News brief: Rollover crash claims life on SR 508

March 31st, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – One person is dead after a single-vehicle accident along state Route 508 south of Chehalis last night.

Firefighters called about 9:10 p.m. to the scene near Tauscher Road about three miles east of Interstate 5 found the driver was deceased.

The 1999 Ford F250 pickup had been heading eastbound when the driver lost control and rolled off the north side of the roadway, coming to rest on its passenger side in a pasture, according to responders.

The passenger, 45-year-old Stephanie R. Richards, of Onalaska, was conscious but injured and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the Washington State Patrol and Lewis County Fire District 5.

The driver is identified as a 53-year-old Onalaska man, but his name has not been released.

Both had been wearing their seat belts, but the truck was totaled, according to the state patrol.

District 5 Firefighter Brad Bozarth said some bystanders were taking care of a dog which had been traveling with the couple.

Prosecutors: Meth-making discovered during domestic violence call in Centralia

March 30th, 2017
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Justin G. Bonifield is led out of the courtroom following his bail hearing.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – He said the firearm accidentally discharged, but his girlfriend said that during an argument Justin G. Bonifield hit her in the face, struck her in the back of the head with a beer bottle causing her to see stars and threatened to kill her as she tried to get out of their Centralia house.

The 40-year-old woman told deputies she slid beneath the garage door after pushing the automatic door opener, and began to run toward a neighbor’s house for help when she heard a gunshot, so she dropped to the ground and crawled the rest of the way, according to court documents.

Bonifield, 47, wasn’t arrested until the following day, but by then, law enforcement was already in the process of uncovering a fully functional meth lab at the Joppish Road home, according to authorities.

The Centralia man was brought before a judge yesterday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court facing six felony charges.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said the defendant has two prior felonies and asked that his bail be set at $200,000.

Temporary defense attorney Kevin Nelson noted his client has only had one warrant in the past and has a job as a fabricator in Olympia. Nelson requested $25,000 bail.

Judge Joely O’Rourke agreed with the prosecutor’s request.

The incidents took place on Monday night, and were investigated after the victim got her neighbor to call 911. She had a bloody lip, large lumps on the back of her head and a concussion, according to authorities. Bonifield had fled in a Ford Mustang.

The girlfriend told deputies Bonifield manufactures methamphetamines in one of the outbuildings on the property, something she’d watched him do on prior occasions, according to Halstead.

Deputies obtained a search warrant and located what was described as a lab, with chemicals known to be associated with the red phosphorous method of meth making, according to charging documents. They collected beakers, tubing, flasks, a condenser and crystal substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the documents.

They also found an empty Corona beer bottle on the floor of the home and a gun, the documents relate. Deputies found a trailer on the property that had been reported stolen within the county late last year as well, according to Halstead.

Charging documents make no mention of any bullet being retrieved.

The suspect was found in Thurston County on Tuesday and taken into custody.

“Bonifield admitted to having the firearm and acknowledged he was not to possess any firearm,” Halstead wrote in charging documents. “He also stated the firearm was accidentally discharged.”

He is charged with second-degree assault, felony harassment and manufacture of methamphetamine – an offense Halstead said he hasn’t seen in his nearly seven years in the prosecutor’s office.

Bonifield is also charged with second-degree possession of stolen property, second-degree unlawful possession firearm and possession of meth.

His prior convictions were from 1995 in Pierce County, for attempting to elude and a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

His arraignment was scheduled for today.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 30th, 2017
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•••

FRAUD

• A Toledo resident contacted police yesterday to report it appears her debit card was used recently at the Wal-Mart in Chehalis, with a charge of $195. She told police it’s been happening at Wal-Marts up and down the Interstate 5 corridor and she still has her debit card, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT

• Chehalis police were called about 3:35 p.m. yesterday to the 200 block of Southeast Adams Avenue to take a report of items stolen from a mailbox. The first time it was a package and the second time it was an envelope, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports it responded about 10 p.m. yesterday for a “suspicious circumstances” call at the 100 block of Joppish Road outside Centralia where they contacted a 39-year-old woman who turned out to have two felony warrants for probation violations out of Idaho. She was arrested and suspected methamphetamine was found on her person, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Heather R. Peterson, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey said.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, obstructing, failure to transfer title, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, harassment, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, barking neighbor dog, people hanging out near a bus stop … and more among 131 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

News brief: Pe Ell residence sustains major fire damage while occupants away

March 29th, 2017
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Smoke alarm melts, but keeps operating through Pe Ell fire. / Courtesy photo by Derrick Paul

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Pe Ell couple is without a home after a fire that appears to have been related to an electrical issue.

Fire investigator Derrick Paul said he won’t know the cause for sure until after the insurance company runs some tests.

The occupants pulled into the driveway at the 300 block of West Fourth Avenue late Monday night after two days at the beach, and noticed the fire, Paul said.

Crews from Lewis County Fire District 11 arrived and extinguished the flames beneath the double wide mobile home and then entered and put out fire in the living room, according to Paul.

It had apparently been burning for quite a long time, but because the house was closed up, didn’t have a lot of oxygen, Paul said. The interior temperature was about 700 degrees and there was major heat damage inside, he said.

“The light fixtures throughout the house were melted,” he said.

However, Paul said, there was one working smoke detector and despite having partially melted, it was still beeping and flashing when he got there.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 29th, 2017
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•••

WANTED CENTRALIA MAN FOUND IN YELM

• A Centralia man wanted for allegedly assaulting his live-in girlfriend – by hitting her over the head with a beer bottle and firing a shot towards her as she exited their home – was captured yesterday in the Yelm area after an investigation led to his vehicle parked outside a residence there, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Justin G. Bonifield, 47, surrendered to law enforcement about 12:15 p.m., Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said. The 40-year-old woman was found to have suffered a concussion from the Monday night events at the 100 block of Joppish Road, according to the sheriff’s office. Bonifield was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault, second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm, Breen said. There is an ongoing investigation now of possible meth-making at the Joppish Road home, according to Breen. Bonifield is tentatively scheduled to go before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court at 4 p.m. today.

THEFT OF POWER EQUIPMENT

• A deputy was called yesterday to the 200 block of Short Road outside Morton where someone had stolen a generator and an air compressor sometime since March 10. The loss is about $750, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Locks had been cut on a cable blocking the driveway, on a shed and also on a cable securing the generator, according to the sheriff’s office.

AUTO THEFT

• A white 1995 Honda Accord vanished from where it was parked on the 200 block of Southwest 13th Street in Chehalis yesterday between 4 p.m. and 5:50 p.m., according to the Chehalis Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called just before 3 p.m. yesterday after a victim parked at the 1300 block of Northwest State Avenue observed a male open the canopy of his vehicle, remove a Stihl chainsaw, put it into his white Ford Ranger and drive away.

SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATION

• Centralia police responded about 4:15 p.m. yesterday for a report of a sexual assault associated with a location at the 200 block of Railroad Avenue. An investigation is underway, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CONTAINER FIRE

• Rural Chehalis firefighters were called about 12:20 p.m. yesterday to the 1600 block of Bishop Road for a fire burning inside a 30-foot cargo trailer at a pallet yard. They observed heavy smoke and were able to extinguish the flames within six minutes of their arrival, but stayed on scene almost an hour to make sure the fire was out, Lewis County Fire District 6. Fire Chief Tim Kinder said the metal container had been converted into a wood drying kiln. The exact cause was to be determined by a fire investigator, according to Firefighter DJ Hammer.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Centralia police responded about 10:20 p.m. yesterday to a wreck at the 2600 block of North Pearl Street. A vehicle collided with a pole, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, third-degree theft, misdemeanor assault, protection order violation, no contact order violation; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, harassment, vehicle collision, third-degree theft, suspicious circumstances … and more among 136 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

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Firefighters Jeff Ames and Matt Foley extinguish fire inside shipping container. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Fire District 6

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 28th, 2017
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•••

Updated at 2:49 p.m.

CENTRALIA WOMAN FLEES GUNSHOT INSIDE OWN HOME

• A 47-year-old Centralia man is being sought after an incident last night at the 100 block of Joppish Road in which a woman fled to a neighbor’s for help, saying her live-in boyfriend had hit her over the head with a beer bottle and, she believed, fired a shot towards her as she left the home. The 40-year-old victim suffered a concussion, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said the sheriff’s office has probable cause for an arrest for first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm on Justin G. Bonifield. He was gone when deputies arrived following the approximately 7:50 p.m. 911 call, Breen said. Deputies found that possibly a controlled substance was being manufactured at the Centralia area home, but had no details this morning.

OTHER ASSAULT

• Chehalis police were called just after 2 p.m. on Friday regarding an alleged custodial assault occurring the day before at Green Hill School. They are still waiting for reports, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Chehalis police were called just before 3 p.m. yesterday about a Chevrolet Blazer possibly stolen from where it had been parked on Northeast Median Street.

• A 1992 Oldsmobile was stolen from the area of Yew Street and Centralia College Boulevard, according to a report made to the Centralia Police Department just after 11 a.m. yesterday.

• A bicycle with a 48 cc motor motor was reported stolen from the 100 block of West Third Street in Centralia just after 8 a.m. yesterday. It is a Husky Beach Cruiser, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police were called about 9:15 p.m. on Sunday to take a report of the theft of a Silver 2001 Dodge Ram pickup truck from the 1300 block of Harrison Avenue. It has a license plate reading B77300X, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A burgundy 1995 Honda Civic was reported stolen about 6:15 p.m. on Sunday from the 1300 block of Lum Road in Centralia. It has a license plate reading AUM 2303, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 38-year-old Rochester resident was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle after he and another person were contacted about 1:20 a.m. on Sunday with a vehicle broken down on the side of the road near Gold Street and Ham Hill Road in Centralia. Officer suspected that Bradley A. Sprouse had arrived in a vehicle stolen in Olympia to help an acquaintance with car trouble, according to the Centralia Police Department. The acquaintance had an outstanding warrant and both were booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. Prosecutors yesterday declined to file the felony charge against Sprouse.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police were called at 2:45 p.m. yesterday about the theft of a musical instrument from the 100 block of South Tower Avenue.

• Chehalis police were called at about 12:40 p.m. yesterday to a business on the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue on a report a customer had passed fake $100 bills. The incident is under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Centralia police were called about 4:50 p.m. on Saturday regarding the theft of medication from the 1300 block of Harrison Avenue.

• Centralia police were called on Friday afternoon about the theft of power tools from a maintenance room at the 1300 block of Alexander Street.

• Centralia police were called about 3:45 p.m. on Friday about an overnight vehicle prowl at the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue. Several “items” were taken, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called to the 200 block of 16th Street just before 11 a.m. on Friday about an overnight incident in which fuel was siphoned from a parked vehicle.

• Chehalis police were called to the 400 block of Northwest Front Street just after 3 p.m. yesterday about gas being siphoned from a parked vehicle.

DRUGS

• Dylan T. Kolvig, 26 of Centralia, was arrested on an outstanding Centralia Municipal Court failure to appear warrant as well as possession of methamphetamine after contact with police at Yew and Pear streets in Centralia at about 10:20 p.m. on Friday, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• An officer was called about 2:40 a.m. on Saturday to Providence Centralia Hospital regarding a patient allegedly in possession of a baggie of suspected methamphetamine. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called to the 200 block of Southeast Washington Avenue just before 9 a.m. yesterday to take a report that tires had been slashed on at least one vehicle.

• Centralia police reported on Sunday they were investigating a report of a known person breaking out the taillight of the victim’s vehicle with a bat at the 1100 block of Centralia College Boulevard reported to them on Saturday afternoon.

• Police were called just before 10:30 p.m. on Saturday to the 200 block of East Chestnut Street in Centralia where they were told an individual broke the windshield of the victim’s vehicle during a dispute.

AND FROM MORTON

• Officers responded to the 400 block of Second Street in Morton to a gas drive off about 8:20 a.m. on Friday. The vehicle’s driver was later stopped on U.S. Highway 12 and was escorted back to the gas station and paid the remaining balance, according to the Morton Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 39-year-old Toledo woman was cited for hit and run after an approximately 9 p.m. Saturday report of a car striking a Ford Bronco on the side of the road near the 300 block of South Market Boulevard in Chehalis. Amy J. Threlfall was arrested and booked on an outstanding warrant, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The following evening, she was arrested at the Lewis County Jail for possession of heroin, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Dayton Z. Taylor, 18 of Winlock, and Austin R. Paladin, 20, of Rainier, were both cited for racing and reckless driving after contact with an officer around 3 p.m. on Friday at the 800 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, warrants, third-degree theft, fourth-degree assault, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, third-degree domestic malicious mischief; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, harassment, hit and run, vehicle collision, third-degree theft, possible sexual assault, suspicious circumstances, numerous as-yet unverified reports … and more among 492 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 96-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

News brief: Orting man dies following U.S. Highway 12 motorcycle accident

March 28th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 56-year-old motorcyclist died after a wreck last night on U.S. Highway 12 about two miles east of Mossyrock.

Darrell S. Holmquist, of Orting, was traveling westbound near milepost 89 when he failed to negotiate a sweeping corner, left the roadway and was ejected, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Troopers were called to the scene just after 9 p.m.

Holmquist was airlifted to Peacehealth Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver where he passed away, according to the state patrol.

He had been wearing a helmet, but it was described by the investigating trooper as non-USDOT compliant.