Stolen car recovered and two arrested near Big Hanaford and Downing roads outside Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Aaron Towman
Updated
CENTRALIA CAR CHASE ENDS AT RIVER
• Two were arrested after a police pursuit overnight that ended near Schaeffer Park outside Centralia when an officer used a patrol car to disable the fleeing vehicle. Both occupants ran but were apprehended nearby, with one of them first trying to get away via the Skookumchuck River, according to the Centralia Police Department. It began around 1 a.m. at the 2400 block of Borst Avenue when police tried to pull over an erratic vehicle which had been involved in two prior reckless driving hit and run incidents, according to police. The driver, Damen J. Kroll, 24 of Centralia, was arrested for eluding, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, police report. Passenger Matthew M. Morris, 21 of Chehalis, at first jumped into the water, but gave up quickly when he discovered how cold the river was, according to police. Morris was arrested for obstruction. The car turned out to be stolen; it’s owner called police after waking up and discovering it was gone, police said. Both men were booked into the Lewis County Jail.
ROCHESTER FIRE: TIMING IS EVERYTHING
• Members of three fire departments responded yesterday afternoon when a Rochester area resident who’d arrived home only about 15 minutes earlier spotted smoke inside her single-story house. West Thurston Regional Fire Authority called at 4 p.m. to the 10,800 block of Independence Road found fire burning in a wall next to the chimney, spreading up into the attic and down to below the floor, Chief Robert Scott said. Crews tore out some kitchen cabinetry, cut a hole in the roof and extinguished the blaze, he said. Scott said she’d had fire in her wood stove earlier that morning. He said the brick chimney in the fairly older home was butted up against the tongue-and-groove wall boards, which ignited from the heat. The smoke damage was limited as many of her interior doors were left closed, he said. She is staying is staying with family in the area, according to the chief. It’s a road that just a few days ago that was covered by about 18 inches of flowing water, according to Scott. Had it not yet receded, responders would have had to take a longer route, he said. “Another five or six minutes burning unchecked, this would have been an entirely different story,” Scott said.
AND MORE
• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants … and more.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Probably had to get a medical clearance for shrinkage.
I’ll bet the dummy who jumped into Skookumchuck quickly regretted that decision. Yikes it must have been really cold. He is lucky he did not die of hypothermia.