Updated at 6:33 p.m.
SUSPECTED CAR THIEF FOUND NEAR PROVIDENCE WEARING ONLY HOSPITAL GOWN
• Centralia police said a search yesterday around Providence Centralia Hospital ended when they found a 21-year-old man who was bloody, cold and wearing only a hospital gown. Jacob D. Mielitz, of Centralia had been left at the emergency room by Centralia police after they arrested him earlier in the morning for allegedly stealing his brother’s car. Centralia police said jail staff had required Mielitz to be checked out at the hospital for possible unspecified health issues before he could be booked so he was released from police custody. He subsequently left the hospital. Officers looked for him because it was wet and cold outside and he was underdressed, according to the Centralia Police Department. Mielitz was discovered around 9:30 a.m. on the 200 block of Blanchard Road and then booked into jail. The blood was from superficial cuts from blackberry bushes, according to police.
MAN ARRESTED TRYING TO ENTER STOLEN VEHICLE
• A man believed to be 27 years old and from Thurston County was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle yesterday afternoon in Centralia after an officer responded to a call about suspicious activity at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue. The 911 caller thought it appeared the man was trying to break into a vehicle and the man’s story didn’t make sense, according to police. The vehicle turned out to be stolen out of Lacey, according to the Centralia Police Department. Among the several names the subject gave police was Ralph R. Turpin. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail and the vehicle returned to its owner, police reported.
TOOLS STOLEN
• A bag of battery-powered and other tools were reported stolen from a rental home being remodeled on the 200 block of East Cherry Street in Centralia yesterday, according to police. An officer called about 5:15 p.m. noted there were no signs of forced entry, according to the Centralia Police Department.
SUSPICIOUS CREDIT CARD ACTIVITY
• An officer was called just before 2 p.m. yesterday to the 1500 block of View Avenue in Centralia to take a report about fraudulent activity on someone’s credit card, according to the Centralia Police Department.
POLICE: SHOPLIFTER ADMITS TO SELLING WAL-MART MERCHANDISE
• A 47-year-old Lacey man is in the Lewis County Jail after he allegedly twice in one week pushed a cart of merchandise out the doors a Wal-Mart without paying. Harry A. Booras III was detained by security personnel at the Chehalis store about 1:30 p.m. yesterday who called police, according to Chehalis Police Department Sgt. Brian Hickey. The employee recognized Booras as the same person who stole a 42-inch television last Thursday, Hickey said. He reportedly confessed he’d sold the television and so he was booked into the Lewis County Jail for trafficking in stolen property, according to police. Booras was released without charges pending further investigation.
DISORDERLY MAN CITED FOR VIOLATING BAN ON FIGHTING
• Centralia police arrested a disorderly 21-year-old about 2 a.m. today at the 100 block of South Tower Avenue for allegedly fighting in public, a violation of city code. Derek M. Lampert was then released, according to the Centralia Police Department.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARIJUANA
• Police were called to Centralia Middle School just after 1 p.m. yesterday regarding a student in possession of marijuana. The student was arrested and then released. The case is being referred to juvenile prosecutors for a charging decision, according to the Centralia Police Department.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter