Archive for October, 2016

Winlock medical clinic will be rebuilt following fire

Monday, October 31st, 2016

Updated

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The executive director of Valley View Health Center said this morning it appears a malfunction in the HVAC system ignited the fire that destroyed its Winlock clinic over the weekend.

Steven Clark said the fire investigator is reasonably certain of the cause.

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Courtesy image / Zachary Wichert

“The heating and air conditioning system basically burned it down,” Clark said.

The system had recently been worked on, he said.

Four fire departments responded to the nighttime blaze on the the 600 block of Cemetery Road in Winlock. A passerby called 911 about 2 a.m. on Saturday to report the fire.

Lewis County Fire District 15 described the single-story building as a total loss, with its roof already collapsing as they arrived.

Clark said he’s positive they will rebuild.

Valley View Health Center, based in Chehalis, has numerous clinics in Lewis County and the surrounding area.

They will soon begin looking for temporary quarters for the Winlock location, Clark said.

In the meantime, the one provider and four support staff will move down to the Toledo clinic and see their patients there, he said.

Patients who have already scheduled appointments in Winlock should just keep their same appointment, but do it at the Toledo clinic, Clark said.

It’s located at 117 Ramsey Way in Toledo. Patients can call 360-864-4400 with questions, Clark said.

Update: On the morning of Wednesday Nov. 2, Toledo Police Department Chief John Brockmueller said their part of the investigation is finished and confirmed the fire appeared to have begun in the heat pump outside the building. The insurance company will take over, he indicated.
•••

For background, read “News brief: Overnight fire claims Winlock doctors’ office” from Saturday October 29, 2016, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, October 31st, 2016
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•••

Updated at 2:45 p.m.

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• Chehalis police are investigating an incident that occurred at the fitting room in Wal-Mart in which it appears someone may have been taking pictures by sneaking a phone through a gap. The victim called police just before 10 p.m. on Friday and told them she saw the phone on the floor and then realized it suddenly disappeared, according to the Chehalis Police Department. She then saw a male kneeling by a wall, picking up a phone off the ground and confronted him, but he denied it, Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said. The female contacted an employee for help, but the male was gone before an officer arrived, Kaut said. The male was described as blond, with a medium to heavy build and thin wire glasses, according to police. He was wearing a gray hoodie, Kaut said.

KNIFE SCARE

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was called just before 10 a.m. yesterday when a woman said she was pulling over on Highway 603 near the Rails to Trails area when a man there brandished a knife. The Napavine woman was contacted at a nearby gas station and when the area was searched, a deputy made contact with a 30-year-old man described as transient, according to the sheriff’ office. He said he had just been threatened by a vehicle full of people and thought the same people were returning so he removed his knife to protect himself if needed, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said. The case is being forwarded to prosecutors for a possible charge of unlawful display of a weapon, Breen said.

BREAK ROOM INTRUDER

• Centralia police were called about 6:25 p.m. yesterday to the 100 block of West High Street to take a report that a credit card was stolen from the employe break area of one store an used at another store to purchase merchandise. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FIRE DEPARTMENT BURGLED

• Someone kicked in a door at a Mossyrock area fire station and stole a ladder, a broom and tools, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called about 11:45 a.m. on Friday responded to the 700 block of Green Mountain Road and learned that among the property missing was a claw hammer, a wooden handled sling blade, a 6-foot fiberglass step ladder and a metal handled push broom, according to the sheriff’s office. It occurred sometime since Oct. 18, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

MORE THEFT

• An individual reported about 10:10 p.m. yesterday his laptop computer was stolen sometime during the day from the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia.

• Centralia police were called about 11:30 a.m. yesterday to the 800 block of Marsh Avenue where someone had stolen a bicycle from a fenced yard.

• Centralia police were called on Friday to the 800 block of West Plum Street where sometime during the night, someone stole a pair of work boots from a front porch.

• An individual at the 1000 block of J Street in Centralia reported on Friday that sometime during the previous week, someone stole a license plate from their recreational vehicle. It reads 7781XX, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Police were called at 8:30 a.m. yesterday to the 1100 block of Alder Street in Centralia regarding a vehicle prowl. A tablet computer and personal game console were missing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Police were called about 7:40 p.m. on Friday to the 800 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia where in the previous few minutes, someone broke in to a vehicle, stealing rain gear and backpacks, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• An officer was called about 10:25 a.m. on Friday to the 300 block of East Pine Street in Centralia where gasoline had been stolen from a vehicle and damage reported.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called about 4:45 p.m. yesterday to the 300 block of East Pine Street where someone had busted a window from an individual’s van.

• Police were called to the 1500 block of South Gold Street in Centralia just after 11 a.m. yesterday where someone had broken the glass doors to a building.

• An officer was called to the 2000 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia at about 9:20 a.m. on Saturday following the discovery someone had kicked open the door to a concession stand. Nothing was missing from the building, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FAKE MONEY

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning to a business on West Main Street where a counterfeit $100 bill turned up on a bathroom floor.

• An officer was called to Jack-in-the-Box on Southwest Interstate Avenue in Chehalis yesterday regarding a counterfeit $50 bill. It’s not clear if the person with it was aware it was fake, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

LOST AND FOUND

• A found bicycle was turned in to the Centralia Police Department about 12:35 a.m. today. The owner is unknown, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A citizen found a Washington State J.R.A. badge and turned it into the Centralia Police Department on Saturday evening. The owner has not been located.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 47-year-old Morton man was arrested early Saturday morning for driving under the influence after he was seen doing “cookies” in a parking lot at the 400 block of Second Street in Morton. A deputy responding about 1:15 a.m. noted slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and “odor” but since John Blake refused field sobriety and breath tests, got a blood draw to check, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Blake had two passengers in his vehicle so was also booked into the Lewis County Jail for two counts of reckless endangerment, according to Chief Deputy Dusty Breen.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, trespassing, breach of public peace, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, third-degree theft, suspicious circumstances, noisy neighbor, collision on city street … and more among 440 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Digging up bones: Practice makes perfect

Saturday, October 29th, 2016
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Washington state forensic anthropologist Dr. Kathy Taylor gives instructions to participants before they start looking for signs of buried “bodies.”

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Dr. Kathy Taylor reads bones.

The state forensic anthropologist works at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office but assists agencies all around Washington when they need an expert.

Detective Kathleen Decker, of the King County Sheriff’s Office, has been a tracker for 20 years. She can read blades of grass at an outdoor crime scene and count, for example, how many people have been there.

Sharon Ward is a Portland attorney by day, but she’s also a tracker. And a handler for a human remains detection dog. Her 2-year-old Rottweiler Vali’s nose is so discerning, he knows the difference between the remains of a person and and those of an animal.

On a recent day, the three professionals brought their talents to a rural Chehalis property to conduct field training for nearly 30 law enforcement officers from around the state.

“We know there are graves out there, go find them,” Taylor told their students.

Human bones, plastic skeletons, shovels and even a pigs head hanging from a tree for a period of time were among the props and tools used for the exercises that day.

Lewis County Chief Deputy Coroner Dawn Harris taught the attendees about collecting evidence, such as insects from the pig, but they can all learn even more from each other, Harris said.

“The expertise that everyone brings to the table is so important to what we do,” Harris said.

It’s the third time the Lewis County Coroner’s Office has hosted the two-day course.

Last year, Taylor, Decker and Ward shared their expertise with a group that included all the local deputy coroners. They used to hold the course every summer, up until about three or four years ago and for whatever reason that ended, Taylor said.

Then Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod volunteered to help restart the sessions.

“Warren stepped up and said he wanted to do it,” Taylor said. “It’s not an easy thing to put together at the last minute.”

A primary component of the two-day class is to raise awareness among professionals about the resources available to them, when it comes to bones and buried bodies.

For example, nowadays if a deputy in East Lewis County is called because someone has found a bone, the deputy can take a photo with their phone and it can be forwarded to Taylor.

“A big issue is bear paws,” McLeod said. “When the fur is off, it looks just like a human hand; we’ve had several of those.”

She also can make an important determination about the next step, deciding if human, then is it a modern or historical burial.

Attendees got one day of classroom training, including how to write a search warrant for such a situation, from Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer.

Their day on the rural Chehalis property began with demonstrations on tracking, the entomology involving the pig remains and then digging before lunch.

Plans are in place to host two courses next year, one in May and another in September. The registration fee for participants is $100 per person, but McLeod plans to raise that to $200 for future classes.

McLeod says his office wants to be more public oriented and do more than just wait around for the phone to ring.

“There’s a need for this, and also it’s revenue for the county,” he said.

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Attendees begin digging during the field portion of the class.

Read about Yakima County homicide suspect arrested near Randle …

Saturday, October 29th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – KIMAtv.com reports a Tacoma man confessed to park rangers near Randle yesterday he’d killed his wife near Clear Creek Falls east of White Pass after she admitted to having an affair.

News reporter Sarah Worthington writes that deputies with the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office said the woman’s body was found around 12:45 p.m. with severe upper body trauma and the 38-year-old suspect was booked into Yakima County Jail.

The Yakima Herald-Republic writes the Clear Creek Falls Overlook, a scenic viewpoint off Highway 12, is about two and a half miles east of the summit of White Pass.

Read more about it here

News brief: Overnight fire claims Winlock doctors’ office

Saturday, October 29th, 2016
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Flames rise from Valley View Health Center in Winlock / Courtesy image from Zachary Wichert

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A fire investigator is expected this morning to start looking through the remains of a Winlock medical clinic to find what sparked an overnight fire.

It was called in by a passerby about 2 a.m. today, according to Lewis County Fire District 15.

A crew arriving four minutes later to the 600 block of Cemetery Road found the the single-story building well-involved with flames, Firefighter Patrick Jacobson said.

“We just began extinguishing the fire, a defensive position, because of the amount of fire and the roof was collapsing” Jacobson said.

They were joined by personnel from fire departments in Napavine, Toledo and Vader, he said, and got it under control within about 40 minutes.

Valley View Health Center won’t be re-opening anytime soon.

“It’s definitely a total loss,” Jacobson said. “We were able to save like the waiting room area and reception area, but it’s not going to be salvageable.”

Jacobson said nobody was injured.

News brief: Two men arrested in Capitol Forest homicide

Friday, October 28th, 2016

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office announced yesterday that tips from the public led to the identification of two primary suspects in the death of the teenager whose body was found last week northwest of Littlerock in Capitol Forest.

Department spokesperson Sgt. Carla Carter indicates they are Vince Garlock, 29, and Jonathan Bartosek, 31.

Dakota Tyree Walker, 18, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in the brush off Waddell Creek Road Southwest near the entrance to Margaret McKenny Campground, on Oct. 20.

The two men are being held in the Thurston County Jail without bail on charges of first-degree aggravated murder. They were arrested on Wednesday.

The investigation revealed the suspects and the victim arrived in Thurston County in August where they engaged in criminal activity, according to the sheriff’s office.

Bartosek was in a domestic relationship with the victim, according to Carter. The culmination of the criminal activity and the domestic relationship ultimately led to Dakota’s murder, Carter wrote in a news release.

The Thurston County coroner indicated earlier this week Walker is from Los Angeles, but Carter said he is from Ohio.

Carter said the suspects are from Pennsylvania. Bartosek has various aliases including Jonathan Ackerman, David Capron and is known locally as Joey Caprone, she wrote. The jail roster shows Capron is also being by the U.S. Marshal Service for escape.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with further information is asked to contact the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
•••

For background, read “News brief: Body found in Capitol Forest is California teenager” from Wednesday October 26, 2016, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Friday, October 28th, 2016
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•••

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police were called just before 10 p.m. yesterday about the theft of a tan-colored 1999 Toyota Corolla from the 700 block of Harrison Avenue. The car later was recovered at the Lucky Eagle Casino, according to the Centralia Police Department. The case is under investigation, according to police.

POTENTIAL BURGLARY

• A deputy responded about 3 o’clock yesterday morning to a convenience store at the 9000 block of of U.S. Highway 12 in Glenoma where a metal security door had been pulled from a concrete wall and an interior entry door smashed in. Nothing appeared to be missing; it happened between 2:15 a.m. and 2:35 a.m., according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A vehicle seen on security video was subsequently located abandoned on state Route 7 and impounded, according to the sheriff’s office. It was stolen out of Yakima and had “switched” plates, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said. Breen said it appeared the individual got through the doors and it wasn’t clear if perhaps they got scared off for some reason.

• An officer was called about 11:35 a.m. yesterday to the 1100 block of G Street following the discovery of an attempted burglary. Nothing was taken, according to the Centralia Police Department.

OTHER THEFT

• Police were called about 8:30 a.m. yesterday after an individual witnessed the theft of their mail at the 500 block of South Cedar Street in Centralia. The suspect was not located, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FORGERY

• Centralia police were called about 8:30 p.m. yesterday to the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue about an individual trying to pass a forged prescription at the pharmacy. The case is under investigation.

DRUGS

• A 25-year-old,d Centralia resident picked up for an outstanding warrant just before noon yesterday at First Street and Washington Avenue in Centralia was also arrested for possession of methamphetamine. Christopher J. King was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• An officer called just before 6 p.m. yesterday yesterday to the 2800 block of Russell Road in Centralia arrested a 41-year-old homeless man for allegedly breaking the windshield of his ex-girlfriend’s car. Jayme R. Smith was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree malicious mischief, according to the Centralia Police Department.

HOMELESS PERSON EVICTED

• Chehalis police were called about 9:30 a.m. yesterday to Franklin Avenue and Division Street where the city is tearing down an old, unused bus shelter to help persuade someone who had taken up residence there to leave. Initially he was a little reluctant to go, but he did, said Chehalis Police Department Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, parking complaint, suspicious circumstances, second-hand report of male urinating in a parking lot, someone unconscious in a public restroom needing medical attention … and more among 127 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.