Updated at 3:23 p.m.
FIRE STRIKES OLD PACKWOOD CABIN
• Crews in Packwood spent about three hours last night battling a blaze that gutted a dwelling on the 500 block of Cannon Road. Lewis County Fire District 10 Chief Lonnie Goble said the wooden structure was an old Ohanepecosh cabin that had been relocated there from Mount Rainier National Park. He wasn’t sure if anyone was currently residing in the cabin, but nobody was present when firefighters arrived. Nobody was injured. “I don’t know what caused it,” Goble said. “A fire investigator is going to come out and check it today.” The structure is probably a total loss, Goble said.
CHIMNEY FIRE CAUSES MINIMAL DAMAGE
• Firefighters were called about 9:15 p.m. yesterday for a chimney fire at the 600 block of North Washington in Centralia. They cleaned out the firebox, checked for any extension into the walls and ceiling; and finding none, advised the resident not to use the chimney again until it is cleaned and inspected, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
THEFT IN CENTRALIA
• Police were called about 2:30 p.m. yesterday regarding a break-in to storage building on the 1400 block of South Gold Street. An individual had recently moved out of their home and put their belongings there, according to police. It was immediately clear what all might have been stolen, according to Sgt. Carl Buster.
• Police took a report about 2 p.m. yesterday of the theft of a Wii game system from the 700 block of South Pearl Street in Centralia.
WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING BOYFRIEND
• A 43-year-old Centralia woman was arrested yesterday for allegedly grabbing her boyfriend by the hair and “throwing him around” as well as obstructing a law enforcement officer because she reportedly struggled with police when they tried to question her. Officers called just after 10 a.m. to the 1100 block of Long Road in Centralia turned off the ignition to Polly A. McQuigg’s vehicle to prevent her from leaving but she grabbed the keys and wouldn’t get out, according to police. They took her out of the car, Sgt. Carl Buster said. She was booked into the Lewis County Jail for fourth-degree assault and obstructing, according to the Centralia Police Department.
SNIFFING FOR GRAFFITI
• Police were called abut 10:40 p.m. yesterday when the owner of a laundry business walked outside, smelled the scent of fresh aerosol paint and saw a pair of individuals walking away. A small spot of black paint was found on the building on the 500 block of North Pearl Street but the two people who were contacted didn’t appear to have anything to do with it, according to the Centralia Police Department. The police department is offering up to $250 for tips that help them catch anyone posting graffiti.
FORMER COURT ASSISTANT SAYS BAD JUDGEMENT LED TO ALLOWING MARIJUANA ON HER PROPERTY
• The former Thurston County Superior Court judicial assistant charged with growing marijuana appeared briefly in court today where lawyers pushed her trial into the future while deputies continue to look for a key witness. Debbie Requa, 60, has pleaded not guilty to manufacturing marijuana. Because of conflicts, Lewis County Chief Criminal Prosecutor Brad Meagher was appointed a special deputy to prosecute the case and Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler is hearing it. Lawler was told today by both Meagher and defense attorney Saxon Rodgers they need to postpone the trial because the man hasn’t been found. Outside the courtroom, Rodgers said it is an individual who rented his client’s garage who said he had papers authorizing him to cultivate medical marijuana. Requa said she’s not guilty, except for a “stupid, stupid, error in judgement” that caused her to lose her job. She said she rented the space for $500 a month because she needed the money and thought what he was doing was above board. “I never went into the garage, even when the police were there,” she said. The trial is now scheduled for May 20, although it’s not clear if it might take place in Thurston or Lewis county.
AND
• And other calls such as possible runaway juveniles, arrest for violation of no-contact order and suspicious activity: Looks like a drug deal, looks like a drunk driver, looks like a man laying on his back on the ground and more …
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter