Archive for May, 2017

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, May 24th, 2017
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THEFT BY FRAUD

• A 71-year-old Randle woman reported yesterday that she discovered her debit card and pin number had been stolen from the 600 block of Silverbrook Road and found that there were 22 transactions of $50 each conducted at various locations in Ohio earlier this month, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A 34-year-old man was arrested by Centralia police yesterday afternoon on an outstanding warrant allegedly was in possession of a stolen cell phone and was trying to sell back to its owner. Joshua S. McCormick, described by police as transient, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police were called about 7:35 p.m. yesterday to a business at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue regarding a counterfeit $100 bill passed there.

DRUGS

• A 38-year-old man picked up on an outstanding warrant at the 700 block of Silverbrook Road in Randle yesterday afternoon was subsequently found to have a small plastic bindle containing a white crystalized substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Brian J. Dolan was arrested for possession of meth and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, obstructing, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, shoplifting, suspicious circumstances, protection order violation … and more among 130 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

Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017
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Updated at 2:46 p.m.

THEFT, THEFT, THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 11:45 a.m. yesterday to take a report of a theft of a generator from the 700 block of Marsh Street.

• A barbecue was stolen during the night from the 1100 block of West Plum Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday afternoon.

INDECENCY

• Bail was set at $25,000 yesterday for a 52-year-old man arrested the afternoon before for allegedly sitting in a chair behind his house with his pants around his ankles and masturbating in view of residents across the creek in rural Winlock. The neighbor, the neighbor’s wife, her friend and the friend’s son all saw the incident, according to court documents. Troy S. McClure, who has resided there for three years, is a level two registered sex offender and was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to authorities. Court documents indicate he lives on the 1500 block of Ferrier Road. McClure was charged with indecent exposure, a felony because he had been convicted of a sex offense previously, according to charging documents.

• Officers responded to the 100 block of Main Avenue in Morton about 9:45 p.m. on Friday to a report of a man exposing himself in public. The suspect was cited for indecent exposure and then released, according to the Morton Police Department.

• A 35-year-old Chehalis man was arrested on Saturday and brought before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday on allegations he had inappropriate contact of a sexual nature with a 14-year-old relative. Christopher M. Leece was ordered held without bail yesterday afternoon after prosecutors told a judge they had received further information that could lead to a charge more serious than third-degree child molestation. Leece is represented by attorney Jakob McGhie.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report yesterday of graffiti on a power box at First and K streets.

DRUGS

• Chehalis police were called about 1:30 p.m. yesterday to a report of a violation regarding marijuana at the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center on the 1200 block of Southwest Pacific Avenue.

WATER ACCIDENT

• Riverside Fire Authority reports a 19-year-old was rescued from the bank of the Chehalis River near Borst Park in Centralia about 4:30 p.m. yesterday with a lower leg injury he sustained while wading in knee deep water. He was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• The Washington State Patrol blamed inattention for a wreck early this morning in Mason County in which the 73-year-old driver from Toledo drove his propane truck into a ditch. Troopers called about 4:10 a.m. to the scene on state Route 101 about 16 miles north of Hoodsport note that Ronald H. Holcomb was not injured. Holcomb had been traveling southbound when he over corrected on a turn and continued about 150 feet before coming to stop in the ditch, according to the Washington State Patrol. During the removal by the tow truck, a fuel tank ruptured and spilled as much as 100 gallons of diesel into a waterway, according to the state patrol. Personnel from the state Department of Ecology were summoned, according to the investigating trooper. Holcomb was to be cited for wheels off the roadway.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, harassment,  trespassing, third-degree theft, suspicious circumstances, bleeding baby raccoon which had fallen from a top porch … and more among 191 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

Monday, May 22nd, 2017
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Updated at 6:18 p.m.

MEDIC, OFFICER ASSAULTED

• A 28-year-old intoxicated woman allegedly shoved a police officer in the parking lot at a motel on the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia and then allegedly grabbed and twisted a paramedic’s hand in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital early yesterday morning. Police had been called about 6:30 a.m. for a disturbance and after arresting her for third-degree assault, were sending her to the hospital because of her intoxication level, according to the Centralia Police Department. Julie C. Simmons, 28 of Chelan, was subsequently booked into the Lewis County Jail for two counts of third-degree assault, according to police.

RAZOR THREAT

• A 30-year-old inmate at the Lewis County Jail was arrested for allegedly threatening to slit the throat of another inmate following an argument about lights on in their cell. A deputy responding about 1:15 a.m. on Saturday arrested Jeremy A. Goldner for felony harassment, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The Centralia man had allegedly previously attempted to remove the blade from his razor, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

UNRULY PERSON

• A 54-year-old Chehalis man got into trouble with police twice on Friday morning, the first time for allegedly aiming a laser pointer at passing motorists in Centralia and then less than an hour later after trying to get inside a woman’s vehicle parked in downtown Chehalis. Police were called at 9:15 a.m. to the 500 block of North Market Boulevard in Chehalis and arrested James P. Sauter for disorderly conduct, according to the Chehalis Police Department. In a search that followed, an officer reportedly located pills on Sauter for which he allegedly did not have a prescription, according to police. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of a controlled substance and disorderly conduct, department spokesperson Linda Bailey said. Bailey said identifying the medication will have to wait for lab test results. It was about 8:40 a.m. when Centralia police learned about the laser incident at the 200 block of West Reynolds Avenue. A summons was issued to Sauter for second-degree unlawful discharge of a laser, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BREAK-IN

• A Portland resident who went to check on his cabin at the 100 block of Cascade Drive in Packwood on Sunday reported someone had tampered with and damaged the lock on his tool shed sometime since the previous Monday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A vacant house was discovered broken into and items missing at the 2100 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia on Saturday afternoon, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A resident on the 1400 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia discovered damage to his back door and its handle as though someone had tried to break-in at about 4 p.m. on Friday and neighbor found similar damage on her door, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It appeared someone had struck them with a blunt object, according to the sheriff’s office.

BAD BILLS SPENT THROUGH OFFERUP

• Centralia police were called about 5:35 p.m. yesterday to the 500 block of Harrison Avenue to take a report from an individual who sold a pool using the app OfferUp and was given two fake $100 bills by the buyer.

AUTO THEFT

• A 36-year-old driver was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle about 11:20 p.m. on Saturday following a traffic stop by Toledo Police Department Sgt. Sam Patrick inside the city limits of Winlock. The 2016 Nissan Rogue with California plates is registered to Hertz Vehicles LLC in San Francisco, according to authorities. Two passengers were interviewed and released and James D. Maloney was  booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to court documents. Maloney reportedly told police he had borrowed it from someone named Crystal in California and was to return it today, court documents relate. Maloney was not charged with a crime today but is being held with no bail on probable cause until a decision tomorrow by prosecutors.

• A Dodge Dakota stolen in Thurston County turned up abandoned on the 1400 block of Southwest Wilson Avenue in Chehalis just after 8 p.m. on Friday.

CAR PROWL

• A set of aftermarket LED lights were stolen off of a vehicle at the 1400 block of Lewis Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police just before 11 p.m. yesterday.

• Gasoline was reported stolen from a vehicle at the 800 block of West First Street in Centralia, just after 2 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called to the 700 block of Southwest William Avenue just after 8 p.m. on Friday where an individual discovered a window broken out of their Ford Expedition. It didn’t appear anything was stolen, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• When a deputy tried to pull over a car recognized as driven by someone with outstanding warrant just after 4 o’clock yesterday morning in Winlock, the gold Honda Accord reportedly sped away and a chase ensued down Interstate  5 that reached speeds of 120 mph, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It began on state Route 505 near Knowles Road and didn’t end until after exiting the freeway at Castle Rock and stopping at the 1500 block of West Side Highway, according to the sheriff’s office. Bradley W. Hamrick, 31, from Packwood, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for attempting to elude, for an outstanding warrant from the state Department of Corrections and for a warrant from a previous eluding case, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

• A 53-year-old Winlock woman was arrested for driving under the influence after a single motorcycle wreck in which she suffered minor scrapes last night at South Military and McGlaughlin roads in Winlock. A deputy responding about 8:30 p.m. noted the 2011 Harley Davidson 1200 loaded into the back of a flatbed truck had major damage and arrested the passenger, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Lisa A. Hope was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Two drivers were injured including a Centralia man in a head-on collision in Pierce County east of McKenna on Friday night. Both cars were totaled and 20-year-old Alex Flores Martinez was blamed for passing in a no passing zone, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers called to state Route 702 near 58th Avenue about 11:20 p.m. cited Flores Martinez for reckless driving, according to the state patrol. The highway was blocked for 90 minutes, the investigating trooper reports. Flores Martinez was transported to Madigan Hospital and his 1996 Mercedes Benz was impounded. Dean A. Holmes, 55, from Yelm, was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, according to the state patrol. His Chrysler PT Cruiser was also impounded.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespassing, protection order violation, misdemeanor domestic assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, harassment, vehicle collision, shoplifting, third-degree theft, disorderly person, malicious mischief, suspicious circumstances… and more among 493 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

News brief: Acreage scorched west of Chehalis

Monday, May 22nd, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Recent warm temperatures have got area fire departments thinking about the risks of dry grasses and other vegetation.

Firefighters were called at 3:10 p.m. yesterday to Adna, told a fast moving brush fire was heading up a hill and burning about three acres of a previously logged area.

Lewis County Fire District 6 Chief Tim Kinder said the fire near the 100 block of Carroll Way was under control about 30 minutes later.

No structures were threatened, Kinder said.

He said it appears the wind kicked up embers from an unattended stump and debris fire someone was burning and it ignited some grass.

A neighbor created a 200-foot fire break, he said. Members of the Chehalis Fire Department assisted.

Personnel from the state Department of Natural Resources took over the scene, according to Kinder.

News brief: Victim in car fire was a Kelso man

Monday, May 22nd, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Coroner’s Office today revealed today the man found dead inside a burned car a little more than two weeks ago in Chehalis is a 48-year-old Kelso resident.

Robert A. Mansker was found deceased after the flames were extinguished on a 1992 Honda Accord parked off the 1900 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue early on the morning of May 6, according to authorities.

The cause and manner of Mansker’s death won’t be determined until the completion of further investigation and studies, according to Coroner Warren McLeod
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For background, read “News brief: Chehalis car fire death still unresolved” from Monday May 15, 2017, here

News brief: Pair hurt in Centralia house fire

Sunday, May 21st, 2017
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South Pearl Street on Saturday morning. / Courtesy photo by Cassie Shaughnessy

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two people sustained minor injuries in a house fire yesterday morning in Centralia that heavily damaged the home.

Firefighters called about 9 a.m. to the 800 block of South Pearl Street arrived to see flames at the upstair windows, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

“After confirming that the three adult occupants had safely evacuated, crews worked to extinguish the fire,” Riverside Fire Capt. Casey McCarthy wrote in a brief summary.

The fire was contained to the house and did not extend to the attached garage or to the neighboring houses, according to McCarthy.

The fire captain noted no smoke detectors present.

The two people’s injuries did not require them to be taken to the hospital, according to the fire department.

Local Red Cross representatives were requested and have been working with the displaced occupants, McCarthy stated.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Saturday, May 20th, 2017
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Updated

INDIVIDUAL VICTIMIZED AFTER GIVING FEMALE A LIFT

• Centralia police report this morning that after a motorist gave an unknown female a ride to the area of South Tower Avenue in Centralia last night, he ended up getting his backpack and cell phone stolen. Officers called about 1:40 a.m. were told the female had walked away but returned a short time later with a male and the pair tried pulling the motorist from his car, according to the Centralia Police Department. The victim fled his vehicle on foot and when he returned a short time later, the two were gone along with his belongings, according to police.

THEFT OF ELECTRICITY

• Two people who allegedly engaged in bypassing a power meter in order to restore electricity to their residence after the power had been shut off by the light department were cited for defrauding public utilities on Friday. Alexis S. Collins, 40 of Centralia, and Clim G. Grant, 38 of Centralia, were issued a citation in the case associated with an address on the 1300 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia and then released with a court date, according to the Centralia Police Department.

LOST AND FOUND

• A youth’s electric motorcycle was found abandoned in the 600 block of F Street and yesterday was secured at the Centralia Police Department for safekeeping until the owner claims it.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Centralia police are looking for the driver of a white sport utility vehicle that left the scene after his vehicle hit a male standing near the open door of his own parked vehicle on the 400 block of South Pearl Street last night. Officers called just before 10 p.m. report the victim was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police were called just before 6 p.m. yesterday to the 1400 block of Johnson Road where a pair of 2-year-old girls were found alone and just about to cross the street. The woman who was supposed to be watching the children, Rebecca A. Hipps, 37 of Centralia, was cited or reckless endangerment and then released, according to the Centralia Police Department.
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CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect that it was two  children not one child that wandered away from Johnson Road.