Archive for December, 2016

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Saturday, December 31st, 2016
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INTERRUPTED BURGLARY

• Two suspects are in custody and a third is being sought after a Centralia woman arrived home in the midst of a burglary and was punched by one of the intruders. The thieves fled and the victim followed the woman who hit her, calling 911, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers responding to the 12:22 p.m. call to the 400 block of Courtland Street yesterday apprehended Amber A. Walker, 33, of Centralia, according to police. A second suspect, Travis L. Gray, a 36-year-old Centralia transient, was arrested later in the evening, according to police. Walker and Gray were booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree burglary. This morning, police were asking anyone who knows the whereabouts of the third suspect, Shyla M. Winterholler, to immediately call 911.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called about 8:15 a.m. yesterday to the 2400 block of Seward Avenue to take a report someone had tampered with a power meter.

THEFT OF IPAD

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Suspected iPad thief

• Centralia police were called about 8:30 p.m. yesterday to a store at the 1200 block of Lum Road where a male came in and stole an iPad used by employees. The business was able to provide a very clear, but small, surveillance photo of the suspect, according to the Centralia Police Department. Anyone who can identify the suspect is asked to notify the Centralia police.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, hit and run, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, trespass, vandalism, vehicle collision, third-degree theft, suspicious circumstances … and more among 137 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Friday, December 30th, 2016
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BURGLARY CENTRALIA

• A Centralia woman returned home about 5:40 p.m. yesterday to find someone had gotten in through an unsecured back window and left out her front door with about $10,000 worth of valuables including a Dell laptop computer, an iPhone5, jewelry and tools, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.. A deputy responding to the residence on the 3700 block of Prairie Avenue learned the break-in occurred sometime after 7:15 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office.

• Centralia police were called about 11:40 a.m. yesterday for a burglary at the 1100 block of Marion Street in which a television, a set of keys and an assortment of tools were stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

STRAY SWINE

• Chehalis police were called just after 2 p.m. yesterday about a potbelly pig with a harness running around at the 100 block of Southwest Interstate Avenue. It could not be found, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, warrants, disorderly conduct, probation violation, protection order violation, misdemeanor domestic assault, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances; complaint of neighbor running chainsaw at nearly 9 o’clock at night.… and more among 125 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Whatever happened to that I-5 shooter?: Still at large

Thursday, December 29th, 2016
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View of bullet hole looking forward from front seat of Mazda hatchback. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – It’s been a year since a driver on Interstate 5 fired a handgun at least once, sending a bullet through the rear window of the car ahead of him, busting a hole through the top left corner of its rearview mirror and then piercing the windshield.

“It came really close, really close, to the driver,” Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn said.

The shooter has yet to be identified and law enforcement is once again reaching out to the public for information, in hopes of making an arrest.

“Even sometimes it’s the littlest things people tell us that can help us crack the case,” Finn said.

It happened around 11 a.m. on December 30, 2015, a Wednesday, during a road rage incident and chase that took place southbound in the 13-mile stretch north of Chehalis.

The victim driver escaped injury. The rear window of his silverish-gray four-door Mazda hatchback was shattered when he pulled into the parking lot at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis to call 911.

Finn said they only got a couple of calls at the time and since, have followed up on one anonymous tip about who the shooter might be. It wasn’t him, he said.

The crime lab tested the glass and confirmed gunshot residue, he said.

The shooter was driving a black, mid 2000s base-model Jeep Cherokee with non-tinted windows and Washington license plates. He is believed to have exited the freeway somewhere between milepost 80 and milepost 76.

Its driver was described as a white male in his 60s to 70s with gray hair and a gray or white beard.  He had a passenger described as a white female in her 80s, wearing a red shirt with an oxygen tube in her nose.

The encounter actually began in south Thurston County around milepost 93 or the Scatter Creek Rest Area. Finn said the victim, a  25-year-old man from Spanaway, was driving in the fast lane and when he came up on the Jeep, got “brake checked.”

“The victim admitted to partaking in behavior, brake checks back and forth,” Finn said. “But the other driver took it to a whole other level.”

They were traveling in and out of traffic at speeds of 85 to 90 mph, Finn said at the time.

Anyone with any information about the driver or the passenger, or if they witnessed it, we’d like them to call in, Finn said.

“As police officers, we don’t like cold cases, things to go unsolved,” he said.

Detective Jen Ortiz can be reached at 360-449-7948.
•••

For background, read “Interstate 5 shooter remains at large” from Wednesday January 6, 2016, here

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The suspect Jeep looks like this one pictured.

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Rear window of Mazda hatchback was shattered.

White Pass community mourning skier’s death

Thursday, December 29th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Officials at the White Pass Ski Area identified the man who lost his life in an avalanche as 31-year-old Adam M. Roberts, a native of East Lewis County.

“He grew up here, he’s from Randle, his family’s still in Randle,” White Pass General Manager Kevin McCarthy said. “He’s one of those, he loved skiing in the back country.”

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Adam M. Roberts

A tribute from management there posted on their Facebook page early yesterday morning expresses condolences from the entire White Pass community.

“Adam, your love for skiing and the pure joy and exuberance with which you approached the mountains has influenced all of us. You will be so very missed,” they wrote.

Roberts and a friend on Tuesday were taking a run outside the boundaries of the groomed ski area and took separate paths, McCarthy said. The friend got to the bottom and waited and waited some more before hiking back up, McCarthy said.

The friend noticed some avalanche debris, but didn’t see any tracks leaving the area, he said. The friend went for help.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said it happened around 3:45 p.m. They were notified about 6 p.m. that Roberts was located by the ski patrol beneath three feet or more of snow, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

The White Pass Ski Area is at the summit of U.S. Highway 12 and straddles Lewis and Yakima counties.

Roberts had gone to school at Western Washington University in Bellingham and split his time between there and the White Pass area, and sometimes worked at Mount Baker, according to McCarthy.

He said he’s known Roberts since he was a kid.

He was someone who’d done a lot of mountaineering, taken trips others envied and very few could ski as well as him, McCarthy said.

“At times, he’d push the envelope, you might say,” he said. “What happened to him could have happened to any of us.”
•••

For background, read “News brief: Death on the slopes at White Pass” from Wednesday December 28, 2016, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Thursday, December 29th, 2016
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•••

Updated at 12:41 p.m.

BURGLARY CHEHALIS

• A deputy was called about 3:45 a.m. today after an individual heard the sound of breaking glass at the 700 block of Shorey Road outside Chehalis and discovered a neighboring residence had been burglarized. An orange propane heater valued at $50 was taken and a window and door jamb were damaged, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

BURGLARY CENTRALIA

• A deputy was called yesterday afternoon after a resident returned home to the 300 block of East Oakview Avenue in Centralia and discovered the back door had been forced open. The victim said it must have occurred after he left for work about 7:15 a.m., according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Missing was a laptop computer and rolled pennies, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Centralia police were called at 10:15 a.m. yesterday for a burglary at the 300 block of Lowe Street where the DVR from a surveillance system was stolen.

CAR PROWL

• An officer was called about 3:20 p.m. yesterday for a vehicle prowl at the 800 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. A purse was stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A purse was taken from a vehicle parked at the 2000 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 3:10 p.m. yesterday.

• Police were called about 11:30 a.m. yesterday to take a report of an interrupted vehicle prowl at the 100 block of East Center Street.

DRUGS

• Chehalis police were notified at 9:08 a.m. yesterday by Green Hill School that suspected methamphetamine was found in a subject’s room. Police are awaiting a written report from the juvenile detention facility on the 300 block of Southwest 11th Street, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called to the 900 block of H Street about 8:30 a.m. yesterday where someone had spray painted a vehicle in an act of vandalism.

OOPS

• Chehalis police were called about 6:40 p.m. yesterday by an individual who said they accidentally dropped a $100 bill, checks and deposit slips into the blue outdoor mail receptacle next the Chehalis Post Office.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Centralia police were called at 5:35 p.m. yesterday for a two-vehicle minor-injury collision at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue. The causing driver reportedly fled on foot before police arrived, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• An 18-year-old Centralia resident who allegedly struck a parked vehicle yesterday and drove away was subsequently arrested for hit and run as well as second-degree driving with suspended license. An officer was called just before 12:30 p.m. to the 100 block of Jackson Street and the suspect was found about 50 yards up an alley north of the collision location, according to the Centralia Police Department. Mason A. Combs, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

RANDLE FIRE CLAIMS OUTBUILDING

• The cause of the blaze that destroyed a metal shop building on the 100 block of Falls Road in Randle is undetermined, according to the fire investigator who examined the scene. Firefighters from Lewis County Fire Districts 14 and 18 answered the approximately 8:37 p.m. call on Tuesday night. It snowed that night, Fire Investigator Derrick Paul said. “By the time they got there, it was fully involved,” he said. “There was nothing they could do.” Paul said the building contained a wood stove and also a pickup truck. Someone had been residing in the shop until about two weeks earlier, he said. Nobody was hurt, according to Fire Chief Jeff Jaques.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, violation of no-contact order, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, third-degree theft, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 141 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

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Little remains of shop building on Falls Road, Randle. / Courtesy photo by Derrick Paul

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, December 28th, 2016
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Updated at 6:57 p.m.

BRANCH CATCHES TRIGGER, VICTIM LOSES FINGER

• A 22-year-old Centralia man ended up losing about two-thirds of his right index finger from an accidental gunshot on his family’s Centralia property yesterday. It happened about 4:45 p.m. at the 1600 block of Military Road and a deputy contacted the victim last night at Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The man said he was walking near a pond, carrying a 308 rifle in case he spotted a coyote, according to the sheriff’s office. He said at one point he leaned the gun against a tree and when he went to retrieve it, his right hand was near the barrel and it appears a branch or something similar engaged the trigger, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

MAN PUNCHES GIRLFRIEND

• The sheriff’s office is looking for a 37-year-old Winlock man after taking a report last night he allegedly committed second-degree assault and felony harassment. A 41-year-old woman said it occurred about 3 o’clock yesterday morning, when during an argument at the 100 block of Mines Road, her boyfriend punched her in the face numerous times, came after her with a screwdriver and then pinned her face down to the bed and said he would kill her, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. She was able to get away, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

HOUSEGUEST SLAMS HOST INTO SHELF

• A 23-year-old man was arrested yesterday and charged today with second-degree assault for an incident two weeks ago in which he allegedly grabbed a woman by the back of the head and shoved her into a bookshelf, causing gashes on her forehead and eyelid that required stitches. Centralia police called the evening of Dec. 13 to the woman’s apartment at the 1400 block of Johnson Road learned he had been staying with her and when she woke him up for dinner, he got upset, saying she was talking to him like she was his mother, according to charging documents. She asked him to leave and that’s when he assaulted her, according to the documents. Officers found Anthony P. Johnson yesterday at the Hub City Mission in Centralia and he told them the woman hit him in the back of the head first, according to authorities. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail. His bail was set today at $25,000.

DAD SLAPS 2-YEAR-OLD A ‘LITTLE TOO HARD’

• A Winlock father who allegedly slapped his upset toddler in the face so hard finger marks were still visible the following day was summonsed to appear before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court today. Joseph P. Durham, 22, of Winlock, is charged with second-degree assault of a child. Prosecutors write in charging documents the injury was reported on Sept. 9. Durham reportedly told a deputy it happened at night, when the two and a half year-old boy was “throwing a fit” because he wanted some water and the father wouldn’t give him any because the boy had been wetting the bed, according to court documents. The injuries were still clearly visible two days later when additional photographs were taken, according to prosecutors. A judge this afternoon allowed Durham to remain free pending trial on a $25,000 unsecured bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 5.

CAR PROWL

• A deputy was contacted by a 42-year-old Yakima woman who reported someone broke into her vehicle while it was parked at the White Pass Ski Resort on Christmas Day. She thought it had been locked but no forced entry was found, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Among the nearly $1,800 worth of items stolen were ski and snowboard equipment and clothing, according to the sheriff’s office.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Traffic on U.S. Highway 12 five miles west of Oakville was reduced to a single lane this afternoon when a pickup truck wrecked near Cedar Creek. Troopers called at 3:10 p.m. noted the Ford 250 pickup was traveling westbound when it crossed the oncoming lane and left the roadway about 50 feet striking several trees. The driver, Ronnie L. Johanson, 61, from Malone, was injured and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the Washington State Patrol. The vehicle was totaled, according to the state patrol. The accident is under investigation.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, harassment, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, misdemeanor assault, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, violation of no-contact order … and more among 135 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

News brief: Death on the slopes at White Pass

Wednesday, December 28th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 31-year-old man is dead after he reportedly skied outside the boundaries at the White Pass Ski Resort and encountered avalanche-type activity.

The ski patrol requested a deputy just after 6 p.m. yesterday and reported they had removed the deceased individual and were enroute with him to the ski lodge, which would take about an hour, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said the man lives in the Randle area, but his name is not being released.

Breen said the incident is under investigation.