Pe Ell mother faces charge of assault of her child

June 21st, 2016
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By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – On the same day two weeks ago when Joseph W. Rogerson went before a judge charged with third-degree assault of a child, prosecutors sent off a summons for his wife and filed the same charge against her for an alleged incident from January.

Diana M. Rogerson, 38, appeared before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

The cases are unrelated but it’s the same alleged victim; her 7-year-old daughter.

Charging documents state Diana M. Rogerson’s ex-husband called law enforcement on Jan. 31 after his girlfriend discovered, while helping with a bath, a bruise on the child’s left buttock.

The girl’s older brother told the deputy his mom got angry with his sister because she refused to say prayers at dinnertime, took her in the bathroom and spanked her and then took her back in the bathroom and spanked her with a belt. Court documents indicate the incident occurred four to six days previous.

The bruise appeared to be darker on the ends and red in the center, the deputy noted.

The older brother said his mother commented she had broken a blood vessel in her hand from the spanking.

Charging documents go on to relate that Diana M. Rogerson told deputies she didn’t know how her daughter got the bruise, but said her hands hurt when she spanks her daughter.

She reportedly said her daughter had been disrespectful and fought to get away from being spanked, and that she retrieved a one-inch belt and folded it twice before spanking her.

The case has been assigned to Child Protective Services. The children are now living with their father in Toledo based on a temporary protection order secured on June 6.

The Rogersons live in Pe Ell.

Third-degree assault of a child is a class C felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

The allegation is bodily harm accompanied by substantial pain that extended for a period sufficient to cause considerable suffering to a child younger than 13 years old.

Her husband Joseph W. Rogerson, 37, was charged on June 6 with third-degree assault of a child for allegedly punching his 7-year-old step-daughter in the arm when she got in between a physical dispute involving him and her mother.

The felony charge put at risk his deferred prosecution on last summer’s DUI, related to a head-on crash in Onalaska that left three teenagers dead. Law enforcement’s investigation found he was not to blame, as he was traveling in his own lane.

Diana M. Rogerson reportedly also told deputies she and her husband have been under a lot of stress as a result of the car accident.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey set her bail with a $10,000 unsecured bond and told her to return on June 30 for her arraignment.

Judge Brosey commented in court about the difference between the two cases.

“This one has the potential defense of reasonable parental discipline,” he said. “Whereas the other one does not.”

Outside the courtroom today, Diana M. Rogerson said the assault allegations against both she and her husband are coming from her ex-husband.
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For background, read “Driver from last summer’s deadly Onalaska wreck back in court” from Tuesday June 7, 2016, here

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Mossyrock knife into neck case brings 26 months of prison

June 21st, 2016
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Grace E. Barker consults with her lawyer Shane O’Rourke in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The judge went along with the plea agreement that gave a Mossyrock woman just over two years in prison for stabbing the father of her baby, instead as much as 15 years behind bars had she gone to trial and been convicted.

Grace E. Barker, 26, was accompanied by her defense attorney Shane O’Rourke yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court.

O’Rourke and Lewis County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher spoke of some of the reasons behind the deal.

O’Rourke said he had been working toward an argument of self defense, but it was imperfect and incomplete given an allegation of substance abuse and his client’s inability to recall. At one point they seriously considered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Prosecutors wrote in charging documents that Brian Slater was trying to get Barker to leave his Mossyrock home when she picked up what he has said was a 10-inch stiletto knife. He said he armed himself with a knife and when he threw his down thinking she had done the same, she stabbed him in the throat.

At the time of her arrest on April 6, Barker was homeless although Slater sometimes let her stay at his residence.

Meagher told the judge the victim has made a full recovery.

The original charge of first-degree assault was dropped to a charge of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

Judge James Lawler yesterday afternoon said he would follow the attorneys’ recommendations. Barker chose not to make a statement on her own behalf.

“You are very lucky that this is what’s happening today,” Lawler told her. “You’re lucky Mr. Slater didn’t die, you’re lucky Mr. O’Rourke was able to work out this deal for you.”

The judge sentenced her to 26 months in prison and 18 months of supervision after her release. He also made a finding that would require she be evaluated for substance abuse and follow up with treatment.

Meagher said outside the courtroom his reading of the defense’s therapists findings were that Barker’s situation was chemically induced.

“She has a terrible meth addiction,” Meagher said.

Part of the reason behind the deal was because prosecutors took the victim’s wishes into account, he said.

“There’s a lot going on when we do these plea bargains,” Meagher said. “There may have been a self defense claim; probably not enough to get over the hurdle, but we don’t want to take that chance.”
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For background, read “Mossyrock argument: Two knives, one airlifted, other arrested” from Thursday April 7, 2016, here

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Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

June 21st, 2016
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Updated

TOOL THEFT CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called to the 600 block of West Pear Street about 7:30 a.m. yesterday where tools were reported stolen from a fenced area of a construction site. The investigation is continuing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A tool box was stolen out of a garage at the 100 block of Frost Drive in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday morning.

YARD THEFT CENTRALIA

• A ceramic rabbit family, outdoor solar lights and a plant were stolen from a yard on the 1400 block of Johnson Road in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday morning.

• A Bernie Sanders political sign was reported stolen from the 1100 block of E Street in Centralia yesterday afternoon.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called at 1 p.m. yesterday for a vehicle prowl at the 1000 block of Elm Street. Paperwork was stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Police were called about 8:20 a.m. yesterday after the discovery someone punched a hole in a vehicle’s gas tank at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia.

UNCOOPERATIVE SUSPECT

• When police attempted to take a 29-year-old woman into custody for allegedly violating a protection order yesterday evening, she tried to flee, according to the Centralia Police Department. It happened about 6:20 p.m. at the 900 block of F Street and Candice R. Baughman was subsequently arrested also for resisting arrest, according to Police. The Centralia woman was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

I SPY A BARE BOTTOM

• Chehalis police called just after 7 p.m. yesterday and told an individual was “mooning” passersby from a picnic area at the 700 block of Southwest Chehalis Avenue. The reporting person said they couldn’t tell if the subject was male or female. No arrest was made, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Firefighters were called about 9 p.m. yesterday to an ATV accident at the 1400 block of North Fork Road east of Chehalis. The patient, a man in his 30s, was out in a pasture on the ground and his ATV was overturned, according to Lewis County Fire District 6. He was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital to be checked for pain in his back, Firefighter-paramedic Matt McCoy said.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, protection order violation, malicious mischief; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, suicide threat, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street … and more, among 151 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 6:30 a.m. today.

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Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

June 20th, 2016
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WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME

• A person who parked their car, and left the keys in it, on the Southwest Chehalis Avenue side of the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis called police about 10:30 a.m. on Friday after the car disappeared. However, what happened was caught on video, according to the Chehalis Police Department. A person just released from the jail walked by, saw the keys and drove away, according to police. Centralia police later that night found the vehicle and the suspect, Chehalis Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said. David C. Rahnert, 39, a homeless person, was arrested for theft of a motor vehicle and booked back in to the Lewis County Jail, Kaut said.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Centralia police were called to the 100 block of East Roanoke Street about 2:45 a.m. yesterday for the theft of  riding lawnmower.

BACKYARD PROWLER

• Centralia police were called about 4:20 a.m. today about the theft of a small barbecue and a Wiffle Ball set from a backyard on the 1100 block of North Washington Avenue.

CAR PROWL

• Someone forced their way into a car parked at the 500 block of South Tower Avenue and stole a wallet, according to a report made to police about 2 p.m. yesterday.

DISORDERLY WITH KNIFE

• A 29-year-old Napavine resident who allegedly was brandishing a knife and yelling at neighbor’s across the street trying to get them to come fight him was arrested on Friday afternoon for disorderly conduct. A deputy called about 2 p.m. to the 100 block of Deer Haven Drive in Winlock was told the neighbors and relatives were putting a child in the car at the time, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Glen M. Rudge  booked into the Lewis County Jail.

DRUGS

• A 36-year-old Seattle woman detained for suspected shoplifting of CDs about 2:50 p.m. yesterday on Northwest Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis was subsequently arrested for a drug violation. A search of her bags turned up pills and a suspicious substance, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Alicia M. Press was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

FRAUD

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said this morning they arrested a suspect for forgery and identity theft in connection with purchases made at a teriyaki shop and Sally’s Beauty Supply related to a case last week in which a Chehalis man reported he believed an acquaintance used his personal information to obtain a credit card. Andrea A. Parker, 34, of Chehalis, was arrested on Thursday and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

VEHICLE CATCHES FIRE

• Firefighters were called to a home on Northeast Greenwood Terrace in Chehalis about 10 p.m. on Saturday when residents heard a tire pop, came outside and found their car burning in their driveway. The fire was extinguished, but was ruined, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

AND FROM MORTON

• Officers responded to the 400 block of Division Avenue in Morton about 5 p.m. on Thursday to a report of a stolen bike from a porch, according to the Morton Police Department. The case is still under investigation, police reported today.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Personnel from two fire departments responded on Saturday afternoon to help pack out an individual in his late 20s who ended up with a broken leg on hillside property on the Coal Creek valley side of Northeast Summit Road in Chehalis. Firefighters were called to the scene just before 5 p.m., according to the Chehalis Fire Department. “He was doing some kind of yard work or other, clearing brush,” Firefighter Kevin Reynolds said. “One of the guys he was working with had a four-wheeler, and they made contact.”

• A 29-year-old driver stopped for speeding along the 9000 block of U.S. Highway 12 near Randle about 10:25 p.m. on Saturday was arrested for driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and a firearms violation because a loaded gun was found in his vehicle, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Charles C.L. MacPherson, from Battle Ground, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, driving with suspended license, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, vandalism, third-degree theft, civil issue, barking dog, suspicious circumstances, dog pooping in neighbor’s yard, drunk male walking toward Chehalis, peeing as he is walking … and more, among 135 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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News brief: Dog alerts two adults in burning home

June 20th, 2016
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Sunday morning fire off of Old Highway 99 in Grand Mound / Courtesy photo

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The cause of a fire that tore through a Grand Mound home early yesterday morning remains under investigation, and a family pet is getting credit as the primary alert system that helped the residents escape unharmed.

Firefighters called at 6:10 a.m. yesterday to the 21700 block of Old Highway 99 found flames already rising through the roof, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

Children reside there but were away, Fire Chief Russ Kaliewahea said this morning. Two adults were awakened by their dog, he said.

“It started barking, bouncing off the furniture as it was described to me,” Kaliewahea said. “Going berserk, trying to alert them.”

Once the crew knew everyone was out, the fire was fought defensively, according to the fire department.

They were assisted by personnel from Thurston County Fire Districts 12, 6 and 9.

“The occupant said there were smoke detectors, but did not recall them going off or hearing them,” Kaliewahea said.

The chief said it appeared the fire began in an area that contained a furnace, a hot water heater and a clothes dryer, so it’s not yet clear what may have ignited it.

The single-story, double-wide home is a complete loss, he said. He estimated about $90,000 damage.

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News brief: Pedestrian with stroller struck by car outside Chehalis

June 20th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A woman pushing a stroller along a county road south of Chehalis was hit from behind by a car traveling about 30 mph yesterday.

Deputies responding to the approximately 6 p.m. incident learned the stroller was overturned and damaged but the 8-month-old baby was unharmed. The 49-year-old grandmother sustained a broken leg, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened along Avery Road East near Coulson Road.

The grandmother said she was walking westbound, pushing the baby while talking on the cell phone and thought she was on the shoulder, Cmdr. Dusty Breen said. Evidence however showed impact occurred in the travel portion of the lane, Breen said.

The male half of a Chehalis couple in their early 70s said he did not see them until he hit them, Breen said. Their car is a 2012 Suzuki four-door, according to the sheriff’s office.

The grandmother also has a possible broken toe. She and the child reside in Chehalis.

Breen said the case remains under investigation and no citations or infractions have been issued.

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News brief: Climbers rescued from 13,500 feet on Mount Rainer

June 20th, 2016
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View of the south face of Mount Rainier and the Disappointment Cleaver Route. / Courtesy photo by RMI Expeditions

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two climbers were rescued from near the top of Mount Rainer after spending two nights in single-digit temperatures.

The climbing team was overtaken by extreme weather while descending from a successful summit, according to Patti Wold of Mount Rainer National Park. They dug a snow cave and waited out the weather at 14,300 feet, just below the crater rim, Wold said.

The pair activated a locator beacon twice on Friday but adverse weather delayed search operations until early yesterday morning, according to Wold.

A search by the park contract helicopter was undertaken amid clear weather Wold stated.

The two were rescued from Disappointment Cleaver, at 13,500 feet.

“In spite of spending two nights in single digit temperatures the climbers were ambulatory and in stable condition,” Wold stated.

Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Olympic mountain rescues, and the U.S. Army Reserve B Company of the 1-214th Air Battalion supported incident operations.

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