Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

June 18th, 2016
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DRUGS

• A 23-year-old Centralia resident was arrested about 10:15 p.m. yesterday at Fourth and H streets in Centralia for possession of heroin with the intent to deliver as well as an outstanding felony warrant. Jarrin A.M. Smalley was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AUTO THEFT

• A vehicle stolen earlier in the day from Chehalis was located and recovered about 11:15 p.m. yesterday in the 1400 block of Lewis Street in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THE GARDENING CORNER

•  Shelly K. Watson, 54 of Centralia, was cited for third-degree theft yesterday after being identified as a person who had stolen a flowering plant from the front yard of a residence at the 2500 block of Howard Avenue in Centralia. She was then released, according to the Centralia Police Department.

YARD SIGNS MISSING

• Political signs were reported stolen from the front yard of a residence yesterday at the 1000 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia. Police were called for a similar theft later in the day at the 2100 block of North Pearl Street, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police responded about 1 o’clock this morning to the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue where several items were reported stolen from a vehicle parked in a parking lot, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BUTT SLAP

• A case involving a teenage juvenile is being referred Lewis County juvenile prosecutors for a possible charge of fourth-degree assault after allegedly slapping another teenage on the buttock at the 200 block of West Maple Street around 2:30 a.m. today, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

Police were called about 1:20 p.m. yesterday to the 600 block of Yew Street in Centralia where a person riding a bicycle had collided with a parked vehicle causing minor damage and then left the scene. No suspect info at this time, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, attempt to elude, probation violation, disorderly conduct, theft of motor vehicle, failure to transfer title, protection order violation, driving with suspended license, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, vandalism, civil issue,  suspicious circumstances … and more, among 160 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Plea agreement ends Mossyrock stabbing case

June 17th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Instead of a trial next week for the 26-year-old woman being held after her boyfriend was stabbed in the neck at his Mossyrock home, Grace E. Barker will go before a judge to be sentenced.

Barker was arrested right after the April 6 incident and charged with first-degree assault. She pleaded guilty last week, as part of a plea agreement, to second-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

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Grace E. Barker

Her lawyer Shane O’Rourke yesterday said the standard range for the offense is 12 months to 14 months in prison, along with another year afterward because of the weapon enhancement. She faces 26 months of lockup, he said.

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

Her hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday in Lewis County Superior Court.

The settlement before trial follows another April knife crime that ended somewhat similarly.

Gregory L. Trujillo, 58, of Toledo, was charged with first-degree assault following an April 1 attack at the 300 block of Cedar Court in Winlock.

Trujillo’s trial began last week in Lewis County Superior Court, on a charge of first-degree assault, but on Tuesday, he entered into a plea agreement.

The victim in that case told police the two had previously been in an intimate relationship and Trujillo showed up, beat her up and pulled out what was described as a small-bladed knife, leaving her with a large, deep gash on her hand.

Trujillo pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, was sentenced to 14 months in prison and ordered to get evaluated for chemical dependency and domestic violence treatment.
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For background, read “Mossyrock argument: Two knives, one airlifted, other arrested” from Thursday April 7, 2016, here

News brief: Tractor accident victim is Chehalis chiropractor

June 17th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County coroner today confirmed the Onalaska man who was killed when his tractor landed on him is Harold T. Shelton.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported previously he was 63 years old. Coroner Warren McLeod indicates he was 62.

He is perhaps better known to many as Dr. Tim Shelton, owner of Chehalis Chiropractic Clinic on South Market Boulevard, according to an extended family member.

A sheriff’s deputy sent to check on him Tuesday when he hadn’t shown up to work on Friday or since then found him dead in a wooded area behind the residence at the 3500 block of state Route 508. His tractor had rolled over, according to the sheriff’s office.

Coroner McLeod confirmed the death was accidental and indicated Shelton died from blunt trauma to his head, neck and chest.

•••

For background, see “News brief: Tractor accident kills Onalaska resident” from Wednesday June 15, 2016, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

June 17th, 2016
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TRESPASSING

• Deputies were called about 7:10 p.m. yesterday when a 35-year-old man discovered cars and people who didn’t belong on his property at the 1100 block of Riverside Road West outside Chehalis. At least two individuals detained as they were leaving said they had permission to be there from another male, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said there was damage to the residence and outbuildings and unspecified items are believed to have been stolen. The case is being investigated as a first-degree theft, according to Brown.

• Centralia police arrested a 46-year-old man about 1:25 p.m. yesterday for refusing to leave a motel room at the 1000 block of Eckerson Road.  Anthony N. Espinoza, of Portland, Oregon, was  booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree criminal trespassing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

PROBABLE PORCH PARCEL PILFERING

• After an empty package was thrown in the street by a “suspicious” male yesterday, an officer tracked down the address on the package and concluded its content had most likely been stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department. The investigation continues in the case associated with the 1000 block of Alder Street, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MORE ON CAMPGROUND THEFTS

• Lewis County Crime Stoppers is hoping for tips on thefts of more than $2,700 worth of fishing equipment from two different victims at  Taidnapam Park near Riffe Lake between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The specific items taken from a boat and a pickup are as follows: Two Lamiglas fishing rods; two Daiwa fishing rods; four Shimano Curado 200i reels; fishing lures and lines; seven-foot Carrot fishing pole and reel; seven-foot, fishing pole and reel; six and a half-foot fishing pole and reel; and six and a half-foot All Star pole and reel.  Anonymous calls can be made to 1-800-748-6422 or information may be shared online at www.lewiscountycrimestoppers.org

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, protection order violation, misdemeanor domestic assault, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, vandalism, disorderly person, suicide threat, runaway juvenile, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street … and more, among 145 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 5:30 a.m. today.

Nineteen-year-old gets sentenced for Backpage.com related home invasion

June 16th, 2016
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Natrone D. Bostick appears before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – It took about 16 minutes today to decide on and hand down a 15-year sentence for one of three people involved in a violent robbery at a rural Chehalis home, that followed a visit by an “escort” contacted on Backpage.com.

Natrone D. Bostick, 19, of Lakewood, appeared with his lawyer Don Blair before Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler this afternoon.

Blair and Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello said they’d worked out the plea agreement with both of them recommending the same amount of prison time.

Bostick and his companion Samath L. Hem, 23, from Tacoma, were arrested back on May 3 following a shoplifting incident at Home Depot in Chehalis. Items found when their vehicle was searched linked them to an event that had taken place a few days earlier on the 900 block of Logan Hill Road outside Chehalis.

A 53-year-old rural Chehalis man reported he’d invited an escort to his home but was attacked, tied up and pistol whipped by two males who arrived with her. The victim said it occurred on April 29, but he didn’t report it until the next day. Once the victim was able to untie himself, he discovered valuables missing from his residence, including a large television and some checkbooks, according to prosecutors.

Bostick pleaded guilty last week to first-degree assault and first-degree kidnapping, as well as third-degree theft and possession of a controlled substance related to the Home Depot case. One count of first-degree robbery was dropped.

Masiello said it seemed to him both men had equal involvement in the crime, although Hem has been more cooperative with authorities.

The judge today heard from Bostick’s attorney that although it wasn’t an excuse, when he and his brother were children, his mother drove them from Florida to Washington, dropped them off at a DSHS location and Bostick has not seen his mother since, according to Masiello.

“I’m sympathetic to your situation,” Lawler told the defendant. “You’ve been dealt a lousy hand, I don’t argue that.”

The judge followed the agreed recommendation.

He imposed a 60-month sentence for the kidnapping and a 120-month term for the assault, to be served consecutively. He called it a steep price to pay and a hard lesson.

Hem’s case is proceeding, with attempts to “resolve” it without a trial, according to Masiello. He is being held in the Lewis County Jail and expected again in court next week.

Masiello said the female they believe was involved in the robbery was not the same woman who was arrested with the pair after the Home Depot incident. But law enforcement has figured out who she is, he said, adding he would say no more on the topic.
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For background, read “Backpage.com encounter results in violent home invasion in rural Chehalis” from Friday May 6, 2016, here

East End session: How to protect your house from brush, grass, forest fire

June 16th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The traveling roadshow on how residents can get prepared before a wildfire, lands in Salkum this weekend.

The Lewis County Fire Chiefs Association is conducting town hall style meetings to share information about strategies to defend property from the threat of wildfires.

An hour long session on Saturday begins at noon.

It will cover you and your home, defensible space and the Lewis County Alert System, according to Lewis County Fire District 8 Chief Duran McDaniel. The presentation will be followed by questions and answers with local fire chiefs.

The gathering is open to anyone in Lewis County.

Similar meetings have already been held in the Centralia area and the Boistfort Valley.

When: Saturday June 18, 2016, at noon
Where: Salkum Fire Station, at 2490 U.S. Highway 12 in Salkum

Pot talk: County officials to discuss marijuana biz

June 16th, 2016

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The first of two public meetings on the county regulation of recreational marijuana is set for this evening in Morton.

The public is invited to attend and may offer written or oral comments on the issues.

Tonight’s session begins at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Morton Senior Center at 103 Westlake Avenue in Morton.

Holding the discussion are personnel from the offices of Lewis County Community Development, Environmental Health and the Prosecuting Attorney.

Proposed county code revisions are designed to license marijuana businesses in a manner consistent with the Washington Liquor Control Board regulations and all other applicable law including federal law, and to provide a mechanism whereby the numerous special concerns posed by marijuana businesses may be addressed conscientiously, according to county officials.

A second meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on June 29 at the Lewis County Historical Courthouse at 351 NW North Ave., Chehalis.

Draft revisions to the various chapters of Lewis County code are available for public view online at: http://lewiscountywa.gov/communitydevelopment/plann
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