DRIVER CRASHES THROUGH POST OFFICE IN PACKWOOD
• A 52-year-old man was arrested after he drove his car into the Packwood Post Office yesterday morning, at just about 2 a.m. The 1999 Ford Crown Victoria was found “buried into the wall” with the front end completely inside the mail lobby, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. There was minor damage to the car and the driver was not injured, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The Packwood resident, David R. Morgan, was arrested and booked for driving under the influence, according to Brown.
WHY, GOOD MORNING OFFICER
• A 23-year-old Chehalis man was arrested yesterday morning after an officer woke him up as he sat behind the wheel of his vehicle with the engine running and stopped in the middle of the road at Southwest Third Street and McFadden Avenue in Chehalis. It was just after 8 a.m. when an officer contacted Michael D. Kelly, according to police. A bottle of alcohol was seen laying on the back seat, Officer Linda Bailey said. “The long and the short of it is he was booked for being in physical control (of a vehicle under the influence),” Bailey said.
WHIFF OF MARIJUANA LEADS TO DUI ARREST
• An 18-year-old motorist was arrested for driving under the influence following a traffic stop in which a deputy smelled marijuana at about 10 p.m. on Friday on state Route 505 near Toledo. Michael R. Raphael, of Castle Rock, was taken to the hospital for a blood draw and then booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The case will be referred for a possible charge of possession of marijuana by someone under 21, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.
MAN VERSUS WINDOW AT BAR
• Chehalis police were called to Garbe’s Tavern about 1:15 a.m. on Sunday to a report a male “head butted” a window there. The 32-year-old Chehalis man who reportedly sustained minor cuts from the broken glass told an officer he had been punched by someone and said he hit the window to get police there, according to the Chehalis Police Department. No witnesses to that assault could be found, according to police. Carey R. Cosgrove was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for disorderly conduct and third-degree malicious mischief, according to police. The cost to fix the window at the business on the 300 block of Northwest Chehalis Avenue will be as much as $700, Officer Linda Bailey said.
POLICE DOG SEARCHES FOR SUSPECT
• Centralia police called about 3:30 p.m. yesterday regarding a vehicle prowl on South Iron Street eventually arrested a 24-year-old suspect after he repeatedly was seen running and hiding in the area. Panther W. Risling, a Centralia resident, was captured by police dog Kayo in the area of the 300 block of Centralia College Boulevard, according to Officer Brian Warren. He was checked out at the hospital for a dog bite and then booked into the Lewis County Jail for an outstanding warrant and possession of methamphetamine, according to the Centralia Police Department.
CLERK GETS BACK STOLEN GOODS
• Chehalis police were called to the Twin City Town Center regarding a shoplifting incident at Hickory Farms at about 5:15 p.m. on Saturday in which the clerk went next door to the Dollar Store and took the merchandise back from the suspect. It was a $17 Hickory Farms box, according to Officer Linda Bailey. “She grabbed it from him, told him she was taking it back from him because he stole and she was going to call police,” Bailey said. Officers arriving to the 1400 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue did not find the subject, according to police.
NATIVITY SCENE MINUS ONE PLASTIC STATUE
• A plastic statue of Joseph vanished from a nativity scene in a yard on the 100 block of Southeast Westside Drive in Chehalis, according to a report made to police on Saturday morning. It’s an ongoing problem, police were told by the victim who checked the neighborhood and did not find Mary’s husband. Joseph’s address is however taped to the bottom of the statue so if he turns up, he can be returned, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
JEWELRY, MEDS, CASH SWIPED
• A deputy was called about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday regarding a residential burglary on the 500 block of Spencer Road near Toledo. Among the valuables stolen were a safe, prescription medications, a hand-held law enforcement style radio, and jewelry, including a “mother’s ring” with two diamonds, an opal and an emerald, according to the sheriff’s office.
• A woman arrived home about 6 p.m. on Friday to find her residence on the 100 block of Kennicott Road in Chehalis burglarized. It happened sometime after 8:30 a.m., according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Among the missing items are a man’s wedding band, other gold jewelry, pain medication and $62 cash, according to the sheriff’s office.
• A deputy took a report on Friday about a theft that occurred earlier this month at a home on the 600 block of Peters Road in Randle. Missing is a ring and cash and there is a suspect, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
CAR PROWL
• Chehalis police took a report of vehicle prowl on Friday from Southeast Maple Drive. Among the missing items were sunglasses, an iPod and CDs, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
VANDALISM
• Chehalis police were called to Southwest Fifth Street on Friday afternoon regarding spray painted graffiti on at least one garage.
TEEN TALKED TO BY POLICE ABOUT MENTION OF KILLING ON FACEBOOK
• A 17-year-old W.F. West High School student was contacted by police last night and expelled in an emergency action after someone became alarmed about statements he allegedly made on his Facebook page online. Chehalis officers stood by at the school on Southwest 16th Street this morning to make sure everything went smoothly but the boy wasn’t at school and there were no direct threats, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Officer Linda Bailey said the comments in question were: “Everyone will die in a week so lets murder everyone before the earth does, whoohoo.” The boy said he made the statement in jest, according to Bailey. No arrest was made.
ROLLOVER WRECK PINS DRIVER, TOSSES OTHER OCCUPANTS
• Four young men were ejected when a Toyota pickup left the roadway and rolled two to three times coming to rest on its side and pinning the driver early Saturday morning near Winlock, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It happened about 12:40 a.m. on the 300 block of South Military Road. The driver, Baletin Castanada-Gonzales, 22, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he was treated in the emergency room and discharged later on Saturday, according to a hospital spokesperson. A 19-year-old and a 17-year-old were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with cuts to their hands and arms while a 16-year-old was unhurt, according to the sheriff’s office. They are all Winlock residents. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the driver was cited for wheels off the roadway, no insurance and driving without a license. Brown said the 19-year-old admitted he’s been drinking and was cited for that. The truck was destroyed, according to Brown.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Trippin on acid!
Ouch……that driver had to be chasing unicorns to end up in the lobby of the Packwood post office~
Looks like Panther’s career of petty crime is not going so well. Maybe he should try working for a living instead of ripping off people who do. I hope his dog bite gets infected. You may remember about four years ago this time , he was arrested for breaking into someone’s home. The police followed his foot prints in the snow to his house where they found stolen mail belonging to over 60 Lewis County residents.
Looks like Packwood has the first drive through post office in Lewis County!
I would like to know how drunk he was, because I lived in Packwood 50 years and not only do ya not park right there, the road does not even go in that direction. Maybe he spun out but even then it must have been some night.