Police detain one individual on Long Road in Centralia following an assault in the parking lot of the Peppertree Motel. / Courtesy photo by Raymond Smith
Updated at 11:16 a.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
An individual who was trying to buy heroin instead was beaten and shocked with a stun gun by the three males he met up with last night in Centralia, according to police.
Police were called about 9:45 p.m. to the parking lot of the Peppertree Motel on Alder Street by citizens who saw what was happening and called 911, according to the Centralia Police Department.
Officers learned the participants were inside a car when the victim was choked, punched and then zapped with a hand held Taser, according to police. The 32-year-old Chehalis man was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital.
Police from Centralia and Chehalis, as well as the state patrol, searched the neighborhood, eventually taking two suspects into custody. The third has not been located.
Sgt. Kurt Reichert said the victim fought back and didn’t give up his money. He didn’t yet know this morning the dollar amount involved.
It’s not clear if the trio even had any drugs they intended to sell, according to Reichert. None were found, he said.
One suspect had fled in the car to the dead end of Long Road, pursued by a witness, and then departed on foot, according to police. Joseph M. Hanks, 30, of Rochester, was soon located in a grassy field and detained, according to police.
An individual who jumped out of the way of the fleeing vehicle and fell down was hurt, so they were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, Reichert said.
The other suspect turned up a few blocks away on South Cedar Street, being held at gun point by a citizen, Reichert said. Elijah M. Garibay, 25, of Elma, was then taken into custody.
After the car was impounded, police found the stun gun device, but no heroin, according to Reichert.
Hanks and Garibay were booked into the Lewis County Jail for robbery, assault and attempted delivery of a controlled substance. Police say Garibay also had outstanding warrants.
“This is what we had last year,” Reichert said.
He was speaking of the seller of purported medical marijuana who got into the car of two teenagers he thought were customers on the street in front of his East Van Buren Street home.
In that mid December case, 28-year-old Joshua Z. Smith was robbed of his weed at gunpoint and struck in the face before he bailed out of the vehicle. Smith shot at the car as it departed and was recently charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, while armed.
The Tacoma area residents have since pleaded guilty for their role.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Tired of the BS I am really sorry that you’re offended. I knew Eli before he started using any drugs at all and I knew him to be a kind, loving, helping person. Then he brought heroin into my home and had it on him in my car. He chose to put me at risk of arrest. He needed a place to stay and I gave it him to get clean and he made the choice to keep using. Twice with my family!!! Then he sends naked pictures of himself and my grandsons ex as a way of saying thank you for all the help!! These are all choices that the addict makes. Blame it on the drugs if you want and don’t make people take responsibility for what they do and the choices they make if you want. But they will continue to hurt you that way. At some point the person has to be held responsible for choices they make.
Honestly, I don’t really think it’s all about who snitched in general.
I believe the reason Pennypacker got tore up is because he helped to commit burglary, helped spend the proceeds, and got off scott-free.
What happens when the police refuse to do their jobs and allow criminals to roam the streets? What are people to do?
When the law sits on their thumbs and plays one snitch against another, innocent people who were robbed, assaulted, or killed are not getting the justice they deserve.
If three people help to commit a crime, what good does it do society to lock up only one?
What we are witnessing is a breakdown between the community and their trust for law enforcement. It has nothing to do with drugs per-se, but more to do with people seeking justice since there is none forthcoming from the LC courts, just kangaroo posturing.
Its all stupid. Whatthetruth you may think you know Elijah personally but you don’t know the half of him. Yes he has stuggled to get cleaned up but if you knew diddle squat about what your spouting you would know its not easy. Hell yes he has screwed up but do you see him not owning up to his own issues? Do you see him playing pity me games? No so please spare me your comments. And for those of you who think this site was responsible for releasing pennypacker was an informat to scared to be a man spare me! That was around town wayyyyyyyy before he got the crap kicked out of him.
@makeawish
As an afterthought, it sounds like the only one sucking on d*cks is you sucking on Tommy Pennypackers. You know what they say…birds of a feather flock together.
@Makeawish
Junkie? Yep you’re right I was. WAS being the operative word. I have been clean and sober and living the right way for a long while now, and guess what?… I don’t even live there anymore so tell me now who’s hanging out with me doing what.
Snitch? Never. You are full of shit and you don’t know me or anything about me, clearly. I did MY time. 2 1/2 years and I never even mentioned one persons name, let alone took some cowards way out of MY sentence for the sh*t I did.
I challenge you to name ONE person who has ever done time because of me or anything I ever did or said. I bet you can’t. Further more I bet you will never say your own name. Pansy.
I read these comments and I am completely disgusted. Who Are We To Judge? Really people? Let the man fulfill his destiny and let the true judge decide. Friends “snitching” on friends what does it matter we have all been criminals at one point in time to say you haven’t done anything illegal in your supposed lifetime then u need help. People make mistakes and some times it takes more than one mistake to figure it out. (Stating facts)Dominoe u have been a snitch and a junkie before… Owell u used .to f@ck anything with a pulse but no one is shooting at that. For you to bash people like your self deems you incompetent to your surroundings and the nature of your thoughts. @ Lil John your are playing games that should not be played whomever the victim is should not matter but to put his family on blast in a blog, you are probably hangin out with dominoes dumbass suckin on glass d*cks together. You people make me sick.
We all feel so comfortable assuming medicine has reached its end, and we know everything. Have any of us ever cast such scorn on someone whose pancreas has failed? Do we condemn those with heart defects? The brain fails in the same damn way, and people need help which we don’t give them because first of all we’re cheap bastards, and second of all, the medicine isn’t there yet, and third of all, y’all are a bunch of bitter, self-hating shitbirds
It never fails to make me sick when someone I once knew turns into the lowest of the low.
Tommy you are a bitch and a coward and I find it hysterical that Eli beat your snitch ass and tazed you. Eli might be a lot of things, but, at least when he gets out of jail he can still hold his head high.
If more shit like this happened maybe the cops would have to start actually doing their own job. They don’t do anything but follow hearsay tips and rely on ratts to fu*k over their friends. My how things would fall apart if they had to do some police work.
It seems to me that the one’s who are ‘out of control’ are the police and their system of snitches.
They are deliberately getting people hurt and possibly killed and for what? Shits and giggles?
Yeah, it’s really fun to scare someone with prison rape in order to turn them into a snitch, and then set them free, drop a dime, and watch the hilarity ensue!!!
If ever there should be a lawsuit in these regards, it should be the ACLU suing the LCSO and the CPD!!!
Pennypacker was a known snitch long before he ever testified in that burglary case. The friend that testified with him is even more of a piece of shit.
@ soaper…Well said, My thoughts EXACTLY, You couldn’t be more right!
@anon: Actually, this all happened because he broke the law in the first place and got busted. Instead of doing any time he chose… CHOSE to become an informant. He also chose to be involved in a burglary, he chose to as he put it “chicken out at the last minute” and he chose to take his share of the money. He chose to spend the money on partying and then chose to throw his supposed buddy under the bus. He chose to admit on the witness stand that he was part of the burglary, but knew he was protected from prosecution. Now I don’t think he necessarily deserved to be assaulted, but I think that blaming this site for it is ridiculous.
What kind of lawsuit do they think they would have against this site? If the guy worked as an informant then he is an informant. That would be similar to a librarian suing a newspaper for stating that he/she is a librarian. There was no libel or slander therefore no defamation of character which is what I’d imagine they think they are going to sue for.
These bums who become “confidential” informants should realize that confidential does NOT mean that they are guaranteed life long protection to keep their identities hidden. The cops are often the ones who leak who these people are to the media and public. As they rightfully should because if the case is taken to trial the defendant has a right to face their accuser so they will be revealed anyways. However, people rarely go to trial though because they are told if they exercise that RIGHT they will be given the maximum possible sentence. They are basically threatened and intimidated into accepting a plea bargain therefore allowing the snitch to remain anonymous. It’s pretty foul really. God forbid somebody exercises their right to a fair trial.
Personally, I think the snitches should have to register just like the sex offenders. They are about on the same level.
@Are you kidding me…. Your statement is clearly based on nothing but your ignorant, uneducated OPINION, because if you knew anything about the disease of addiction you would know those horrible things addicts do, are not simply choices. They are sick. Sick mentally, and sick physically. Why don’t you read up on some of the research before you just run off at the mouth. Many people I love are in active addiction so if I sound mad… I am. I’m mad at your ignorance and at your gall to talk so belligerantly about something you know literally NOTHING about. The wouldn’t call it the DISEASE of addiction if it wasn’t a sickness. Addicts are tormented by demons and people like you make things worse for them. You don’t understand and you don’t want to understand, you just want to lay judgements and spout BS. Please do some reading and inform yourself.
Hell has officially frozen over because I love what OLJ just said.
Tommy pennypacker a.k.a. the victim is some one who deserves every beatin he got and gets for the rest of his life becuase he broke the law and was scared of the consequences then like a child he told on his so called friends so he wouldn’t have to be punished and do the time he so much deserved. I feel sad for his child that he is having cuz as it grows older it cant walk around its home townf with its head up being proud of its parents cuz its dad is a worthless thieving snitching piece of scum. Good job tommy pennypacker way to tell on those who helped you out in a time you needed help most…Rat
So the guy who got beat up was an informant trying to entrap people for the police???
Perhaps he deserved to get his ass beat.
this all happened because this site publicly posted he was an informant. I hope they get sued and that is the plan. Druggie or not no one deserves this.
Are you kidding me? Do you realize that I’m reading comments about people who willingly and intentionally CHOSE to piddle all over their families…their friends…their lives…and virtually NO ONE has bothered to state the obvious? They HAD a CHOICE. Some of them quite literally threw entire lives away…willfully and intentionally. It was A CHOICE. NOT an illness…not a poor pitiful junkie booboo. It’s not the motel’s fault, the drug companies fault, societies fault, the counselors fault. IT WAS THEIRS. Put the blame where it freakin’ belongs for Gods sake! The exact same choice that you and I make every single day. I don’t know about the rest of you…but when I screw up there isn’t anyone staring back at me in that mirror but ME. Good or Bad…my choices are my own. No one gets to take credit for them, and I will be damned if I’m going to be responsible for some fool looking to blame his or her life on the rest of the planet. Drugs…intimidating people…stealing…that’s easy. Life that involves being honest, upfront, owning what YOU have chosen to do good AND bad…now that is hard. Maybe if we STOP giving people an excuse for every hideous thing they do this mess will slow down…then again…that might be logical.
The addict has to want to quit!! I personally know Elijah and my grandson has tried to help him many times, finally had to give up. You can’t help someone that doesn’t want the help. How many innocent people have to be hurt with all the chances these addicts are given. I’m glad he’s locked up at least he’ll be clean for a while and not talking someone else into enjoying his drug!!
They need to shut that place (Peppertree Motel) down!! It’s always got drug addicts living/staying here dealing and using. The cops are always busting someone there it seems! I’m so sick of hearing about the drugs and addicts in this town and the heroin seem to be getting more and more common. We need to do something different because this so called “war on drugs” is not working!!!
These addicts need doctors diagnoses and medical treatment options, not counseling, counseling doesn’t help you face your addiction at three am. Imprisonment, ignoring the addiction, releasing the addict right back into the addiction without medical care is simply negligent. The needs of these addicts are being ignored to keep insurance profit margins high. Counseling, massive failure rate. Imprisonment, delays the issue. Doctors diagnoses and medical treatment options are being obscured from the public as the best option to keep insurance profits high, law enforcement busy, and the Corrections Corporation of America a high profit yeild entity. Your family may soon be their next victim. They have counselors poised to explain to you how its all your fault.
Any info on victim??