Lewis County Sirens.com

Danny Wing finishes up with his lawyer after hearing in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  Danny A. Wing’s lawyer wanted a year for his client to decide if he ought to withdraw his guilty plea, but a Lewis County Superior Court judge yesterday said no.

Wing was convicted and then sentenced two years ago following a complex plea deal, for his role in the abuse, neglect and death of a 3-year-old boy who was temporarily part of his family’s household.

Jasper Henderling-Warner died in October 2014.

Jasper Henderling-Warner

Wing had hoped to get a prison sentence of 15 or 16 years, but prosecutors argued he didn’t hold up his end of the deal and asked he be locked up for 55 years. A judge imposed a sentence of almost 35 years.

But then earlier this year, an appeals court found Wing’s plea was premised on an incorrect offender score and reversed the convictions, allowing Wing to withdraw the plea. The convictions are for first-degree manslaughter and third-degree child assault.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer has said if Wing withdrew his plea, prosecutors would take the case to trial. The original charge included homicide by abuse as an alternative.

Yesterday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court, Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Sara Beigh told the judge she could not find a good reason for further delay.

“The next step her is Mr. Wing is going to decide if he’s going to withdraw his guilty plea,” Beigh said. “Also, we’re dealing with crime victims here, and their rights.”

Judge Andrew Toynbee agreed with Beigh, and said he felt 30 days would be sufficient.

The judge set a deadline for 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 for Wing, through his attorney, to file in writing his withdrawal of his plea. Toynbee said failure to do so would mean his previous guilty plea remains in effect.

A hearing for review was put on the court calendar for Nov. 16.

Wing, now 29, is represented by Vancouver attorney Sean Downs.

His wife Brenda A. Wing got the same sentence as her husband and has won the same opportunity to withdraw her pleas.

The Vancouver-area family had been living in Vader about two weeks when the Wings called 911 on Oct. 5, 2014 to say the toddler was unconscious and not breathing. Jasper’s 21-year-old mother had given the couple temporary custody while she was homeless and looked for work out of state. Jasper died at Providence Centralia Hospital.

The autopsy found abrasions, bruises, facial trauma and healing fractures and labeled the cause of death as chronic battered child syndrome. Jasper was suffering from skin infections that were found to be secondary to his cause of death.

Danny Wing’s formal statement said he recklessly Jasper’s death by failing to get medical care for him.
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For background, read “Jasper: Toddler death case in limbo as defendant contemplates options” from Tuesday October 10, 2017, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An explosion that blew out the sides of a travel trailer in north Centralia today sent two people to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Firefighters were called to a mobile home park along the 3300 block of Harrison Avenue about 12:30 p.m. and found the trailer had been occupied by a man and a woman in their late 40s to 50s and their dog.

The woman’s suffered first- and second-degree burns from her waist to her head, according to Riverside Fire Authority. She was airlifted to Harborview, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

The man was transported by ground to Providence Centralia Hospital in stable but serious condition, but subsequently flown to Seattle as well, according to Weinert.

Weinert indicated the force of the event caused significant damage to the 25-foot travel trailer.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, although it was initially described as a propane-fueled explosion by RFA on Twitter

The couple’s dog was taken to a local veterinarian by a private party, according to the fire department.

Updated at 4:42 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  Law enforcement searching a huge barn in Vader converted into separate growing rooms found a 55-year-old man inside a makeshift bedroom and seized more than 600 marijuana plants along with approximately 50 pounds of “processed bud.”

Jing Ming Gao, 55, from Brooklyn, New York, was arrested, according to drug detectives.

The search warrant operation took place on the 1900 block of state Route 506 west of Vader on Wednesday, according to a press release issued by Lewis County’s Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team.

The bust is part of an ongoing investigation that began in December involving illegal large-scale indoor marijuana growing operations throughout Lewis County. Search warrants have been served at five different locations and hundreds of pounds of marijuana and about 6,000 plants have been confiscated, according to JNET.

“Aiding in these investigations has been the communication and networking with law enforcement agencies from New York and the East Coast,” JNET stated.

The task force previously said it believed all the marijuana from this investigation is shipped to the East Coast.

Detectives found the 4,200 square-foot barn in Vader had been converted into several separate rooms for growing the plants.

The almost nine-acre property was sold in August of last year for $80,000 to an individual with an address in Pennsylvania, according to Lewis County parcel records.

Gao was released from the Lewis County Jail yesterday as no criminal charges were filed. While his age was given as 55, JNET’s press release shows a birthdate for Gao which would make him 62 years old.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said today they didn’t have any proof Gao was involved in the actual growing of the plants.

JNET states that additional suspects have been identified in their investigation and warrants will be requested for their arrests.

It was just two weeks earlier when JNET found more than 2,000 marijuana plants growing at two rural Chehalis properties – on Centralia-Alpha Road and Pattee Road – and arrested two men.

The drug detectives ask that anyone who has information that would assist during the ongoing investigation to please contact them at 360-330-7680, or 360-748-9286 or Crime Stoppers South Sound at www.P3TIPS.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Authorities have released the names of the two men fatally shot in a murder, suicide in Winlock but still have offered no explanation for why it might have occurred.

Jeffry C. Wachter, age 59, of Malone, allegedly used a handgun to shoot his 56-year-old brother multiple times and then turned the gun on himself.

Paul Wachter, 56, of Winlock, died of gunshot wounds to his torso, head and left arm, according to the Lewis County Coroner’s Office.

It happened on Sunday evening at property at the 600 block of Tennessee Road north of town.

Deputies and aid had been at the address that afternoon, rescuing the men’s older sister who had fallen into a well. The older brother had been asked to leave because he was arguing with his younger brother and being disruptive, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has said.

She was finally hoisted to the surface just before 5:30 p.m. and taken to the hospital; and crews had departed when Jeffry Wachter returned with a gun, according to the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement was notified about 6:30 p.m. that he’d shot his brother and then himself.

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office issued a press release today revealing the names and stating the coroner confirmed both men died of gunshot wounds and labeled the older brother’s death as suicide and the younger brother’s as homicide.
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For background, read “Two dead after family dispute in Winlock” from Monday October 9, 2017, here