Updated
LOST HIKER FOUND INJURED SOUTH OF PACKWOOD
• A 66-year-old hiker who got turned around and spent the night in the forest in East Lewis County was located just after 6 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Search and rescue personnel were called to the Walupt Lake Horse Camp about 1:30 p.m. that day and told the woman, from White Salmon did not return the night before when she walked to Walupt Creek Falls, according to the sheriff’s office. A search dog found her backpack and others located rocks formed into an arrow pointing to where she had bedded down, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. The woman was found along the Cispus River and carried out, as she had fallen down and injured her head, ribs and ankles. Brown said. She was taken to a hospital near her home to be treated for dehydration, according to Brown.
MAN ARRESTED FOR POINTING GUN
• A 40-year-old Lacey man who allegedly pointed a pistol at another male during an argument inside a vehicle yesterday morning in Centralia was arrested for first-degree assault. Officers responding about 10 a.m. to the 700 block of East Third Street took Thelonious C. Morrison into custody and booked him into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. Sgt. Stacy Denham said the victim, who is in his 20s, reached for something prompting Morrison to pull out his weapon. The pair – who Denham characterized as friends – were in the backseat together. The driver slammed on his brakes and the victim jumped out, he said. Morrison was also booked for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to police.
BURGLARY THROUGH OPEN WINDOW
• Centralia police responded just before 7 a.m. today to a home burglary in which someone entered through an open window during the approximately 15 minutes while the resident was out. It happened on the 1400 block of Lum Road, according to the Centralia Police Department.
BARN THEFTS
• An estimated nearly $1,300 of items were stolen from a barn yard on the 1300 block of Wildwood Road in Curtis sometime between Friday and Saturday morning, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Among the missing are an oil cooler and air conditioner to a farm tractor, according to the sheriff’s office.
• A wood stove and a metal tire rack were stolen from a barn on the 500 block of Telegraph Road west of Toledo. A deputy called on Friday night was told the property was in foreclosure and the items had been taken sometime during the previous week, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
CAR PROWL
• Police were called to the 1400 block of Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis about 8:15 p.m. on Saturday after an individual came out of a convenience store and found their iPhone missing from their vehicle. The door had been locked but a rear hatch was not, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
SEX CRIME
• Centralia police were contacted yesterday by a female who reported a rape by a male she knows. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.
POLICE DOG TRACK
• A deputy and a K-9 responding about 8:30 p.m. yesterday to a reported vehicle accident at the 1000 block of Shorey Road west of Chehalis found little damage to the vehicle but tracked down its alleged driver hiding in blackberry bushes about two blocks away, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Terry M. Munsell, 39, of Rochester, was arrested on an outstanding warrant and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
POLICE PURSUIT
• A police pursuit from Pacific County down state Route 6 ended near Interstate 5 in Chehalis after police set out “spike strips” and deflated at least one tire on a vehicle late Friday night. Chehalis Police Department Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said the initial call was about a suicidal person, but he didn’t have all the details. The driver was taken into custody, Kaut said.
FEMALES HIT BY CAR
• Centralia police cited a motorist for failing to yield for a pedestrian in a crosswalk after two women were struck at the intersection of Main Street and Tower Avenue in Centralia last night. It happened about 8:10 p.m. Riverside Fire Authority said both patients were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital for evaluation. Police said the injuries to the women, ages 59 and 66, were minor.
WRECK
• A 23-year-old Centralia man was taken to the hospital and then booked into jail after a single-vehicle collision just before 4 p.m. on Saturday at the 800 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis. The driver was found unconscious with a syringe in his hand after running into a fence and then the ditch, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Michael A. Hammett said he had been taking Oxycontin or morphine, but a white powder that field tested positive for amphetamines was found in his vehicle, Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said. He was arrested for a violation of the uniform controlled substances act, according to police.
PIZZA PLACE OVERLOAD
• K-Mart in Chehalis was evacuated yesterday evening when the fire department was called about an apparent electrical fire in the Little Caesars Pizza portion of the building. Crews responding about 6:45 p.m. to the business on Northwest Louisiana Avenue found a short had snapped a circuit breaker and cased a spark, just like it did about two weeks ago, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. The pizza kitchen was told it must remain closed until it gets the issue inspected, Firefighter Steve Emrich said.
ANIMAL ATTACK
• Morton police reported this morning two dogs were locked up after allegedly killing a cat in its own backyard on the 100 block of Division Avenue last week. An officer was called on Monday afternoon learned the cat owner had detained the canines. They were transported to the Lewis County Animal Shelter, according to the Morton Police Department.
THE PARTY’S OVER
• Two people were hospitalized with possible alcohol poisoning, a handful of under age individuals contacted for drinking and a bon fire extinguished after a large party in the woods was broken up on Saturday night northwest of Centralia. Deputies arriving about 11:30 p.m. to the area off the 300 block of Lepisto Road estimated as many as 1,000 were in attendance but several hundred people ran into the woods, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the party was dubbed “Project W” and appeared to include mostly individuals from outside Lewis County. The organizers said they would not be returning, as the sheriff’s office ruined their fun, Brown said.
AND MORE
• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for misdemeanor domestic assault, driving under the influence; responses for alarms, shoplifting, non-injury collisions, suspicious circumstances, theft of political sign from yard, items not returned to a furniture rental center; complaints of loud music, panhandlers in front of a business, dog left inside hot car, dog wandering into hotel, child yelling at dog, barking dog, black cat running loose … and more.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Soaper, I agree and have totally thought the same thing myself having been to quite a few parties in my youth. The massive scattering of drunk kids to flee the cops is incredibly dangerous. It also did nothing to deter the next kegger. But holy cow, 1000 people? Now thats a turnout! We didnt have social media back in my day!
Either way that is a hell of a turnout. I would imagine that you (Ridge) have never had to give medical treatment to adults who partied a little too much. Just kids huh? I used to go to a lot of parties when I was in high school (unless I had a wrestling tournament the next day) and I will say that yes they were fun. In the real world kids are going to go to parties, drink, have sex, etc and if I was a parent I would much rather my kid tell me that they are going to a party and be honest than trying to hide it from me. A little trust between each other is a good thing because the kid is going to go either way.
Another thing I remember from those days is when the cops would bust the party up all they succeeded in doing was flushing about 30 drunk kids onto the roads at the same time. People that were planning on staying the night or maybe asking around and finding somebody to drive if they had had too much to drink all of a sudden are sprinting to their vehicles on a moments notice in a panic because they don’t want to get MIPs. To me that is creating a dangerous situation.
Sharon’s report says only “a handful” of the people attending were “underage”.
No mention of drugs being involved at all except alcohol, which is legal for adults over 21.
I agree that the fire during a burn ban was stupid and was probably the result of ignorance of local burn bans rather than a blatant disregard for public safety.
Sure Soaper, 1000 irresponsible kids with a huge bonfire in the forest during a burn ban because of dry conditions and having no facilities for human waste would just be a barrel of laughs. Underage drinking and drug use always makes for a great party. Having had to be the person giving medical treatment to many of these “Great party” kids over the years, I assure you it’s not so great.
Jesus…1000 kids at a party in the woods? Wish I would’ve been born about 20 years earlier. That sounds like fun.