Updated at 5:08 p.m.
PE ELL GARAGE BURNS
• Firefighters in Pe Ell had to tear the entire tin roof from a large two-story garage yesterday to extinguish a fire that snuck up a wall into the roofline. Crews from Lewis County Fire Districts 11, 13 and 16 were called about 3:25 p.m. to the building on Pe Ell Avenue near the school, District 11 Chief Michael Krafczyk said. They saved all the contents, which were a little bit wet, Krafczyk said. It appeared to have begun on the exterior, but the cause is undetermined, according to the chief.
ANNOYING HITCHHIKER
• Chehalis police arrested a 25-year-old man last night who witnesses said was rolling around in the street on Chamber of Commerce Way. Officers called just before 11 p.m. were told he was also stopping cars and trying to get inside. Chief Deputy Randy Kaut said it appeared the individual just wanted a ride and his way of doing that was just really aggressive. Donald B. Lindberg, of Chehalis, was arrested and booked for disorderly conduct, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
THEFT
• Chehalis police were called yesterday afternoon to an unoccupied building on Northeast Meridian Street where the owner said someone had been inside and stripped it of an estimated $30,000 worth of copper piping.
• A Mossyrock man called the sheriff’s office yesterday after someone used his PayPal online service to make a purchase that morning of more than $900. The 66-year-old victim was alerted by PayPal and subsequently was able to prevent the iPad from being shipped, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies have suspect information, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.
• Police were called about 10:45 a.m. yesterday to a business on the 400 block of Union Street in Centralia about an overnight burglary. An unspecified amount of cash was stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department. Further details were unavailable.
• A pressure washer and battery-powered weed eater were among the items stolen from a covered area at the 2300 block of Eureka Avenue in Centralia sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, according to the Centralia Police Department.
• A Lacey man who allegedly wheeled a shopping cart with two vacuum cleaners out of Wal-Mart without paying fled on foot when an employee tried to stop him yesterday afternoon. Police called about 5:45 p.m. to the retailer on Louisiana Avenue subsequently found Daniel P. Jacobson, 30, and arrested him for third-degree theft, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The cart was ditched before he ran, according to Deputy Chief Randy Kaut. Jacobson was booked into the Lewis County Jail. Kaut said vacuum cleaners continue to be a hot item for shoplifters, perhaps because they are a high-priced product that can be resold or returned at another location.
• A deputy took a report last night that sometime during the past week someone stole a sign from the end of the driveway at the 600 block of Cannon Road in Packwood. The wood sign painted with white lettering reads “Moon Mountain Lodging,” according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
• A 25-year-old Centralia man was arrested overnight for vehicle prowl after he allegedly removed a fire extinguisher from a large military vehicle that was on a rail car in north Centralia. A officer contacted Matthew T. Owen about 1:50 a.m. on North Delaware Avenue and Fulton Street, according to police. He and a companion, Joshua D. Clark, 22, Centralia, were both also arrested for trespass, according to the Centralia Police Department. They were then released.
VANDALISM
• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning about what looks like gang graffiti spray painted on the side of downtown building that houses the office of criminal defense attorney Bob Schroeter. Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said it appeared someone climbed on a roof to leave their mark up high and visible on the 400 block of North Market Boulevard, but didn’t seem to be targeting anyone specifically.
• Two tires were slashed on a vehicle parked on the 100 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made about 1:40 a.m. today.
WRECKS
• A 2001 International fire truck sustained major damage when a driver-in-training failed to negotiate a curve, lost control and rolled it yesterday afternoon south of Ethel. The crew of three from the state Department of Natural Resources were unhurt, but taken to Morton General Hospital for evaluation, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It happened about 4 p.m. on the 1300 block of Spencer Road, near the fish hatchery, according to responders. Lewis County Fire District 8 Chief Duran McDaniel said the truck was on its top in the ditch but its occupants were out when he arrived. Sheriff’s Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said it appeared the 18-year-old driver missed a gear, causing excessive speed. He was cited for “wheels off the roadway,” she said. The three are from Morton.
• Two drivers escaped serious injuries when their semi-trucks collided overnight on Interstate 5 just south of Vader in Cowlitz County. One of them, a 2007 International truck and trailer, was totaled when the driver dozed off and he ran into the back of a 2006 Mack truck hauling two trailers, according to the Washington State Patrol. They were both southbound about 2:30 a.m. when it happened, the state patrol reported. Harry Minges, 63, of Des Moines suffered leg injuries but declined aid, according to the investigating trooper. He was to be cited for second-degree negligent driving. The other truck was able to be driven from the scene.
• Centralia police say they were called about 12:25 p.m. yesterday when a vehicle ran into a building on the 1200 block of Lum Road and then left. Further details were unavailable.
• Police and aid were called about 9:50 a.m. yesterday when a van drove through a yard and came to rest at the front door of a house on South Gold and East Chestnut streets. The driver reportedly nearly struck an off duty police officer’s vehicle as well, according to Centralia police. Mitchell W. Sinclair, 43, of Chehalis, declined aid and was booked for driving on a suspended license and several outstanding warrants, according to authorities.
Van travels through fence and up to front door in Centralia. / Courtesy photo
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter