By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Bail was set at $50,000 each for a pair of men who allegedly set fires around downtown Winlock early on Saturday morning.
Aaron J. Kalista, 33, and Brent T. Brooks, 30, who reside in Winlock, were charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with second-degree arson.
Aaron J. Kalista
No injuries were reported and no buildings burned down, but firefighters and police Sgt. Sam Patrick responded to four random fires within less than an hour, according to court documents.
It was about 4:14 a.m. when Patrick was asked to go to the 200 block of Southeast First Street where the fire department was extinguishing a small fire which seemed to have been intentionally set in a pile of new construction materials next to a house being remodeled, according to authorities.
At 5 o’clock the same morning, a fire was discovered in a dumpster against the wall of the Winlock Post Office, just blocks to the north, on the 200 block of Northeast First Street, according to charging documents.
There was also a fire in another nearby dumpster on the other side of the post office, next to a fence, according to Patrick.
Brent T. Brooks
As Patrick responded, he was informed of another fire across from the hardware store on the 500 block of Northeast First Street where boards, pallets and grass were burning, Patrick said.
While the fires were being extinguished, Patrick and two sheriff’s deputies began to search the area looking for who might be responsible, according to charging documents.
Patrick was able to view surveillance images from the hardware store, and saw two males walking away from the last fire, and curiously looking back at it, Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Melissa Bohm wrote in charging documents.
Patrick recognized the two as the men he’d contacted just before he learned of the first fire, according to Bohm.
Patrick said he had been following up on a complaint of two males harassing someone, came across Kalista and Brooks on foot and spoke with them, and took down their names.
He and the deputies responded to the suspects’ home on the 100 block of state Route 505, and found them wearing the same attire observed in the video, according to Bohm.
They were booked into the Lewis County Jail.
Both were given court appointed lawyers this afternoon. Their arraignments were scheduled for Thursday.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
From the headline I was expecting to read about a couple of 12 year olds causing problems. But no, these guys are in their 30s LOL. Glad there wasn’t any major damage.