in Glenoma, leaving a note expressing how angry he was and suggesting they meet up to fight. That was in February. The court documents go on to detail how two weeks later Mullins allegedly drove up to a residence in Randle where the grandparent Gene Dunaway’s dog began to bark, and Mullins lifted a rifle, took aim and shot the dog twice, before driving away. The documents don’t indicate why Mullins was upset, but he has a pending case in another county in which he is charged with first-degree child molestation, according to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office. And the day after the motorcycle incident, Mullins tried to kill himself, sustaining a large gunshot wound on his head, according to the documents. He is charged with second-degree animal cruelty, harassment, second-degree theft, second- and third-degree malicious mischief as well as making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. Back in mid-February, he allegedly trashed somebody else’s pickup truck and their television near the Glenoma incident and took a dirt bike and tools, according to the documents. During the same time he allegedly invited another individual to fight, even with guns, out of anger at that person’s association with his grandparent, the documents relate. Yesterday afternoon, defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge both she and her temporary client were thoroughly confused as he was charged with the exact same incident in Lewis County District Court, and bail was set at $3,600. The prosecutor’s office said because of the severity of the charges and mental health issues, they wanted higher bail. Judge Richard Brosey left the bail amount at $50,000 as it was set in Mullins’ arrest warrant. The current charges were filed on April 15, and a passage in the affidavit of probable cause notes there was a time delay in the referral of these charges to their office and their office’s awareness the referral existed. Mullins’ arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespassing, misdemeanor assault, driving with suspended license; responses for dispute, harassment, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, possible inappropriate touching, collision on city street, kids shooting off large fireworks, someone else setting off fireworks … and more.

News brief: UPS truck fire north of Grand Mound closes one lane of I-5

Tuesday, June 30th, 2015
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Flames from possible brake fire spread into cargo hold of UPS truck. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Crews were still on the scene this morning dealing with a fire that engulfed a UPS truck just south of the Maytown Rest Area on Interstate 5.

Firefighters were called out just after 1 a.m. to the southbound lanes near milepost 92 to find the closed box trailer well involved in flames, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

They managed to cut the box away from the tractor itself and remained on the scene as of 9 a.m. extinguishing hot spots, Fire Chief Robert Scott said.

Nobody was hurt.

The rig was hauling 19,000 pounds of cargo, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Scott said it wasn’t individual packages for delivery, but was pallets of bulk items. The pallets he saw were things like children’s toys, speaker systems and computer boards, he said.

The area is down to one lane and traffic is congested, the chief said.

A fire crew is assisting contractors, who have a dump truck to take away the remains of the load, and a tow truck was working to right the trailer which had tipped onto its side, he said.

They believe it may have been a brake fire on the truck itself that spread to the trailer, Scott said.

News brief: Local firefighting teams join Wenatchee crews

Monday, June 29th, 2015

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two firefighters from the Napavine area fire department are among those who headed east overnight to assist with the wildfire at Wenatchee.

Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue sent them on a brush truck.

The blaze, named the Sleepy Hollow Fire, began around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, grew to 300 acres by 9 o’clock last night and by this morning had grown to 3,000 acres, destroying multiple structures, according to authorities.

At least one group of three firefighters from South Thurston County deployed to the fire as well. Tina Vanderhoof, administrative chief for Thurston County Fire District 12 in Tenino said the group included one from Tenino, the chief of Thurston County Fire District 16 in Gibson Valley and one other person.

The State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray was activated to coordinate state assistance.

The Wenatchee World reported this evening 28 homes have burned and the fast-moving fire sent out embers that ignited commercial buildings.

An estimated 200 firefighters were rotating on and off today, according to news reporter Dee Riggs.

Read more about the fire here. Kirotv.com shared raw video

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, June 29th, 2015
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•••

Updated at 7:59 p.m.

VEHICLE PROWLER HITS JACKPOT

• Someone rifled through a truck while its drivers dined at Gee Cees Truck Stop southwest of Toledo early on Saturday morning, removing $9,602 cash from the glove box, $200 from a wallet, a Rand McNalley GPS unit from the dashboard and also taking clothing including T-shirts and blue jeans. A deputy responding about 12:30 a.m. learned another truck driver had seen two males trying to break into the truck and the prowler or prowlers left the door open when they were done, according to Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy asked the business to review images on its security system, Chief Stacy Brown said.

POLICE DOG HITS JACKPOT

• Chehalis Officer Warren Ayers and his K9 partner, Reign, assisted Centralia officers with capturing two car prowl suspects who ran as officers arrived on the scene at the 100 block of Jalyn Street in Centralia early yesterday morning. Zachory J. Schultz, 18, of Centralia, and a 17 year old were found hiding nearby and arrested for vehicle prowl following the approximately 2:50 a.m. call,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

MORE CAR PROWLS

• A GPS unit and a Blue Tooth device were stolen from a vehicle at the 1800 block of Collins Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday afternoon.

• Chehalis police were called about 10:30 a.m. yesterday when an individual out on a walk found some items that should have been in his vehicle, which was parked in its driveway on the 200 block of Southeast Adams Avenue, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Officers took a report about 9 a.m. on Saturday of a rope taken from the bed of a pickup parked in the 300 block of Division Avenue in Morton. The rope was later located, tied to the Tilton River Bridge, according to the Morton Police Department.

COMMERCIAL STORAGE BUSINESS THEFT

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a deputy took a report from a 27-year-old Rochester woman that someone broke into her storage unit at the 2400 block of Harrison Avenue and stole numerous items including a Craftsman table saw, a gas heater, a saddle and a toolbox. Shavings found on the ground at Keepers Storage indicate the thief drilled through the locking mechanism on her padlock to get in, according to the sheriff’s office. It happened sometime between 10 a.m. last Monday and 10 a.m. on Thursday, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said. The loss is estimated at $1,100, Brown said. An investigation is underway.

DUERR WOOD SPLITTER MISSING

• A five-ton wood splitter was stolen from an 87-year-old man’s property in the 200 block of Gershick Road in Silver Creek. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning it went missing sometime between 3 p.m. on May 4 and 1 p.m. the following day. It’s brand is Duerr, according to the sheriff’s office. The value is $1,600, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said.

MOWER MISSING

• A lawnmower was stolen from a yard during the night at the 100 block of West Chestnut Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police on Saturday morning.

BUS YARD HIT UP FOR FUEL

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning that sometime before yesterday but after last Wednesday, someone broke into the Toledo School District bus garage compound and tried to siphon gas from the storage tank by cutting the fuel hose at the pump. The sheriff’s office thinks they were interrupted because they left their own gas can behind, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said. They got in to the facility at the 100 block of Collins Road by cutting a hole in the chain link fence, Brown said. No fuel was stolen and the school district will attempt to review security images to see if a suspect can be identified, Brown said.

FRAUD

• Centralia police were contacted yesterday morning by an individual who reported losing a credit card the day before, and then learning it had been used at several area businesses.according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ASSAULT

• An officer was called at about 12:45 a.m. on Friday regarding an alleged assault at Green Hill School in Chehalis. It is being investigated, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

• An officer was called to the 1000 block of Southwest 20th Street on Saturday afternoon regarding pain medication that was either stolen or misplaced, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

•  An officer was called to the 1000 block of Southwest 20th Street on Saturday evening after a 15-year-old boy was found with unspecified pills. The case is being referred to juvenile prosecutors for a possible drug charge, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Police were called about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday to the 500 block of South Cedar Street in Centralia regarding someone spray painting the back of someone else’s truck.

• Police took a report around 10 p.m. yesterday of windows getting broken at a home on the 1000 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia.

WRECKS

• A pair of Vader residents were hospitalized as a precaution after their semi truck left the highway and rolled this morning in Eastern Washington. Julie A. Hedglin, 55, was driving eastbound on U.S. Highway 12 at the Dayton city limits when it happened just before 10 a.m., according to the Washington State Patrol. The passenger James L. Hedglin, 57, was not wearing a seat belt, the state patrol reports. The driver is to be issued a citation for second-degree negligent driving, according to the investigating trooper.

• Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue Chief Gregg Peterson said he believes two people were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital yesterday evening following a collision on northbound Interstate 5 just north of the Rush Road interchange at Napavine.

• A 23-year-old motorist from Missoula, Montana was injured when his Dodge Ram pickup left the roadway and struck a large tree head on yesterday afternoon east of Packwood. Troopers responded to the approximately 3:30 p.m. call to state Route 123 before milepost one, according to the Washington State Patrol. Bryce L. Greenfield was transported to Morton General Hospital and then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the state patrol. Greenfield wasn’t wearing a seat belt, the investigating trooper reports.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, obstructing, resisting arrest, misdemeanor assault, shoplifting, protection order violation, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, disorderly persons, harassment, trespassing, hit and run, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street, dogs left alone in parked vehicles in Chehalis at Safeway, at Wal-Mart and at Valley View Health Center, a pair of dogs walking around without an owner, kids in a neighbor’s pool at night when neighbor is gone … and more.

Fourth of July: Get out your garden hoses now

Sunday, June 28th, 2015
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Today’s so-called red flag warning for fire danger covers most of Western Washington. / Image from the National Weather Service

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – People are nervous.

Ongoing high temperatures and very dry conditions, with forecasts of more of the same have prompted outdoor burning restrictions, a ban on even campfires in state parks and for private timberland owners to close their gates to public recreation in recent days.

Unstable air over much of Western Washington with the risk of scattered lightning added to the fire danger threat today.

And, sales of consumer fireworks from state-licensed stands began at noon today. They are already being sold on reservations.

Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement strongly urging people not to use fireworks this year.

“The fire danger now is unlike any we’ve seen in a long time, if ever,” Inslee said in a press release. “We need to be prepared for the possibility of an unprecedented fire season.”

Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza is asking the public to be careful, be responsible and to take their neighbors and their neighbor’s property into consideration when lighting off fireworks.

The Lewis County Public Fire Educators Group is strongly urging area residents and their families to consider enjoying a professional display, such as the one at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds the evening of the Fourth of July.

Forecasters predict temperatures in the 80s and 90s in the coming days, and although there is a slight chance of showers tomorrow, unseasonably warm weather is anticipated well into the week, according to the National Weather Service.

The sheriff wants this year’s celebrating to be as fun and festive as any, but points out there are criminal penalties for possessing and using illegal fireworks.

“If you choose to use or have illegal fireworks in your possession you may be cited and charged with a gross misdemeanor, punishable up to a year in jail and a fine up to $5,000,” Snaza stated.

State officials had a more ominous warning to consider:

A person found responsible for starting a wildland fire with fireworks can be required to pay restitution for the fire suppression costs and damages caused by the fire. This could be in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, the state fire marshal’s office noted in a press release late last week.

Fireworks are not allowed in Lewis County parks. Fireworks are illegal on all state properties protected by the Department of Natural Resources. They are prohibited in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Last year, there were 155 suspected fireworks-related fires around the state. This year, the wildfire season has begun earlier and with greater intensity.

However, for those who choose to celebrate our nation’s independence in the customary way, local public safety officials offer numerous tips to help prevent tragic accidents, especially regarding youngsters.

“First, set family boundaries―only adults should light fireworks. Supervision is paramount in keeping children safe,” Riverside Fire Authority Assistant Chief Rick Mack and Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue’s Lt. Laura Hanson stated in their list of tips.

From local and state public safety officials:

• Purchase only legal fireworks, only in the quantity you will use.
• M80’s, M100’s, or Cherry Bombs are not fireworks – they are illegal explosive devices and can cause severe injuries. Sparkler bombs are considered improvised explosive devices, and are illegal.
•  Never consume alcohol or drugs and use fireworks at the same time.
• Never use fireworks inside your home.
• Always set them off outdoors on a driveway or sidewalk.
• Clear a level area, away from combustible materials.
• Have a fire extinguisher or hose handy.
• Keep a bucket of water nearby for discarding all used fireworks.
• Have a responsible adult present to supervise their use.
• Do not allow young children to discharge fireworks.
• Keep spectators at a safe distance.
• The shooter should wear eye protection.
• Light only one device at a time and move away quickly.
• Never attempt to re-ignite a “dud” firework device.
• Follow the directions on the package label carefully.
• Never point or throw a firework in the direction of anyone.
• Never hold or throw a firework – light it and back away to a safe distance.
• If a firework comes into contact with a vegetated area, use a hose or a bucket of water to heavily soak the area, making sure that there are not any hot spots that could rekindle later.
• Clean up all debris when finished.
• Completely soak used fireworks overnight, then place soaked fireworks in a garbage bag and place in an outdoor trash can or take them to your local waste facility.

Teen driver for ecstasy drug deal-turned robbery booked

Saturday, June 27th, 2015
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Kayla A.S. Littlejohn, in red jail garb, awaits her turn to go in front of a judge in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A police undercover attempt to buy $1,000 worth of ecstasy in the parking lot of the Safeway store in Centralia didn’t turn out as planned, but one teenager is jailed and a man with her who allegedly pulled a gun on a confidential informant remains at large.

It happened inside a tan-colored Pontiac on Wednesday evening, with Centralia police engaging in surveillance of the expected transaction, according to authorities.

Once the Pontiac left the grocery store lot, and the informant was observed getting out of the car, the informant phoned the officer and said they’d been robbed, according to court documents.

A brief summary of the incident from police the following morning described the robbery victim as a male, however court documents avoid using any gender specific pronouns in reference to the informant.

Law enforcement officers pursued the vehicle for a short time, but gave up the chase for safety reasons, according to police.

According to charging documents, when law enforcement searched the area around the residence of the male they say was behind the wheel, they spoke with an 18-year-old woman at a nearby house; they were told she’d been with him the previous couple of days.

Kayla A.S. Littlejohn, 18, of Olympia, was arrested on Thursday, and booked into the Lewis County Jail.

According to charging documents in her case, she said she was asked by McRae Armstrong to drive him to Safeway.

She said he told her he was going to sell fake MDMA, which was really salt, to someone for $1,000.

The informant told police the male with the gun wasn’t the target of the so-called controlled buy.

According to Littlejohn and the informant, during the drug deal, after Littlejohn counted the money, Armstrong showed a bag of drugs, then reached under the passenger seat, grabbed a small caliber handgun and pointed it at the informant. The informant got out, and the two drove away.

The Centralia Police Department had provided the money.

Centralia Officer Adam Haggerty reported when he first saw the Pontiac, a female was in the driver’s seat, but when officers attempted to catch the car, a male was driving. The Pontiac has been located in Olympia, according to police.

Littlejohn was brought before a judge yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court where she was charged with one count of first-degree robbery and one count of possession with intent to deliver an imitation controlled substance.

The 18-year-old has no criminal history, was cooperative and her father was in the courtroom for the hearing, lawyers told the judge.

“It’s very clear Ms. Littlejohn was not the principle actor in this event,” defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge.

First-degree robbery has a maximum penalty of life in prison. The other offense has a top lockup time of five years.

Judge James Lawler ordered her held on $25,000 bail.

Centralia police did not return phone calls seeking comment about Wednesday’ incident.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead informed the judge someone from the Pacific County Prosecutor’s Office would be handling the case, because of a potential appearance of a conflict.

The co-defendant’s father is Jim Armstrong, a private investigator who works for defense attorneys in Lewis County cases, Halstead said.

McRae Armstrong doesn’t appear to have been arrested, or at least not booked into the Lewis County Jail, as of this afternoon.

Littlejohn’s opportunity to make a plea in the case will come on Thursday, in Lewis County Superior Court.
•••

For background, read “Centralia: Suspect in armed robbery at large” from Thursday June 25, 2015, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Saturday, June 27th, 2015
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•••

Updated at 5:16 p.m.

ELDERLY CHEHALIS LOG TRUCK DRIVER DIES ON THE ROADWAY

• The truck driver who died yesterday on U.S. Highway 12 in Rochester was an 83-year-old Chehalis resident. Joseph P. Haunreiter was traveling eastbound when his 1979 Kenworth tractor and empty log trailer left the roadway, went through a guardrail and then hit a tree near Denmark Street, according to the Washington State Patrol. The cause of the wreck is under investigation, according to the state patrol. The approximately 4:30 p.m. crash shut down the highway for about five hours. Haunreiter died at the scene, his rig was destroyed.

INATTENTION ON I-5

• Four vehicles were towed and a Rochester woman transported to Providence Centralia Hospital after a 23-year-old driver from Ellensburg who wasn’t paying attention struck the back end of a car which was slowing for stopped traffic on Interstate 5 in south Centralia today, according to the Washington State Patrol. Shane A. Brady, 23, was issued a citation for going too fast, according to the state patrol. Teri L. Ramdsdell, 50, from Rochester, who was driving the Honda CRV he hit was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries, the investigating trooper reports. Troopers called about 1:20 p.m. to the northbound lanes near milepost 81 indicate the CRV was pushed into a Kia Sportage, which in turn was shoved into a 2002 Acura.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called about 3:40 p.m. yesterday about a vehicle prowl at the 2400 block of Cooks Hill Road. Money was taken, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• An officer was called to the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue about 10 o’clock last night regarding a vehicle prowl. Someone broke a window to get inside, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrant, harassment, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for hit and run, misdemeanor theft … and more.