Updated at 12:19 p.m.
SMOLDERING HAY IGNITES GRAND MOUND BARN FIRE
• A fire that tore through a Grand Mound area barn early yesterday burned so hot it ignited a pile of pallets about 30 feet away but the dairy cows in the area were unhurt and seemingly undisturbed. Crews called about 1:30 a.m. after being alerted by a passerby found the 5000-square foot building on the 7000 block of James Road Southwest fully engulfed in flames, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. It was a three-sided metal building used to store feed and other materials, Chief Robert Scott said. Members of four fire departments responded. Bales of hay stacked some 25 feet high seemed to be the source of the blaze, Scott said. “The investigation narrowed it down to spontaneous combustion, which can happen if you have damp hay, he said. “It will build up heat internally and ignite.” Crews were on the scene until about noon, according to Scott, extinguishing the smoldering materials layer by layer. None of the dairy cows kept about 150 away were injured. “Actually they were quite occupied,” he said. “I think it was feeding time. They just kind of looked.”
ELECTRICAL ISSUE DRAWS FIRE DEPARTMENT TO K-MART
• The Chehalis K-Mart store was evacuated yesterday when a circuit breaker malfunctioned and electrical box in the ceiling melted. Firefighters called just after 11 a.m. to the 1200 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue found no flames or smoke but shut off the power and advised an electrician be called in, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. Capt. Casey Beck said the store reopened, except for Little Caesars Pizza.
SHORT STROLL PROMPTS FELONY ARREST
• A 29-year-old Olympia woman was jailed for second-degree escape yesterday after she ignored a judge’s warning to stay seated when he discovered she had a felony warrant out of Pierce County. Kayla A Bettesworth was appearing in Lewis County District Court on West Main Street at Pacific Avenue for failing to pay fines, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Judge R.W. Buzzard had remanded her into custody at about 2:30 p.m. but she advised she needed to go to the restroom and left, according to the sheriff’s office. Bettesworth was located outside in the parking lot – allegedly in possession of an illegal butterfly knife – and booked into jail, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.
MORE TROUBLE IN COURT
• When a 15-year-old boy at juvenile court on Pacific Avenue in Chehalis was remanded in to custody yesterday, his mother retrieved his backpack to get him his contact lens solution and found a pipe and suspected marijuana, according to police. She turned it over to the youngster’s probation officer who called police, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said.
WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED THEFT IN DRYAD
• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports one of the two individuals sought for taking several closet doors and vinyl windows when they were evicted from a Dryad apartment was located yesterday morning in Dryad and booked into the Lewis County Jail. Danielle M. Watson, 28, was arrested for second-degree theft, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the wanted 28-year-old man has indicated to a deputy he will return the items next week and turn himself in.
SHOPLIFTING FOOD
• Police were called just after 1 p.m. yesterday to Safeway on the 1100 block of South Market Boulevard in Chehalis after a customer reportedly left with a cart full of groceries, without paying for them. The cart was left about two blocks away and an officer will be reviewing security video to attempt to identify the subject, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
VEHICLE PROWL
• Someone broke into a garage and got inside a car on the 400 block of Northeast Adams Street in Chehalis where they stole a stereo system, according to a report made to police yesterday morning.
• Police were called about 12:15 p.m. yesterday regarding car a prowl at the 100 block of Northeast Boistfort Street in Chehalis. A stereo was taken out of an unlocked vehicle, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
DRUGS
• Centralia officers responding about 1 o’clock this morning to a person in the middle of a road possibly swinging a sword found a 40-year-old man with a walking stick and acting strangely. It took place on the 1300 block of Central Boulevard. Peter D. Harris, a Centralia resident, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of meth, according to the Centralia Police Department.
WRECKS
• A 20-year-old Centralia man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle last night after he ran his car off the road west of Centralia and crashed into a tree. Aid and deputies called about 6:15 p.m. to the 900 block of Lincoln Creek Road found the driver with possible internal injuries as well as cuts to his hand, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation found he was traveling westbound and failed to negotiate a corner, crossed the centerline, and traveled down an embankment hitting the tree on the driver’s side trapping him inside, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said at last update, he was in stable condition in the intensive care unit. The Mazda MX6 was totaled, she said.
• The driver was described as a short female missing several teeth and her passenger was a brown Pitbull with a brown eye. After a minor two-vehicle collision along the 800 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia just after 2 o’clock yesterday, both vehicles pulled over but then the tan colored 2003 Buick Century took off, according to the Centralia Police Department. Nobody in the victim vehicle was hurt, but police would like to find the fleeing driver. Sgt. Stacy Denham said it has an Oregon license plate of YLV 027.
AND MORE
• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license; responses for smoldering beauty bark at Twin City Town Center caused by a flicked cigarette butt, disputes and disturbances, suspicious activity … and more.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter