The overpass at 13th Street in Chehalis over Interstate 5 after it was struck by a log loader on a trailer. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol
CHEHALIS OVERPASS REPAIRS WILL CLOSE NORTHBOUND I-5
• A portion of northbound Interstate 5 at Chehalis will be closed overnight this weekend while repairs are made to the 13th Street bridge which was damaged by a too-tall load last week. Drivers will be re-routed using the on and off ramps between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. On the morning of Dec. 31, the driver of a Chehalis-based truck pulling a trailer carrying a log loader was cited after the loader struck a portion of the overpass snapping steel tension cables and knocking concrete onto the freeway, according to the Washington State Patrol. A state patrol spokespersons said the company was permitted for a load no taller than 14-feet 6-inches but inspectors subsequently measured the load at 14-feet 7-inches. Trooper Will Finn said the overpass measures at 15 feet. DOT says it has a vertical clearance of 14-feet 8-inches. The truck was escorted by front and rear pilot cars and the overhead detector about a mile to the south – which sets off both audible and visual alarms – was found to be operational, according to authorities. Truck restrictions on the overpass currently in place will be lifted after the weekend work, according to DOT. The bridge is 56 years old.
DRUGS
• Deputies ended up arresting three people early yesterday morning after a suspicious vehicle pulled into a Chehalis area driveway and then sped off when confronted. It happened about 5:20 a.m. at the 300 block of Yates Road and when the suspect vehicle was located near Jackson Highway and Logan Hill Road, it was occupied by three Yelm residents, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The driver, Adam G. Jones, 34, had a suspended license and subsequently he and passenger, Kassandra M. Anderson, 22, were booked for possession of methamphetamine, according to the sherif’s office. Forty-two-year-old David R. Perez was also booked into the Lewis County Jail for a warrant, Sgt. Rob Snaza said.
CAR PROWL
• Chehalis police responded to a vehicle prowl at the 700 block of Northwest Liberty Place just before midnight, in which someone rifled through a truck containing various tools. A window was found broken on the driver’s side and the door unlocked, according to the Chehalis Police Department. It wasn’t immediately clear what may have been taken, police said.
FRAUD
• Centralia police were contacted yesterday afternoon regarding a cell phone account opened fraudulently under the victim’s name, in connection with a location at the 600 block of North Tower Avenue.
SEX CRIME
• A 34-year-old Centralia area man turned himself yesterday in connection with an investigation that began last week of alleged sexual abuse of a young relative. A deputy was first contacted on Friday by a mother who said her teenage daughter disclosed incidents that occurred during the year that ended in September of 2012, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office was unsuccessful in its attempts to contact Rodney J. Teitzel Jr. but he turned himself in to the Lewis County Jail late last night where he was booked for second-degree child rape and molestation, according to the sheriff’s office. His bail was set at $150,000.
WRECK
• A 34-year-old Chehalis woman was taken to the hospital with neck pain following a two-car accident last night at Jackson Highway and North Fork Road south of Chehalis. Deputies responding about 8:30 p.m. concluded a Ford Escort pulled onto the roadway heading south when it was struck by the northbound Toyota Corolla. Both vehicles sustained major damage, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
AND MORE
• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, violation of anti-harassment order, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarms; complaint of a woman outside for hours bugging patrons … and more.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter