By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Three Chehalis teenagers are expected to be charged today, as were three others yesterday, with felonies in connection with a confrontation earlier this week that apparently began with concerns rumors were being spread a teen has herpes.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office alleges two car loads of young people showed up a the Boistfort area home of an 18-year-old male threatening to beat him up on Tuesday, even kicking in his front door while his mother was at home.
The 18-year-old, Dallas Wilkins, got them to leave by firing several shots with a rifle into the back window of their car, according to charging documents.
The suspects range in age from 14 to 19. Three of them are under 18 and expected today to face similar charges to the adult suspects, including felony harassment.
All denied the account of events given by Wilkins.
Cody J. Snider, 19; Christopher B. Arkell, 19; and Megan M. Striefel, 18, appeared in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday. Each has been bailed out of jail already.
Two 17-year-old males and a 14-year-old female are being dealt with in Lewis County Juvenile Court.
Charging documents for the adults give the following account of what the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office believes occurred:
Wilkins had been getting threatening text messages, and on Tuesday, received messages from Snider he was going to come and fight him and hurt him physically. Deputies found messages on Wilkins phone of a similar nature from three of the others.
Snider told a deputy Wilkins had spread rumors he had herpes.
Two cars with the group showed up at Wilkins’ home on Pe Ell McDonald Road and when Wilkins didn’t answer a knock from the 14-year-old girl to see if he would come outside, they drove onto the the front lawn and parked.
Arkell and two 17-year-old boys went to the front door and yelled at Wilkins to come out and fight while Snider and Striefel sat in their car with the door open jeering and yelling.
A seventh individual, a 17-year-old boy, was with them, but deputies concluded he had no involvement.
Wilkins told them to leave and closed the door, but when he opened it again as far as the locked chain allowed, Arkell kicked it open and the three continued to call Wilkins out.
Wilkins grabbed his rifle from beside the door, fired shots in the air and threatened to shoot out the windows of one of the cars. When they didn’t leave, he fired into the vehicle. They left.
Deputies, called about 1:15 p.m., stopped a silver Hyundai on Highway 6 near Chehalis, driven by Arkell and carrying four other teenagers. A blue Honda pulled up, driven by a 17-year-old, with six bullet holes in the back window.
Six of the seven were arrested after deputies conducted interviews.
The charges are: harassment – threat to kill, trespass, and first-degree burglary.
When Snider went before Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler yesterday afternoon, he pleaded not guilty.
Arkell and Striefel are scheduled to make their pleas next Wednesday.
Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke, who is handling all six suspects, said he expected to charge the juveniles today.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter