RECYCLING THIEF ARRESTED, SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS
• A 22-year-old Centralia man who reportedly stole several bags of aluminum cans and recycled them for money ($35.20) for food and cigarettes was arrested for second-degree trafficking in stolen property, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. The theft was reported Friday from in front of a garage on the 2100 block of Taylor Street in Centralia, according to the sheriff’s office. The victim called a local recycler and described the pickup truck she saw leaving with her cans and a deputy contacted the man, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said. William G. Fultz Valenta was booked into the Lewis County Jail for trafficking and also third-degree theft, Brown said. The case of his 20-year-old female companion was referred to the prosecutor’s office for similar charges, according to Brown.
BEER RUN ENDS
• Morton police were called to the 400 block of Second Street where a subject reportedly stole an 18-pack of beer and ran to a waiting vehicle about 4 a.m. on Saturday. Twenty-six-year-old Ryan M. Pittman was arrested for misdemeanor theft and the driver, Geoffrey M. Whittall, also 26, was arrested for the same offense as well as possession of marijuana, according to the Morton Police Department.
CAR WINDOW BROKE OUT FOR SMOKES, LOOSE CHANGE
• Centralia police took a report on Friday morning of a window being smashed out of a vehicle on the 800 block of H Street in Centralia. Taken were cigarettes and about $5 in change, police reported.
DISAGREEMENT ENDS WITH ARREST
• A 23-year-old Centralia man was arrested yesterday morning after he got into a dispute with his estranged fiance at the 1100 block of South Pearl Street in Centralia, according to police. Juan Vega-Allen allegedly shut a door and wouldn’t allow her to leave as they argued about her new boyfriend, police reported. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for unlawful imprisonment.
ELUDING POLICE
• Police on Saturday were looking for a subject after he reportedly sped away from a traffic stop in Centralia around 4 o’clock on Saturday morning. The officer didn’t catch up to the driver, but recognized the driver, according to Centralia police. The vehicle was found abandoned. The incident occurred at West Pear and South Rock streets.
JAIL INMATE ARRESTED
• A 24-year-old jail inmate was arrested for setting off the fire alarm in the Lewis County Jail on Saturday and also several times the day before. Timothy J. Chapek, of Portland and/or Beaverton, Ore., reportedly intentionally created a cloud of dust particles by repeatedly banging on the wire cage surrounding the fire alarm in his cell, activating the alarm.
THEFT
• Two rifles, two tail lamps from classic cars and a Snap-on tool chest were stolen in a burglary to a garage on the 100 block of East Roanake Street in Centralia, reported yesterday evening.
• A 1991 Madza pickup, four wheels and tires along with a battery were among the items missing after a burglary to a garage on the 2000 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Ethel, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported today. The break-in occurred sometime between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, according to the sheriff’s office. The loss is estimated at $1,550.
• A black 1997 Pontiac TransAm stolen out of Centralia was found on Saturday on the 900 block of Davis Lake Road outside Morton, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
• Police were called about 10:30 p.m. last night when a neighbor heard someone break out the driver’s side window of a vehicle parked on the 600 block of East Summa Street in Centralia, according to police. The window-breaker drove away in a dark-colored car, according to police.
• Somebody stole a stereo from an unlocked vehicle at the 1000 block of Scammon Creek Road in Centralia, according to a report made to police on Sunday morning.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter