Lewis County Sirens.com

John H. Kuhn II appears before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A former manager of a Chehalis business has been accused by the owner of stealing more than $10,000 worth of kitchen cabinets and countertops.

The current manager of Builders Surplus Northwest contacted the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in May to report the discovery of what he said occurred back around January 2013.

John H. Kuhn II, was summonsed into Lewis County Superior Court, where this afternoon he learned more about the charge of first-degree theft that has been filed against him.

Kuhn, 35, said the kitchen remodel was a gift or bonus from the owner, for working so hard for him after a previous manager left.

“Two and a half years later, and now this,” Kuhn said outside the courtroom.

According to charging documents, current manager Dana Shave with assistance from company accountant Jon Christensen, gathered up invoices for the materials and labor to install the products at Kuhn’s home on Padrick Road in Centralia.

Photos of the kitchen were posted on the company’s website as a representation of the work they do, according to the documents.

Owner of the Hamilton Road business Michel Rey told an investigating deputy he knew of the remodel but was unaware his manager didn’t pay for it with his own money, the documents state.

Rey said he never provided bonuses for his employees in the form of materials or labor, as if he did, he would make them pay the tax on the materials, the documents relate.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Ann Harrie wrote in the charging documents that Kuhn denied the theft allegations to the deputy and provided names of five people who could verify they were a work bonus, but each of those five provided statements that they’d never heard of the kitchen or cabinets being a gift or bonus from Rey.

Kuhn does not have any email or correspondence from Rey showing it was a gift, Harrie wrote.

The charge of first-degree theft was filed on Dec. 3. It has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

When Kuhn appeared before Judge Richard Brosey this afternoon, temporary defense attorney Joely O’Rourke said Kuhn was in the process of retaining Centralia attorney Don Blair to represent him.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Nelson asked for bail to be set as a $10,000 unsecured bond. Brosey agreed.

Kuhn’s arraignment is scheduled for January 7.

Danny A. Wing talks with his defense attorney Todd Pascoe before going in front of the judge in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Danny A. Wing was brought back from prison to Lewis County Superior Court, so he could sign a portion of his sentencing documents that were compiled after his Sept. 25 sentencing for the death of 3-year-old Jasper Henderling-Warner.

Wing, 27, is serving a 416 month sentence following his guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter and third-degree assault.

Jasper died in October 2014 from chronic battered child syndrome, after Wing and his wife had taken the toddler into their household. The family had recently moved to Vader.

The documents, called finding of facts and conclusions of law, related to the enhancements that allowed the court to give him more time than the standard sentencing range; that the victim was a member of his household, and that Wing abused a position of trust on a particularly vulnerable victim.

Wing didn’t sign them during the approximately five-minute hearing in front of Judge Nelson Hunt this afternoon. His attorney Todd Pascoe signed them for him.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead told the judge Wing had filed several motions, on his own behalf, from prison – Halstead said out of the courtroom they related to his exceptional sentence.

But Wing, who spent several minutes with Pascoe before going before the judge, asked to withdraw the filings. He said he might want to refile them at a later date, with assistance from an appeal attorney.

Judge Hunt allowed them to be withdrawn. Wing noted that he is indigent and would have an appointed appeal attorney representing him.

Wing then had a hearing in family court, in the matter of the couple’s three children.

His wife Brenda A. Wing remains in the Lewis County Jail, awaiting her sentencing for her role in Jasper’s death.

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For background, read “Vader man gets 34 years for toddler death” from Friday September 25, 2015, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Lewis County Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt publicly acknowledged he plans to retire, saying he was making the official announcement early so anyone who may wish to run for his seat next November can make their plans.

“I will be 67 next year and it is just time to retire,” Hunt said in a news release yesterday. “I very much enjoy the work I am doing and those with whom I work but I want to retire before too many people start wishing that I would.”

Judge Nelson Hunt

He said his post-retirement plans are still in the making, but notes the possibility of traveling extensively and also said he’s been approached about teaching college-level criminal law and procedural courses.

Adna resident Andrew Toynbee, a former chief criminal deputy prosecutor in Lewis County, announced today he will seek election to Hunt’s position.

Hunt was first elected as judge in 2004, replacing the retiring Judge David Draper. He was unopposed in that election as well as in 2008 and 2012.

In his news release, he says the experience he is most proud of is “our continuing success” with drug court, something he was more than a little skeptical about when called upon to lead it following Judge John Hall’s retirement.

Hunt said in the past he’d seen many well-intentioned programs aimed at dealing with the drug problem fail over the long run.

” … I was soon convinced that it is the most effective way to proceed and our results corroborate that,” Hunt stated. “It will be difficult to end my active association with drug court but I am sure my successor will be up to the challenge.”

Hunt’s law career began as a deputy prosecuting attorney for Lewis County in 1979 and then he became the Lewis County prosecutor in 1990.

He held that elected position until 1995 when he resigned to take a position with the local law firm of Mano and McKerricher, where his practice emphasized criminal defense.

“Being a judge is a great job,” Hunt said. “It is challenging and full of variety, every day brings something new.

“That was the main reason I decided to become a judge and the past 11 years have certainly lived up to that.”

Toynbee today said the support and encouragement he has gotten to run for judge has been overwhelming.

“I am looking forward to getting out and letting the community know who I am and what I have to offer the people of Lewis County as a superior court judge,” Toynbee stated.

Lewis County has three superior court judges who preside over felony and high-money civil cases. The job pays $162,618 a year.

Toynbee served for 13 years in the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, in a variety of positions. He spent his last five years there the chief criminal deputy, before taking a similar position in 2006 at the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office.

He said he oversees he oversees a staff of over 30 attorneys and support personnel.

“I have learned much in the last nine years, and I am eager to bring that experience home to Lewis County,” Toynbee said.

The married father of three has continued to reside in Lewis County and lists his community involvement as a board member for Pope’s Kids Place since 2006, several terms on the St. Joseph School Commission, a former board member of Valley View Community Health Center and has coached for Chehalis Youth Soccer.

Toynbee will formally kick off his campaign in January.

Freeway traffic backed up for miles, for hours, while crews made numerous attempts to move stuck semi truck. / Courtesy photo by Department of Transportation

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An over-height semi truck that got stuck at an overpass on Interstate 5 near Toledo leaving one southbound lane blocked yesterday was finally dislodged about 3 o’clock this morning.

The bridge at the Toledo-Vader road offramp near milepost 61 is signed for allowing 14-feet 9-inches of clearance, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The driver indicated his rig was 16-feet tall, DOT spokesperson Bart Treece said.

“He did slow down to about 25 mph to try to sneak by, but that didn’t work,” Treece said.

The truck was hauling a generator base from Centralia to Idaho, he said.

It happened about 2:30 p.m. and by 4:30 p.m., the backup on the freeway was four miles and growing.

Traffic was detoured for bridge inspectors to examine the structure and during attempts to pull the truck out, Treece said.

They let the air out of the tires, but the truck was still lodged there, he said.

They tried pulling it out with two class C tow trucks, but that didn’t work either.

“So we used hydraulic jacks to lift the bridge, had three tow trucks pulling and one loader pushing,” he said.

Treece said that for whatever reason, the pilot car didn’t communicate with the driver.

“If they would have taken that offramp, (and got back on), they would have been just fine,” he said.

The bridge was scraped up, but inspectors aren’t concerned about anything structural, he said.

They’ll return tomorrow to double-check all their information so they can send the operator a bill, he said.

It was the same type of load being hauled last Tuesday by a different truck that hit the Koontz Road overpass on  southbound Interstate 5 in Napavine.

That truck was traveling freeway speed however, and the damage to the overpass more serious, according to Treece.

Koontz Road above the freeway remains closed and its opening date still unknown.

“We had to develop a pretty significant repair plan, because the girders were badly damaged,” he said.