Posts Tagged ‘news reporter’

Centralia shooting suspect remains at large

Wednesday, November 30th, 2016
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David Serrano Mosso

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Law enforcement is looking for a 20-year-old Centralia resident, suspected to have shot an acquaintance yesterday at the northwest edge of Centralia.

Authorities say David Serrano Mosso was a passenger in a white sport utility vehicle that pulled up near an apartment complex at the 3100 block of Ives Road, off Harrison Avenue.

Serrano Mosso called out to the 19-year-old male victim, and when he approached, Serrano Mosso fired one round from a handgun, grazing the victim’s leg, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office

Deputies dispatched at 2:42 p.m. learned the 19-year-old Centralia man drove himself to the hospital, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

“The victim and the suspect are acquaintances and have only known each other for a few months,” Breen stated in a news release.

The vehicle and its driver were located last night, but Serrano Mosso remains at large, according to Breen.

The victim had done some automotive work in the past for Serrano Mosso, according to Breen.

Anyone having information on the whereabouts of Serrano Mosso is asked to contact the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office at (360) 748-9286, or Lewis County Communications at (360) 740-1105.

A Centralia resident with the same name and also 20 years old was recently convicted in a case in which a 37-year-old Centralia man was beaten inside his car in the parking lot at Providence Centralia Hospital this summer. David Serrano Mosso was initially charged in Lewis County Superior Court with first-degree assault but made an Alford plea to second-degree assault and was sentenced the end of September to time served.

He had no criminal convictions prior to that, according to prosecutors.

•••

For background, read “News brief: Centralia man shot by individual in vehicle, which then flees” from Tuesday November 29, 2016, here

News brief: Chehalis area garage goes up in flames

Wednesday, November 30th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A fire investigator is looking into the cause of a blaze that destroyed a large garage and its contents last night in rural Chehalis.

The resident who was home at the 100 block of Sanford Court north of Adna discovered the fire and called 911 about 8:20 p.m., according to Riverside Fire Authority.

An arriving crew found the detached structure fully involved in flames and threatening to spread to the adjacent home, outbuildings and trees, Chief Mike Kytta reports.

They were joined by personnel from Lewis County Fire Districts 6 and 13, and managed to contain it to the building of origin, according to Kytta.

The contents, which included numerous motorcycles and a car, as well as the approximately 30-foot by 36-foot metal-roofed garage are a total loss, according to authorities.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by an investigator from the Chehalis Fire Department.

News brief: Centralia man shot by individual in vehicle, which then flees

Tuesday, November 29th, 2016

Updated at 6:20 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Sheriff’s deputies were on the scene this afternoon of a shooting at the 3100 block of Ives Road in Centralia.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, via Twitter, indicated just before 4 p.m. they were trying to locate the suspect.

Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said preliminary information is the male victim was outside an apartment complex’s office, off Harrison Avenue, when a vehicle pulled up.

“The individual yells out to him, he turns to see what’s going on and a shot or shots are fired,” Breen said.

The male was struck in the leg, the injury is non-life threatening, Breen said.

Breen said the 19-year-old Centralia man at first didn’t realize he was hit.

“It just kind of grazed him and he drove himself to the hospital,” Breen said.

The victim apparently has known the suspect about a month, having done some automotive work for him, Breen said.

Breen confirmed about 6 p.m. it was just one shot, fired from a handgun.

Deputies are chasing down some leads, looking for a person whose identity they know, he said. A white sport utility vehicle is believed to be involved, he said.

 

Judge-elect O’Rourke secures her place in Lewis County history

Tuesday, November 29th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The final count in the only contested race for Lewis County Superior Court judge indicates overwhelming support for local lawyer Joely O’Rourke.

O’Rourke won 72 percent of the votes while her opponent gathered only 28 percent. The numbers are rounded to whole votes, though officially include two decimal places to the right of a single vote.

The Nov. 8 vote-by-mail general election in Lewis County is certified today. Turnout was almost 78 percent.

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Joely O’Rourke

While the Chehalis woman will be the first female superior court judge in county history, it’s not something she gave a lot of thought to during the campaign, she said.

“I really wanted to be elected solely on my qualifications,” O’Rourke said. “It’s definitely an honor, for sure.”

The graduate of the University of Washington and Gonzaga University Law School began her professional career as a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

In 2009, she started working as a deputy prosecutor in the criminal division at the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.

For the past two years, O’Rourke has been in private practice, representing defendants at their first appearance on criminal charges in both Lewis County District Court and Lewis County Superior Court.

She will be sworn in and take the bench on Jan. 9. She will replace Judge Richard Brosey who is retiring after more than 18 years in the position.

Twenty-thousand-seven-hundred-seventy-one voters marked their ballots for O’Rourke, compared with 8,258 who supported rural Chehalis attorney Katherine Gulmert.

In a year that saw more than $51 million in candidate contributions across Washington state, O’Rourke’s campaign raised more than $26,000 and Gulmert’s raised none, according to figures available from the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.

Gulmert, a former deputy prosecutor who now has a private practice in Chehalis, posted an open letter to her supporters and the community on her campaign website shortly after election day. With less than half the votes counted at that point, Gulmert’s showing was just 30 percent.

She congratulated O’Rourke on her victory.

“It was a well-run and dignified campaign and I hope that she continues to serve Lewis County for many years to come,” Gulmert stated. “I expect that when I appear before her I will see what so many local attorneys and judges already know, that she is fair, unbiased and prepared in every area of the law.”

Adna resident Andrew Toynbee will also be sworn in in January, taking the seat of Judge Nelson Hunt who is retiring too. Toynbee is leaving the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office to return to Lewis County, where he spent 13 years in the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.

He ran unopposed and earned 22,654 votes.

The third Lewis County Superior Court judge, James Lawler, was also unchallenged for another four-year term. Lawler was first elected in 2007. He got 23,662 votes.

Lewis County voters submitted 35,786 ballots in this presidential election year. Republican president-elect Donald Trump secured 21,992 votes (64 percent) while the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton got 9,654 (28 percent).

There are 46,094 registered voters in the county, with a population of  roughly 75,000.

The Lewis County Board of Commissioners saw two contested races, with incumbent Edna Fund beating challenger Dan Keahey, 53 percent to 47 percent. Both are Republicans.

Commissioner Bill Schulte is stepping down and will be replaced by Republican Bobby Jackson who won with 56 percent over Independent Bob Bozarth who took 44 percent of the votes.

Lewis County Fire District 3 in Mossyrock saw 63 percent support for its proposal to fund construction of a new fire station with as much as $1.4 million in bonds.

The Napavine-based Lewis County Fire District 5 failed to get at least 60 percent support for an emergency medical services levy. A majority of voters said yes (56 percent), but it wasn’t enough to pass.

See all the final results for Lewis County here
•••

For background, read:

• “A second Chehalis attorney hoping for outgoing Lewis County judge’s seat” from Tuesday July 26, 2016, here

• “Judge Brosey eyes retirement, Chehalis lawyer to seek election to the court” from Wednesday March 30, 2016, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, November 29th, 2016
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•••

Updated at 11:14 a.m.

CAR CHASE, SHOOTING

• Centralia police are investigating after a report about 10:15 p.m. yesterday of one vehicle chasing another and firing a shot at the fleeing vehicle. A witness who had already called police then reported that the chasing vehicle returned and fired a shot at her. No impact point could be located, according to the Centralia Police Department. The case is associated with an address at South Rock and West Cherry Streets. The suspect vehicle is described as a red four-door possibly a later 1990’s Buick or Oldsmobile, with a white male driver in his late 20’s to early 30’s, according to police.

ASSAULT

• Centralia police responded to an approximately 2 a.m. 911 call to the 1000 block of Belmont Avenue where a male victim said he had been assaulted with pepper spray. The incident is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

A DOZEN GUNS STOLEN

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports a search warrant served at a Rochester residence yesterday turned up 12 firearms stolen the day before from a gun cabinet in a home on the 100 block of Rose Marie Drive in rural Chehalis. The 41-year-old victim suspected a person who had been at the residence earlier and was asking questions about the victim’s belongings, according to the sheriff’s office. Seth E. Lloyd, 29, of Rochester, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for numerous offenses including first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of firearms, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

SECOND SUSPECT PICKED UP

• Police yesterday arrested their second suspect in a break-in from Saturday afternoon in which a woman called 911 from her locked bedroom as someone was kicking in her door. Reginald D. Ford was booked into the Lewis County Jail yesterday evening for residential burglary, according to the Centralia Police Department. A 20-year-old, Isaiah M. Kelly, was arrested on Saturday after the incident at the 900 block of West Pear Street.

AUTO THEFT

• A green 1991 Mazda pickup was taken sometime in the night from where it was parked at the 1400 block of Logan Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police just after 9 o’clock yesterday morning.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning about a possible vehicle prowl that had occurred previously at the 100 block of Northeast Hampe Way.

DRUGS

•  The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a 35-year-old man was arrested because a small plastic baggie containing suspected methamphetamine was located as he was being processed into the Lewis County Jail at about 3:30 a.m. today. Ian T. Westenfelder, of Packwood, was being booked for an unrelated reason, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Chehalis police were called to the 1300 block of Northwest State Avenue about 7:30 a.m. yesterday regarding a driver and passenger sleeping in a running car. The officer spoke with them and noted a glass pipe and a piece of foil in the lap of 20-year-old Anna M. Folden of Chehalis, according to the Chehalis Police Department. She was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and then released, according to police.

HIT AND RUN

• Centralia police were called to a business on the 600 block of North Tower Avenue just before noon yesterday after a car struck the building and took off. The suspect Volkswagen Jetta was located within the hour at Wal-Mart in Chehalis and occupied by at least four individuals, but not the suspected driver, according to police. Two of them were arrested on outstanding warrants, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Nobody was hurt, but the impact shoved a wall into freezers pushing them forward inside B and D Market, according to its owner David Haladay.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrant, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, runaway juvenile, vandalism, third-degree theft, suspicious circumstances … and more among 124 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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Car strikes building, moving wall. / Courtesy photo by B and D Market

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, November 28th, 2016
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•••

Updated

DOMESTIC INCIDENT

• A 29-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested after the father of her children arrived home and found her standing in his living room on the 300 block of Southwest Eighth Street in Chehalis on Friday night. The home was reportedly ransacked and she was saying the man and his girlfriend had her children, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Kayleigh S. McDaniel was not supposed to be there because of a recent court order, according to police. McDaniel was allegedly wearing a pair of shoes which belonged to one of the residents. She was booked into the Lewis County Jail for residential burglary. During the same visit by police, a 33-year-old Chehalis man found sleeping in a bunk bed in a shed in the back was arrested for first-degree trespassing, according to police. Michael A. Hilton, was also booked into jail.

ATTEMPTED THEFT

• Chehalis police were called to a business on the 1700 block of North National Avenue about 10 p.m. on Friday following the discovery someone had scaled a fence and stolen a garbage can and several tools such as an ax and shovel. The items, valued at more than $1,800, were located in the Christmas trees, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AUTO THEFT

• A red 1992 Toyota pickup truck was reported stolen just before 10:30 a.m. yesterday from the 1100 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia. It has a license plate reading B9272S, according to the Centralia Police Department.

GARAGE PROWLER

• Centralia police were called just after noon yesterday regarding a bicycle stolen from a garage at the 200 block of Denny Way.

CAR PROWLER

• Chehalis police were called to a business on the 1700 block of North National Avenue about 8:15 p.m. on Saturday after an employee discovered someone had broken their car’s passenger window and taken a purse.

DRUGS

• A 36-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested for possession of heroin after contact with police at the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia at about 2:50 p.m. yesterday. Jennifer R. Brown had an outstanding felony warrant and was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 33-year-old Bothell resident was arrested for possession of heroin and a warrant following a traffic stop about 9:30 a.m. yesterday on U.S. Highway 12 near Fischer Road near Salkum. Von A. Chase was also driving with a suspended license, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

• A 30-year-old Oakville man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and a warrant following a traffic stop about 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday at the 1300 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia. Sean A. Penn was also driving with a suspended license, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrant,  shoplifting, trespass, third-degree theft, probation violation, protection order violation; responses for alarm, dispute, harassment, hit and run, misdemeanor assault, suspicious circumstances … and more among 99 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

News brief: WSP investigates fatal hit and run near Grand Mound

Monday, November 28th, 2016

Updated at 6:08 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Washington State Patrol suspects a man whose body was found about 75 feet off of U.S. Highway 12 in Grand Mound yesterday morning had been walking on the shoulder and was hit by a vehicle.

A trooper was dispatched just before 9:15 a.m. after a phone call from a motorist who thought they saw a body, according to the state patrol.

“We got aid to the scene and he was pronounced dead,” Trooper Todd Bartolac said. “He was cold to the touch.”

Bartolac said they don’t know when the man was struck or when he died.

It happened just east of Pecan Street.

The initial investigation suggests the victim had been walking along the eastbound shoulder and was hit by an unknown eastbound vehicle, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Detectives don’t yet know exactly what happened, Bartolac said. He expects the coroner will be conducting an autopsy.

The man is identified as Kenneth J. Rose, a 36-year-old resident of Tenino.

Evidence at the scene indicates the suspect vehicle is a newer, silver GMC or Chevrolet pickup or sport utility vehicle, the state patrol indicates. It would have significant damage to its front and passenger side, including to its side mirror, windshield and bumper, according to the state patrol.

Detectives are seeking witnesses or individuals who may have knowledge of the events leading up to the collision. They can contact detective Jim Meldrum at 253-538-3174 or email at james.meldrum@wsp.wa.gov