Archive for June, 2017

News brief: Mineral Fire Department audit shows fuel misappropriation

Wednesday, June 14th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has forwarded a case to prosecutors of second-degree theft in connection with a volunteer firefighter’s alleged misuse of a gas card.

Brady J. Mounce was a volunteer with Lewis County Fire District 9 in Mineral and allegedly used a district card for just over $1,500 in personal use between 2013 and 2014, according to the sheriff’s office.

Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said this morning said a report from the Washington State Auditor’s Office came back early last week and showed Mounce misappropriated more than $5,000 worth of fuel from the district.

Some it occurred in the Morton area and some in Eatonville, according to Breen. Similar charges have been filed in Pierce County, Breen said.

Mounce, 23, of Mineral has not been arrested and a charging decision will be made by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.

Breen said the audit overall showed $20,300 worth of fuel misappropriated from the district but it couldn’t be determined who was responsible. He didn’t note the time period involved.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, June 14th, 2017
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Updated at 2:23 p.m.

THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS STOLEN FROM HOSPITALIZED WOMAN

• A 34-year-old Winlock woman was arrested yesterday at the end of a two-month long investigation which concluded she withdrew more than $43,000 from two accounts belonging to a woman who was hospitalized and subsequently died. Aurora S. Fulmer allegedly made more than 100 transactions in approximately a one-month period that ended on Feb. 8, according to the sheriff’s office. Fulmer was contacted yesterday, taken into custody and booked for seven counts of forgery and two counts of first-degree theft, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said this morning. Breen said the case is associated with an address on the 100 block of Fircrest Road in Centralia, but didn’t say how or if the suspect knew the victim.

MISSING MONEY

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports this morning a case for second-degree theft is being referred to prosecutors in connection with a Sunday call to the 400 block of Jones Road in Centralia in which a father reported $800 cash vanished from the home during the two-hour time period when his 17-year-old son was left unattended there.

MOTOR MISSING

• Chehalis police were contacted just before 9 a.m. yesterday about a 6 horse power motor having been removed from a boat at the 1900 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue. The black Mercury long shaft motor was valued at $300, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

HARASSMENT

• Chehalis police were called about 9:40 a.m. yesterday to take a report of harassment over social media involving juveniles.

BEGGING IN THE STREET

• A 42-year-old man who police say was warned multiple times for aggressive panhandling and impeding traffic was arrested after an officer saw him standing in the middle of the road at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, allegedly trying to stop cars while asking for money. An officer responding about 1:35 p.m. yesterday took Todd D. Strenge, of Olympia, into custody and booked him into the Lewis County Jail for disorderly conduct, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A pair of Centralia men are accused of stealing nearly $30,000 worth of materials from their employer, a recycling business that specializes in high pressure cylinders and gas tanks located on the 2600 block of Commercial Boulevard in Centralia. The theft wasn’t reported until after a December call to Cylinder Depot Inc. about damage to a back door as if someone tried to break in. A manager told a deputy he suspected 27-year-old Matthew B. Meyer and 31-year-old Christopher A. Clements who had been fired for allegedly stealing, according to court documents. When the deputy contacted the company’s owner, Brian Ogier, he was told the theft was discovered in October when Ogier learned the two men had been taking the stolen brass cylinder valves to Hand and Hand Recycling, according to charging papers. Ogier reported a loss of $29,959, according to the documents. Charges of first-degree theft and also first-degree trafficking in stolen property were filed in Lewis County Superior Court on May 16. The suspects were summonsed to appear in court yesterday afternoon, but only Meyer showed up. He was allowed release pending trial on a $5,000 unsecured bond. Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Jeffrey Schapp said the summons mailed to Clements was returned with a message saying he had moved to Ohio. Judge Andrew Toynbee ordered a no-bail bench warrant for Clements.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarm, dispute, vandalism, civil issue, suspicious circumstances, third-degree theft, disorderly person … and more among 131 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, June 13th, 2017
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Updated at 5:26 p.m.

BURGLARY CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called about 5:35 a.m. today to the 900 block of B Street where an individual said someone broke into his garage during the night. It is unknown what was taken, according to the Centralia Police Department. The case is under investigation.

HARASSMENT

• Chehalis police were called about 2:30 p.m. yesterday to take a report of one juvenile harassing another juvenile via social media.

• Chehalis police were contacted about 3:15 p.m. yesterday about harassment involving juveniles.

CAR PROWL

• Several items were taken from a vehicle that was parked in the 600 block of G Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police at 10:10 a.m. yesterday.

OTHER THEFT

• Chehalis police were called about 11:45 a.m. yesterday to take a report that a Seattle Times newspaper box valued at $500 was missing from the 1300 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue.

• Police responded to the 100 block of East Main Street in Mossyrock about 8:35 a.m. yesterday to a report of someone writing a fraudulent check to the store. The case is  pending the receipt of further information, according to the Morton Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Chehalis police and firefighters were called about 1:15 p.m. yesterday to the Twin City Town Center on Northwest Louisiana Avenue where a car pulling into a parking spot in front of an unoccupied business space accidentally struck the front glass entrance, leaving the driver shaken up, but not injured. It appeared her foot slipped onto the accelerator instead of the brake, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

• Centralia police reported today they have referred the case involving a 24-year-old Centralia man for possible criminal charges, related to the car that was discovered upside down in China Creek on Sunday morning. Officers and firefighters responding just after 7 a.m. to the area near the 500 block of North Gold Street determined the vehicle was unoccupied and the wreck had occurred sometime during the night, according to the Centralia Police Department. Search dogs as well as a water rescue team were summoned to search the water and the banks but nobody was located, according to police. Officers were finally able to track down the owner of the vehicle, who admitted to being the driver. Police say that Colton C. McDonald told them his vehicle was unable to negotiate the S-curve and went off the road, rolling and landing on its top in the water, according to police. “Both he and his female passenger were able to get out of the vehicle and walked from the scene,” the police department stated in a press release. The passenger was later located and it was determined she had non-life threatening injuries, according to police. The case is still under investigation as speed and/or alcohol may be a contributing factor, according to police.

• A 37-year-old man was booked into the Lewis County Jail yesterday morning and charged today with three counts of second-degree assault in connection with an incident on Saturday night in which he allegedly rammed his vehicle into a vehicle occupied by his wife and two of her companions. Police called just before 8 p.m. to the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia were told Bert A. Holmes had been arguing with his wife and she went inside the Chevron gas station while he was circling the location outside looking for her, according to charging documents. When she came out, she got into the backseat after the two asked her if she needed a ride out of the area and then Holmes allegedly drove over the curb, gunned his engine and struck their vehicle in the rear passenger area knocking it out of its parking spot, before fleeing, according to court documents. Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer this after recounted an “alarming” number of previous convictions, with several involving domestic violence involving his wife. Meyer asked for and the judge agreed that bail should be set at $250,000.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, displaying falsified trip permit; responses for alarm, dispute, vandalism, civil issue, misdemeanor assault, suspicious circumstances … and more among 151 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, June 12th, 2017
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Updated

SCREWDRIVER ASSAULT

• A 35-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested after deputies responded to a 5 a.m. call on Saturday where a 43-year-old man from Lacey said the woman he was dating stabbed him with a screwdriver leaving him with injuries to his neck, arms and hand. Deputies arriving to the 100 block of Oyler Road in Ethel learned the couple had been arguing and the victim was able to get her off him, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. He was treated at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. Amber R. Wilson-Delaney was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said this morning.

VEHICULAR ASSAULT

• Centralia police reported yesterday morning they were looking for a 37-year-old Chehalis man who allegedly rammed his vehicle into an occupied parked vehicle during a dispute at the 1200 block of Mellen Street. Officers called just before 8 p.m. on Saturday about the incident report the suspect fled the scene but his vehicle was later located and impounded.

TOY GUN ASSAULT

• Centralia police were called about 3:20 p.m. on Saturday when an individual reported that two teens confronted him and pointed a pistol at him at the 1300 block of Kayu Lane in Centralia. They then told him it wasn’t real and shot it in the air before fleeing  according to the Centralia Police Department. He thought maybe it was an Airsoft gun, according to police.

BURGLARY

• A residence in the 1100 block of E Street was reported to have been broken into yesterday and multiple items are missing. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Scott N. Edwards, 35 of Centralia, was arrested for damaging his girlfriend’s windshield of her car during a dispute at the 600 block of North Pearl Street which was reported at about 7 p.m. on Friday, according to the Centralia Police Department. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• Chehalis police were called about 6:15 p.m. on Friday to a report of someone slashing tires on a vehicle parked at the 100 block of Southwest McFadden Avenue.

OTHER STUFF

• Chehalis police were called about 10:30 a.m. on Friday and told that a woman in her 60s had pulled down her pants and urinated in front of the store on the 1400 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue. The arriving officer issued a warning, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police responded to a 911 call from a male at about 2:15 a.m. on Saturday who said he was intoxicated and needed a ride. The caller said he realized he was too drunk to drive so he pulled over and parked in front of the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The arriving officer was unable to locate the caller, according to police.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Centralia police responded to a vehicle upside down in China Creek at the 500 block of North Gold Street at about 7:10 a.m. on Sunday. Police indicated that further details would be forthcoming.

• Deputies responding to a single-vehicle wreck about 11 a.m. on Saturday at the 800 block of Rhoades Road in Winlock arrested the 64-year-old drivier for driving under the influence. The Geo Metro had left the roadway, gone into a ditch and struck a fence, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. James L. Marthini, of Toledo, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Centralia police were called about 1:10 p.m. on Friday to a collision between a bicycle and a vehicle at the 900 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. It resulted in minor injuries, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ON THE RIVER, OFF THE RIVER

• Two kayakers whose craft overturned on the Cowlitz River near Packwood were rescued on Saturday afternoon and treated for potential hypothermia, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office swift water rescue team along with search and rescue personnel responded to the call just before 5 p.m. near the La Wis Wis Campground, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said there was no way to get to the two men by land. They were monitored for exposure related injuries by the Packwood Fire Department. The victims were 44 years old from Portland and 45 years old from Del Mar, California, according to Breen.

WINLOCK HOUSE CATCHES FIRE

• Nobody was hurt but a two-story house in Winlock is a total loss after it went up in flames on Saturday night, according to Lewis County Fire District 15. Crews called at 11:36 p.m. to the 900 block of Northwest Kerron Street could see flames as they left the station, as the home was less than two blocks to the north, according to Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Anderson. The residence was vacant, Anderson said.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespassing, third-degree theft, resisting arrest, reckless driving, misdemeanor assault, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, protection order violation, third-degree malicious mischief, interfering with domestic violence reporting; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, shoplifting, hit and run, barking dog, trespassing, harassment, gas drive off, suspicious circumstances, vehicle collision, disorderly person, dog alone in parked vehicle … and more among 431 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

News brief: Cedar Creek escapees captured in Capitol Forest

Monday, June 12th, 2017
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One of two missing inmates is arrested on Sunday afternoon. / Courtesy photo by state Department of Corrections

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two escapees from Cedar Creek Corrections Center near Littlerock were apprehended yesterday afternoon without incident about six miles north of the facility.

Richard Harvell, 30, and Sage Bear, 26, were arrested together about 3:50 p.m., according to the state Department of Corrections.

They were found in the Capitol Forest, according to DOC.

Both men are pending transfer to a state prison facility and medical treatment for minor injuries sustained while escaping, authorities stated yesterday afternoon.

DOC said early yesterday morning the pair left about 9:40 p.m. on Saturday from the minimum custody institution at 12200 Bordeaux Road west of Littlerock.

Harvell was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm out of Snohomish County and began serving a 44-month sentence on March 15. Bear was convicted of first-degree manslaughter out of King County in January 2009 and had been scheduled for release in  July of next year.

DOC offered thanks to the many individuals who provided tips to the phone lines.
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For background, read “Law enforcement searches for prison escapees from Cedar Creek” from Sunday June 11, 2017, here

Law enforcement searches for prison escapees from Cedar Creek

Sunday, June 11th, 2017
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Richard Harvell, 30, and Sage Bear, 26, escaped last night

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two inmates have escaped from the minimum custody Cedar Creek Corrections Center near Littlerock, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Law enforcement and DOC are searching for Richard Harvell, 30, and Sage Bear, 26, who escaped about 9:40 p.m. yesterday, according to a statement from DOC posted on its Facebook page and Twitter account at about 3:30 a.m. today.

Authorities advise anyone who sees either man not to approach them, but to call 911 or call Cedar Creek Corrections Center at 360-359-4100.

Harvell was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm out of Snohomish County and began serving his 44-month sentence on March 15, 2017. His expected release date had been tentatively set for March 19, 2019.

Bear was convicted of first-degree manslaughter out of King County and began serving his 130-month sentence on January 27, 2009. His expected release date had been tentatively set for July 9, 2018.

Correctional employees initiated inmate recount of the entire facility and escape procedures at approximately 10 p.m., according to the statement. The facility notified local law enforcement and activated inmate recovery teams.

Cedar Creek houses approximately 480 male inmates at the facility at 12200 Bordeaux Road west of Littlerock.

Chehalis teenage robbery suspect’s state of mind in question

Saturday, June 10th, 2017
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Jose M. Almanza is rolled into the courtroom for his bail hearing.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 19-year-old who got stabbed in the shin when he allegedly tried to forcibly take an acquaintance’s backpack is scheduled for an arraignment next week, but authorities said they plan to seek a mental evaluation.

Jose M. Almanza, 19, of Chehalis, was arrested early last Tuesday morning and then charged later in the day with second-degree attempted robbery.

Prosecutors said Almanza had been admitted to the hospital days earlier for being under the influence of Spice and that he was incoherent when officers spoke with him at the hospital on Tuesday, according to court documents.

He said he was “sorry”, asked “how is everyone” and stated “I thought he gave me the backpack,” when he was questioned, according to the documents.

His arrest came after police were called about 4:50 a.m. on Tuesday for a physical altercation near the freeway onramp at the Main Street-state Route 6 interchange, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

Police learned from the 41-year-old victim that Almanza had showed up at his nearby camp around midnight and was given an extra tent to stay in, but as time went on, Almanza became agitated, so the older man decided to leave and walk towards town, according to court documents.

The victim said Almanza followed him and began to demand his backpack, and when he refused, Almanza punched him in the face, court documents relate. The 41-year-old pulled out a folding knife from his pocket and when they went to the ground and Almanza continued to hit him, he stabbed Almanza in the leg, created some distance and called 911 for help, according to the court documents.

Both men were taken to the hospital to be treated. The 41-year-old man’s partial denture was broken, according to prosecutors.

When Almanza was brought in to Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon, he was rolled in in a wheel chair.

Defense attorney Rachael Tiller told the judge he he had been working full time in the industrial park, but if his bail was very high he would lose that income. She said her client had no criminal history.

Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher told the judge Almanza’s parents were in the courtroom and very concerned about his mental condition. Meagher asked that bail be set at $50,000.

Judge Andrew Toynbee agreed.

“The state anticipates there will be a request for a competency evaluation,” Meagher said.

Charging documents state Almanza was arrested for fourth-degree assault around the same time he was hospitalized for being on Spice and was just released from jail on Monday.

He was given a court appointed lawyer and his arraignment was put on the court calendar for Thursday.
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For background, read “Chehalis: Victim pulls knife on alleged thief” from Tuesday June 6, 2017, here