Archive for February, 2016

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Thursday, February 18th, 2016
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

BURGLARY MINERAL

• A deputy was called yesterday afternoon to a residential burglary at the 500 block of Mineral Hill Road in Mineral. Missing were cords and adaptors as well as vaping supplies and an Xbox controller, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

VEHICLE THEFT

• A 1998 Chevrolet S10 pickup was reported stolen yesterday evening from the 2900 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Silver Creek, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is less than $1,500, according to the sheriff’s office.

DINE AND DASH WITH A TWIST

• Centralia police were called about 2:15 p.m. yesterday to the 1000 block of West Main Street after a couple left a pre-paid credit card as payment for their meal and while the restaurant tried to confirm there were funds available, got up and walked out. They were described as in their late teens to early 20s and both carrying backpacks, according to the Centralia Police Department.

APARTMENT ARSON

• Firefighters were called about 5:25 p.m. yesterday to an apartment building on the 300 block of Northeast First Street in Winlock where someone had set a shoebox on fire in a hallway just inside the front door. Whoever it was had then rung doorbells and ran off, according to Lewis County Fire District 15. The box contained shoes and T-shirts, which tenants extinguished and put outside, Assistant Chief Kevin Anderson said. Police are investigating, he said.

GRAND MOUND SWAT

• The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office reported about 10:45 p.m. yesterday their event involving a SWAT team in Grand Mound ended peacefully, with their suspect in custody and nobody injured. KOMOnews.com reported 25-year-old Kyle Bachman barricaded himself inside his home in the area of Highway 99 and 183rd Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. with his girlfriend and their infant child when a deputy arrived to arrest him for violating a court order.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 26-year-old Chehalis man was hospitalized because of back pain after his car hit a ditch and went airborne yesterday evening near milepost 15 of Jackson Highway in Toledo. A deputy responding to the approximately 6:10 p.m. wreck reported the 2000 Ford Focus sustained major damage and cited the driver for wheels off the roadway and no insurance, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And as usual,  other incidents such as arrests for warrants, obstructing, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, misdemeanor theft, possible fraud, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street … and more, among the 146 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 6:30 a.m. today

Senior citizen admits meth possession, apologizes to court

Wednesday, February 17th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 77-year-old Centralia man who was kicked out of his retirement home and jailed for sprinkling methamphetamine in his coffee pleaded guilty today.

Nelson R. Berquist was arrested in December, after police were called to Cooks Hill Manor and told Berquist had offered a portion of his stash to someone there.

2016.0217.2015.1208.smaller.nelson.berquist.8163

Nelson R. Berquist in December 2015

He told arriving officers he had more in his room, and they confiscated a small baggie from a wicker basket.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello this morning told a judge that in the interest of justice, he was recommending Berquist be sentenced to 11 days and given credit for time served.

Masiello and defense attorney David Arcuri struck a deal in which Berquist pleaded guilty to possession only and the charge of delivery of a controlled substance was dismissed.

Masiello told the judge he felt like the one charge held the defendant accountable.

“The mandatory minimum penalty would have required prison,” he said.

Arcuri called it a bizarre situation and told the judge he couldn’t overstate his appreciation to prosecutors.

“It suit the jail and it suits other factions as well,” Arcuri said.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler went along with the agreed recommendation and also ordered 12 months of community custody through the state Department of Corrections.

Berquist, who has been out of custody and staying at a motel with assistance from family, was asked if he wanted to make a statement on his own behalf. He was accompanied to the courthouse by a caregiver.

“No, except I’m sorry,” he replied.

Outside the courtroom, Masiello said obviously Berquist had some pretty serious physical conditions, and he was not comfortable sending someone like Berquist to prison.

“This also reflects the reality of the case,” Masiello said. “He was just offering to give it away, not sell it.”
•••

For background, read “Court grapples with release of senior citizen inmate with nowhere to go” from Wednesday December 9, 2015, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, February 17th, 2016
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

Updated at 4:12 p.m.

ASSAULT ON OFFICER

• A 32-year-old who allegedly scratched an officer’s arms while trying to break free as she was being detained for a warrant was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree assault last night. It was about 8:15 p.m. at the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia when Jacqueline M. Kilmer was contacted by police, according to the Centralia Police Department. Kilmer, a Chehalis resident, was subsequently booked without further incident, according to police.

AUTO THEFT

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office yesterday evening recovered a stolen and burnt car near milepost 6 of the 3000 Line off Lincoln Creek Road. The red 2007 Ford Mustang belonging to a 21-year-old Bucoda resident had been taken from where it was parked at  Schaeffer Park in Centralia between Feb. 2 and on Feb. 3, according to the sheriff’s office. Someone abandoned it and set a fire inside, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning.

OTHER THEFT

• An officer took a report of the theft of cash from a briefcase while it was unattended at the 1400 block of Kresky Avenue in Centralia yesterday morning.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called yesterday by a motorist who said while his vehicle was at the park and ride lot –  in the area off Main Street near Liberty Place – someone stole a Helly Hanson jacket, a Black and Decker drill and a Craftsman socket set. It happened between 8 p.m. on Monday and 10 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Centralia police were called about 7:50 a.m. yesterday to the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue where an individual reported their purse-wallet was taken out of an unlocked vehicle while it was left unattended in a parking stall.

DRUGS

• Briana A Carrouthers, 32, of Chehalis was arrested and booked for outstanding warrants and possession of heroin after contact with an officer about 7:50 p.m. yesterday at the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.  Prosecutors declined to file the felony drug charge today.

VANDALISM

• An officer was contacted just after noon yesterday at the Centralia Police Department to take a complaint that an individual’s vehicle was spray painted while it was parked unattended in Centralia. The owner wasn’t sure where it had occurred, according to the Centralia Police Department.

UNWELCOME MESSAGES

• Chehalis police were called about 6:40 p.m. yesterday by an individual on Northwest New York Avenue who reported being harassed on Facebook by someone. The complaint was handled with a phone call, according to a spokesperson for the Chehalis Police Department.

• The Lewis County Coroner’s Office alerted Chehalis police yesterday morning they had received a death threat via voice mail message a week earlier. The victim said it sounded almost mechanical or even computer generated, according to the Chehalis Police Department. An officer discovered the phone number it came from appeared to belong to a landline near Baghdad, Iraq, department spokesperson Linda Bailey said. The message essentially warned, “be careful, someone’s going to kill you,” Bailey said. A report was taken for informational purposes, according to police.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Police and aid responded to an approximately 3:30 a.m. wreck today where a big rig hauling lumber northbound on Interstate 5 at Chehalis left the freeway and came to rest in a swampy area near Northwest Maryland Avenue. The driver was uninjured, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. The semi took out several feet of fencing and spilled lumber, according to the Washington State Patrol. The driver, a 42-year-old resident of Camas, was cited for wheels off roadway and the inspection showed a brake on the trailer was out of adjustment, according to Trooper Will Finn.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, misdemeanor theft, disorderly person, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street, receipt of counterfeit $20 bill … and more, among the 166 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 6 a.m. today

News brief: Morton resident injured in Highway 101 wreck in Pacific County

Wednesday, February 17th, 2016

Updated at 4:31 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Morton man was airlifted to a Portland hospital overnight after a single-vehicle crash on Highway 101 about seven miles northwest of Naselle.

Troopers called just before 11:30 p.m. yesterday report the gold 2001 Chevrolet Blazer was southbound when for unknown reasons it left the roadway to the right and struck a tree stump.

The driver, Jeffrey R. Moulton, 28, was injured and transported by air to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, according to the Washington State Patrol. A hospital spokesperson shortly after 8 a.m. said Moulton was still being evaluated but by this afternoon, he was listed in fair condition.

The Blazer was totaled, according to the state patrol.

The investigating trooper reports it’s unknown if Moulton had been wearing a seat belt.

The cause is under investigation, but they suspect alcohol or drugs to be involved.

Gina Schmidt: Still no sign of Centralia resident after 24 months

Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
2016.0216.gina.schmidt_2-001

Centralia police are hoping for tips on the whereabouts of Gina D. Schmidt.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

It’s been two years and one day since a Centralia woman was last seen, and police are once again reaching out to the public for information that might help them locate her.

Gina D. Schmidt was 48 years old and described as a vulnerable adult when police began looking into her disappearance. She was last seen at 11:45 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2014 when she was dropped off by a taxi at the 300 block of North Tower Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

She had just been discharged from Providence Centralia Hospital at Cooks Hill and South Scheuber roads in Centralia.

Schmidt wasn’t reported missing until early May of that year and investigators found the situation at her apartment was her belongings were left as though she fully intended to return.

Schmidt has a history of alcohol abuse and medical issues including seizures, according to polIce.

She is described as a white female who is 5-feet 2-inches tall, weighing about 125 pounds, with graying blond shoulder length hair and blue eyes.

Centralia police say she was last seen dressed in blue sweatpants with a tan and multi-colored long polyester coat, and she had a white tube sock on her arm.

Any information regarding her whereabouts can be forwarded to the Centralia Police Department detective’s division, referencing case number 14A3683.

For those wishing to earn a reward or remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers of Lewis County at 1-800-748-9268.

•••

For background, read “Centralia resident disappears after leaving hospital” from Thursday June 12, 2014, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

Updated at 4:42 p.m.

DRUGS

• A 22-year-old Centralia resident was arrested yesterday afternoon for possession of heroin after contact with police at the 100 block of West High Street in Centralia. Mateo A. Miramontes was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office reports this morning that  a Chehalis Tribal Police officer made contact with a 55-year-old Vancouver, Washington man at the End of the Trails gas station near Oakville around 2:30 a.m. today and found him to be in possession of an unspecified illegal drug. The man, un-named, was arrested for a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act and transported by deputies to jail where he was booked, according to Chief Deputy Steve Shumate.

• A 41-year-old Shelton man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and other offenses after Chehalis police were called to a report of shoplifting at Wal-Mart at about 10:15 a.m. yesterday. Larry J. Bradley had a warrant and a search of his vehicle allegedly turned up four pipes, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Bradley was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• A 33-year-old Centralia man was arrested for possession of drugs after he was contacted by Chehalis police in connection with alleged attempted shoplifting at Wal-Mart on Saturday afternoon. An officer responding to the Louisiana Avenue retailer found Steven M. Mullins had three outstanding warrants and subsequently located a needle with a clear brown substance as well as small plastic baggie of a white crystal substance, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Mullins was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

BREAK-IN CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called about 6:40 p.m. yesterday for a burglary at the 400 block of East Pine Street. Missing is a gaming system and a computer tablet, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BREAK-IN ONALASKA

• A 19-year-old Onalaska resident was arrested on Friday morning after deputies reviewed security images from a burglary the night before at a gas station and convenience store on state Route 508 at Jorgensen Road in Onalaska. They were called about 9:40 p.m. last Thursday to find a window was damaged and various property missing, including approximately $200 worth of cigarettes, $200 cash and then $330 worth of glass pipes and other smoking devices, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The images led to a suspect, Joseph M. Neer, who was arrested for second-degree burglary and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

BREAK-IN CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police were called about 3:15 p.m. on Friday to a church on the 1800 block of Southwest Snively Avenue following the discovery someone had pried open the door to  storage shed and stole property including a table top barbecue and tools.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police took a report about 3 a.m. on Saturday of a vehicle prowl at the 1900 block of South Market Boulevard in which a toolbox was stolen.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called about 8:50 a.m. yesterday to the 500 block of Yew Street regarding the back window of a vehicle broken out, possibly by a BB, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called about 7:50 p.m. on Sunday to a home on Northwest New York Avenue to take a report that a 21-year-old Centralia man who had been house-sitting destroyed many items in the home. Officer had been to the residence several hours earlier for a suicidal person and he was taken to the hospital, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Officers are forwarding information to prosecutors for a possible charge of first-degree malicious mischief, according to police.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Centralia police responded to an approximately 6:30 a.m. call today of a hit and run to a fire hydrant at the 800 block of Elm Street. There is no suspect vehicle information, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual,  other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, harassment, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, vandalism, misdemeanor theft, employee theft, suspicious circumstances, landlord-tenant problems  … and more, among the 127 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 6:10 a.m. today

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, February 15th, 2016
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

ASSAULTS

• Centralia police were called about 3:20 p.m. yesterday to the 100 block of Virginia Drive where an individual said he answered a knock at the door and was assaulted by multiple males. He was unable to provide a reason for the assault or information on the suspects, according to the Centralia Police Department. Further details were not readily available.

• Police were called just before 10 p.m. on Saturday to the 900 block of South Scheuber Road in Centralia where a 65-year-old Winlock woman allegedly assaulted three hospital staff. Bonnie J. Bishop was arrested for third-degree assault and booked into the Lewis County Jail,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT OF TOOLS

• Centralia police were called about 10:50 p.m. on Saturday regarding a burglary at the 1700 block of Kresky Avenue. Tools and computers were reported stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT OF CAR

• Centralia police took a report of a stolen car from the 300 block of East Pine Street on Saturday afternoon. Missing is a teal-colored 1997 Dodge Neon, according to the Centralia Police Department.

HOUSE FIRE

• A fire in a vacant single-story house in Ryderwood on Friday afternoon was found to be caused by clothing pushed up against a wall heater. Fire Investigator Ted McCarty said he estimated as much as $30,000 damage to the home on the 100 block of Madison Street. The resident had passed away about a week earlier so it was vacant, but relatives had been there cleaning a few days before the fire, McCarty said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, protection order violation, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, suspicious circumstances … and more, among the 124 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 6:45 a.m. today