Archive for September, 2018

Bullet fragment lodges in man’s ball cap when multiple shots fired on Centralia roadway

Wednesday, September 12th, 2018
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Surveillance image from Les Schwab shows suspect and victim vehicles heading outbound on Harrison Avenue in Centralia. / Image courtesy of Centralia Police Department

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A passenger sustained a superficial wound on his forehead when a motorist fired upon a truck several times as both traveled northbound on Harrison Avenue in Centralia yesterday.

It happened in the stretch where two outbound lanes merge into one lane, near the 1300 block of Harrison Avenue.

Centralia police are looking for the suspect described as a white male with a lot of dark curly hair, who was behind the wheel of a light colored Honda Civic.

Centralia police detective John Panco said officers have not pinned down a motive, but it looks “like probably a road rage incident” at this point.

“We’re hoping anyone with information will contact us so we can follow up on leads,” Panco said this morning.

It was 1:52 p.m. when officers responded to a call about shots fired and contacted the occupants of the victim vehicle, a 2000 Ford F250 pickup.

The driver, a 25-year-old Rochester man, was very lucky to have escaped injury, Panco said. The 28-year-old Centralia man sitting in the front passenger seat had only a minor injury, when a fragment from one of the bullets lodged in the baseball cap he was wearing, according to Panco.

Bullets were recovered from inside the victim truck, he said.

As a precaution the passenger was transported to Centralia Providence Hospital by ambulance and was treated and then released.

Panco said the victims told police they had never seen the suspect before. A witness described seeing the suspect vehicle pull in front of him, then the Ford Pickup pulled in front of the suspect and then the suspect car pulled up alongside the driver’s side of the truck.

The driver of the Honda shot several times out the open passenger window of his car at the driver of the truck, Panco said.

The Honda was last seen continuing north on Harrison towards the intersection of Reynolds Road and Galvin Road, possibly turning west onto Galvin Road, according to police.

The Honda is possibly silver or white and had a tinted back window, according to the Centralia Police Department. It’s not known if any of its other windows were tinted. No other persons were observed in the Honda.

The Centralia Police Department is asking any citizen that has information about this incident to call 360-330-7680.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, September 11th, 2018
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•••

VEHICLE THEFT

• Police ere called about 9:50 a.m. yesterday and told a dump trailer containing dirt had been stolen during the night from the 1200 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue. The trailer is black and valued at $8,000, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called about 9:40 a.m. yesterday to take a report that a 1964 Ford flatbed truck had been stolen during the night from the area of the 500 block of Northwest Pacific Avenue. Another officer located the truck by Stan Hedwall Park and it was returned to its owner, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Police contacted just before 10 a.m. yesterday regarding a window broken out of a parking lot sweeper at the 2100 block of North National Avenue subsequently spoke to a 16-year-old suspect.

SKIMPY ATTIRE

• Chehalis police were dispatched to the 1200 block of South Market Boulevard about 2:35 p.m. yesterday after an anonymous caller said a “bikini barista” was outside in unsuitable clothing. No arrest was made and no report was written, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, third-degree theft, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft … and more among 158 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Three cop cars damaged during pursuit of suspect in Centralia

Tuesday, September 11th, 2018
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Wild chase of hit and run suspect finally ends at South Gold and Summa streets in Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Cheryl Towne

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A motorist who escaped being PIT’ed multiple times by pursuing police vehicles, even though she was traveling with three tires already flattened by spike strips, was finally apprehended and appeared to be under the influence or alcohol or drugs yesterday in Centralia.

Three police vehicles were damaged as law enforcement attempted to capture the fleeing hit and run suspect, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Officers with their lights and sirens activated chased the suspect car south on South Gold Street, as the Ford Focus turned down side streets, blew through stop signs and traveled in the wrong lane of traffic, according to police. They deflated three of the car’s tires with spike strips, but the driver kept going, according to police.

Police then tried to stop the car with repeated use of the PIT maneuver, according to police.

The Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver is a controlled collision in which a patrol vehicle bumps or taps a rear corner of a fleeing vehicle to cause it to spin out and stop.

After one attempt, the woman behind the wheel restarted her car and drove off before officers could get her out of the vehicle. A subsequent attempt to PIT the car caused it to spin out, and then the suspect continued driving, this time the wrong way on a one-way street, police said.

The final PIT attempt occurred at the intersection of South Gold and Summa streets.

The 53-year-old woman was still uncooperative and had to be pulled from the driver’s seat, according to police Cmdr. Stacy Denham and Sgt. Patty Finch.

Three police vehicles were damaged, the department stated in a press release.

The incident began about 3:40 p.m. when officers were dispatched to a collision at the intersection of North Tower Avenue and Sixth Street after a silver Ford Focus T-boned a semi-truck and left the scene.

The suspect, Robin Wick, 53, of Vancouver, Wash., was reportedly uninjured. She was taken into custody for hit and run, attempting to elude a police vehicle and driving under the influence, according to the press release.

Wick was transported to the hospital so her blood could be drawn, police said. She was then booked into the Lewis County Jail.

The case is still being investigated.

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A tow truck prepares to haul away a police car damaged during pursuit in Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Susie Nichols

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, September 10th, 2018
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•••

KNIFE ASSAULT

• Police arrested a 50-year-old Centralia man who allegedly cut his roommate with a knife during an argument at the 400 block of East Pine Street on Saturday night. Officers called about 8:40 p.m. booked Martin T. Rodriquez into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault, according to the Centralia Police Department. The injury to the victim was non-life threatening, according to police.

• Centralia police were contacted about 9:40 a.m. on Friday by an individual who reported her boyfriend held a knife to her throat and stabbed the knife into the bed at the 300 block of Noel Avenue. The suspect fled the scene when police were called, but is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Centralia police were called to the 500 block of South Diamond Street just after 3 p.m. on Sunday where the owner of a blue 2005 Kia Spectra reported it had been stolen that afternoon. The missing vehicle has license plate reading AQA 4547, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A white 2005 Ford F650 was reported stolen from a business at the 1600 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia at about 9:50 a.m. on Saturday. This case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

YARD THEFT

• Centralia police were called to the 2500 block of Fords Prairie Avenue about 8:40 a.m. on Saturday where an individual reported his chainsaw was stolen from outside his residence sometime the day before.

ID THEFT

• A 45-year-old Vancouver man was arrested for second-degree identity theft on Sunday afternoon after allegedly providing officers with the social security number of his ex-wife when contacted at the 1400 block of Mellen Street in Centralia. Stewart J. Fring was also booked into the Lewis County Jail for an outstanding DOC felony warrant, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A 46-year-old Chehalis resident arrested for driving on a suspended license just before 1 p.m. on Sunday at Woodland Avenue and Alder Street in Centralia was also arrested for possession of methamphetamine. Kristopher P. Dunn was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police called about 6:50 p.m. on Saturday about a suspected shoplifter at the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue were booking the suspect into the Lewis County Jail when a pill was found, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The 26-year-old from McCleary is facing a possible charge of possession of a controlled substance, according to police.

• A 35-year-old woman arrested for allegedly punching her boyfriend several times during a dispute over money at the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday was allegedly then found in possession of methamphetamine. Keona M. Crawford, of Lakewood, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Officers called about 1 p.m. on Friday to the 900 block of Northwest Pennsylvania Avenue in Chehalis referred a case involving a woman in her mid-20s to prosecutors for a potential charge of unlawful inhalation, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The subject was taken to the hospital, according to police.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called to the 1000 block of Southwest 20th Street about 6:50 p.m. on Friday to take a report of a scratch on a vehicle.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespassing, driving with no license, driving with suspended license, third-degree theft, disorderly conduct, protection order violation, fourth-degree domestic assault; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft … and more among 404 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Friday, September 7th, 2018
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•••

BAD BILL

• Chehalis police were called to the 700 block of South Market Boulevard about 3:30 p.m. yesterday and told a age 70-ish woman was attempting to “pass” a counterfeit $100 bill. An officer determined she did not know the money was fake, took possession of the bad bill and instructed her to return to the bank to make sure the other bills she’d gotten from her bank were authentic, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THREAT

• Chehalis police were called about 5:45 p.m. yesterday to take a report of harassment from the 1200 block of Southwest Pacific Avenue. Something that was overheard is being investigated, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT

• Police were called at about 9 p.m. yesterday regarding a possible theft at the 300 block of Southwest 16th Street in Chehalis. No report was taken, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

• Police called about 9:20 p.m. yesterday for a suspected shoplifter in custody at the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue subsequently booked Keelie M. Neilson, 27, from Toledo, into the Lewis County Jail for possession of methamphetamine, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 144 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

Thursday, September 6th, 2018
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•••

ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN

• A property owner from the 1400 block of South Gold Street in Centralia reported an attempted burglary to a garage after finding a lock had been broken yesterday. Nothing was missing from inside however, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ONLINE HARASSMENT

• Centralia police are investigating online harassment following an approximately 7:40 p.m. call on Wednesday in a case associated with a location on the 2800 block of Russell Road.

DISORDERLY PERSON

• A 25-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for interfering with a health care facility following an approximately 8:20 p.m. call on Wednesday to the 900 block of South Scheuber Avenue in Centralia. Mario Steven Rodriguez  was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

LEWD PERSON

• Chehalis police were called just before 9 a.m. yesterday and told that a male was masturbating in front of a a female near a bus stop at Northwest Louisiana Avenue and Chamber of Commerce Way. An officer arrived to find he had left and the victim’s description of the subject was vague, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called about 7:35 a.m. today on a report that an unknown person had damaged a vehicle gas filler tube at the 300 block of South Tower Avenue.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, harassment, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor assault … and more among 172 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

Wednesday, September 5th, 2018
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•••

TRACTOR TAKEN

• A Komatsu 250-6 front end wheel loader was stolen from a fenced yard at the 1700 block of Industrial Drive in Centralia, according to a report made to police just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The 24,000-pound machine had “Darling and Sons” painted on the side, according to the Centralia Police Department.

TRUCK TAKEN

• A white 2015 Ford F250 with Weyerhaeuser decals on the doors was stolen from where it had been parked in a secured lot at the 100 block of Southwest Veterans Way in Chehalis sometime between 1 p.m. on Monday and 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The truck held an auxiliary fuel tank and tool box, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

BREAK-IN

• Centralia police were called just before noon on Tuesday for a burglary to a residence on the 900 block of Ham Hill Road. Medication and other items were stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

PILFERED PRODUCE

• Chehalis police were called at 8:10 a.m. on Tuesday to take a report that freight had been delivered earlier in the morning near the front door of a store on the 1800 block of North National Avenue but when an employee arrived, they discovered a pallet had been unwrapped and boxes of produce stolen. Missing was a case of strawberries and a case of grapefruit as well as hothouse tomatoes and English cucumbers, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• A wallet and a checkbook left inside an unlocked vehicle parked at the 800 block of Southwest 21st Street in Chehalis were stolen overnight, according to a report made to police about 7:40 a.m. on Tuesday.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, protection order violation; responses for alarm, dispute, trespassing, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 154 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.