CAREGIVER ATTACKED WITH KNIFE
• A 58-year-old Chehalis woman whose apparent dementia drew police and aid last week to her apartment with a 911 call when she imagined that her daughter had been shot in the head was detained by authorities after holding a knife to her caregiver’s neck the following morning, Chehalis police said today. The husband of the 44-year-old female caregiver called 911 about 9:40 on Friday morning and said his wife called and said she was being attacked at the woman’s home at the retirement complex on North National Avenue, according to police. Chehalis police detective Sgt. Rick McNamara said the victim suffered just a very small puncture wound. Police took away the knife, and took the woman to Providence Centralia Hospital to be evaluated. The woman, whose name was not released, actually prompted two scary and unfounded calls to police last Thursday. When responders arrived after the morning call, they found she was alone; her daughter was not even at the apartment. At 8:45 p.m. that night, she said there was somebody bleeding in a car in the parking lot. There wasn’t, according to police. “It’s sad,” McNamara said. “She’s clearly suffering from dementia.” The woman was turned over to professionals from Cascade Mental Health who were going to put a hold on her, meaning they would take responsibility for keeping her in the custody of authorities who would take care of her, according to McNamara. The case has been referred to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, who will make a decision on criminal charges, he said.
SPEEDING IN MOMMY’S CAR
• A police pursuit in Rochester last night reached speeds of more than 120 mph, at least by the fleeing vehicle, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. At about 10:20 p.m., a deputy was northbound on Old Highway 99 when he observed a car speeding the other way near Gibson Road. Sheriff’s Lt. Chris Mealy said the deputy could see numerous vehicles pulling to the side of the road and the patrol car got up to 100 mph but could not catch up with the 2002 Audi A6. However, the car, its driver and the man’s 19-year-old girlfriend were found trying to hide behind buildings on Ivan Street, Mealy said. When Richard D. Woolverton, 20, of Rochester, was asked “why”, he told the deputy he was test driving his mother’s car, Mealy said. He was booked into jail for eluding.
CATHOLIC CHURCH HIT BY BURGLAR
• A third church was burglarized in Centralia in less than two weeks, according to a report made to police yesterday morning. Somebody forced open a door to get inside the Catholic Church on Washington Avenue at Park Way, according to the Centralia Police Department. Computers were stolen from the office. Sgt. Kurt Reichert said churches are sometimes easy targets because the pastor may often be out and about and they are often staffed by volunteers. Cash and computer equipment were taken from a church early the week before last and a microphone stolen from another on Washington Avenue a couple days later. Both those houses of worship were unlocked, according to police.
OTHER STUFF STOLEN IN CENTRALIA
• A red 1990 Honda Accord was reported stolen about 10:20 p.m. on Sunday from the 1700 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. its license plate reads: 488 ZMO.
• A pistol in a suitcase was stolen from the back of a truck at the 100 block of High Street in Centralia, according to a report made to Centralia police on Sunday afternoon.
CIGARETTE FIRES AT NURSING HOME
• Centralia firefighters were called twice on Sunday for small fires at Riverside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on the 1300 block of Alexander. Neither was threatening to the building as both were outside, according to Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Greg Schwartz. A free-standing cigarette disposal container caught fire, apparently because it also had some paper in it, the captain said. They believe a discarded cigarette butt in a trash can out front ignited the other, Schwartz said.
NO MORE WORK RELEASE FOR 21-YEAR-OLD
• Deputies on Sunday arrested a 21-year-old Olympia woman in Rochester on Sunday evening for second-degree escape as she had walked away from work release at the Thurston County Jail more than a week earlier. Racheal R. Pfaff was picked up at the 18,700 block of Deerfield Lane Southwest about 7 p.m., according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Pfaff was also booked for possession of drugs without a prescription as she had with her antibiotics and an antidepressant, without a prescription, according to sheriff’s Lt. Chris Mealy.
GROWN SON ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING FATHER, POLICE SAY
• A 31-year-old Centralia man arrested for for fourth-degree assault and unlawful imprisonment Saturday evening after he allegedly grabbed his father by the neck and wouldn’t let him leave during a dispute at a Centralia home won’t be charged with the felony, pending further investigation, according to authorities.
FIGHT OUTSIDE CHEHALIS BAR
• Police were called just before 2 a.m. on Sunday to a drinking establishment on North Market Boulevard in Chehalis where somebody had elbowed an individual in the head. A suspect was not found, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
TWO GUNS STOLEN, TEENAGER NABBED NEARBY
• A 15-year-old Rochester boy was arrested after a Rochester resident interrupted a burglary in which a 12-gauge shotgun and a .38 caliber handgun were stolen, among other items, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies called about 2:25 p.m. on Friday to the 5800 block of 193rd Avenue Southwest were told by the 54-year-old resident he saw two males leaving his home. A police dog was called for tracking and a neighbor on Guava Street called to say somebody in a yellow T-shirt was hiding in the bushes, sheriff’s Lt. Chris Mealy said. A 15-year-old detained near Ivan Street said the jewelry in his pocket was given to him by his grandmother and the 49er’s watch and lighter found in his pocket were a gift from his grandfather. The theft victim said the 49er’s set was valued at $1,000, Mealy said. Entry in to the home was made through a window, according to Mealy. The Maverick shotgun was found near a fence and the Smith and Wesson recovered near Ivan Street, he said. The teenager, whose name was not disclosed because he is a juvenile was booked for burglary and theft of a firearm and two warrants, according to Mealy.
MOTORCYCLE CRASHES TO MISS DEER
• Lewis County Fire District 3 was called Friday night to a motorcycle accident on the 800 block of state Route 122. The rider apparently swerved to miss a deer and was taken to Morton General Hospital with broken bones, according to Mossyrock area Fire Chief Matt Hadaller.
INDECENT PROPOSAL DRAWS POLICE
• An argument over a property line in Centralia escalated to a 49-year-old man with an ownership interest in one of the properties to make a rude suggestion he emphasized by presenting a certain body part to the other man, and got the 49-year-old arrested, according to police. Harwinder S. Mattu, of Centralia, was cited for indecent exposure after the 7 p.m. call on Friday to the 700 block of Harrison Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter