Posts Tagged ‘By Sharyn L. Decker’

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, November 24th, 2015
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Updated at 2:22 p.m.

POLICE: TEEN POINTS GUN, FIRES IT INSIDE FRIEND’S HOME

• A 16-year-old boy was arrested yesterday after he allegedly pointed a gun at his friend’s father and another man inside a Chehalis home and fired at a refrigerator, knocking magnets off its door. Officers called about 2:45 p.m. about the incident at the 900 block of Southwest 21st Avenue were told the teen and the young adult son then left on foot, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said after the suspect was seen at the 1800 block of Snively Avenue near the high school fields, he ran off into some woods and the area was surrounded. A police dog was called but the 16-year-old Chehalis resident was taken into custody before the K-9 was deployed, Wilson said. Police did not find a gun, which the victims said was a 22 pistol, Wilson said. Because the one shot didn’t leave a hole in the refrigerator, it’s possible it was instead a type of air-propelled pellet gun, he said. The teen, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was arrested for two counts of second-degree assault and booked at the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center, according to Wilson. It wasn’t really clear what might have prompted the gun play, according to Wilson.

TRICKED OUT OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

• An officer was called yesterday morning by a middle-aged woman at the 1400 block of Johnson Road in Centralia who reported she was out several thousand dollars after agreeing over the Internet to receive money from them and send checks out to other people on their behalf. Officer Buddy Croy said he believed it was a typical scam in which the victim received a check or money order or something similar and deposited it, but the funds were not there. “All that money she sent out, she’s now responsible for, to the bank,” Croy said. “Money lures a lot of people.” He repeated the warning that so many have heard before: “If it sounds to good to be true, it is.”

TOOLS STOLEN

• Centralia police were called yesterday to the 1000 block of H Street following the discovery a garage was burglarized. Missing from sometime during the previous two weeks were tools, according to the Centralia Police Department.

COMPUTERS STOLEN

• The Winlock School district reported a burglary yesterday at the Apollo School on the 400 block Arden Street. Somebody entered and removed laptops from the class rooms, according to the Toledo Police Department. They are investigating, according to the police chief.

STOLEN VEHICLE

• Centralia police were called about 8:15 a.m. yesterday to the 1300 block of Logan Street about a stolen vehicle that was later recovered locally, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A deputy responded to an approximately 8:50 a.m. call yesterday about a stolen vehicle discovered at the end of Buckley Road northeast of Toledo. The 2007 Honda Pilot was in good shape and had been missing from Clark County, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

CAR PROWL

• Police were called just before 3 p.m. yesterday about an overnight vehicle prowl at the 400 block of East Magnolia Street in Centralia. Taken were documents and unspecified miscellaneous items, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Jacob W. Stute, 29 of Chehalis, was arrested for third-degree malicious mischief after he was seen breaking a window of a vehicle in the parking lot at the 900 block of South Scheuber Road about 11:40 p.m. yesterday. Stute was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ASSAULT AT MEDICAL FACILITY

• A 63-year-old Centralia resident who allegedly struck a medical professional at the 900 block of South Scheuber Road yesterday evening was arrested for third-degree assault. Officers called about 5:25 p.m. booked Steven G. Thurman into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

TRESPASSING

• Chehalis police were called to a vacant resident on Northeast Coal Creek Road near North National Avenue yesterday morning after its owner discovered pry marks on a door and muddy shoe prints inside. Northing appeared to be missing, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ANIMAL GUTS

• An officer was called to the 700 block of Southwest Cascade Avenue in Chehalis yesterday morning after a resident found next to their garbage a bag containing “cut up deer.” The officer checked it and it indeed was the leftovers from cleaning a deer, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, vandalism, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, unfounded report … and more.

Elderly Mossyrock woman dies from hypothermia

Monday, November 23rd, 2015

Updated

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Sheriff’s detectives were asked to conduct a death investigation after a 92-year-old Mossyrock woman was found in her closet at her home and transported to Morton General Hospital where she passed away not long after.

Morton Police Chief Dan Mortensen, whose jurisdiction includes the town of Mossyrock, said this afternoon it turned out to be an unfortunate accidental death.

Beulah McMurry was found by a friend on Friday, he said.

“She used a walker, we think she got disoriented and got tangled up in her closet,” Mortensen said. “And was there for a day or more.”

The residence on the 200 block of Hope Street was cordoned off for the investigation.

Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Dusty Breen said it was very chilly inside. The heater and two wood stoves were not producing heat, as she apparently only used an electric blanket in the evenings, according to Breen.

An autopsy today confirmed McMurry died from hypothermia, according to Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod.

Mortensen said he believed she lived alone, but said she obviously had many friends and family.

Rumors that her home had been ransacked and all her medications stolen added to law enforcement’s concern, Mortensen said. But the investigation concluded that wasn’t the case, he said.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, November 23rd, 2015
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Updated at 12:46 p.m.

SMASH AND GRAB

• An officer responding to an alarm at 4:30 a.m. yesterday at a convenience store on the 100 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia found someone had smashed out the front door glass and stolen numerous items. The case was referred to detectives for follow up, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Deputies responding to an alarm just after 3:30 a.m. yesterday at a gas station on the 100 block of Mulford Road outside Toledo arrived to find the front glass door broken and merchandise on the ground. Surveillance video showed two males entering the business and then removing items, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is estimated at $1,500 but a list is still being investigated, according to the sheriff’s office. The damage to the door is listed at $1,000, Cmdr. Dusty Breen said. The intruders were wearing dark jackets, blue jeans and gloves and their faves were covered, according to Breen.

RESIDENTIAL THEFT CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called about 8:30 a.m. yesterday a house on the 600 block of Lakeshore Drive to take a report of a burglary. The victims called police after noticing a container full of coins and a wallet was missing from their bedroom, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Someone stole a package from the front of a residence on the 700 block of G Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 1:20 p.m. on Friday.

RESIDENTIAL THEFT CHEHALIS

• Police were called about 6:15 p.m. on Saturday to a location on Southeast Washington Avenue in Chehalis about possible stolen checks. The case is under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

FARM THEFT

• Sometime in the two weeks before Friday, someone stole a large spool of irrigation hose plus two large sprinkler heads from the 100 block of Donahoe Road outside Chehalis. The loss is listed at $4,000, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AUTO THEFT

• A 48-year-old Centralia man observed by an officer driving a stolen vehicle yesterday about 10:30 a.m. at the 1700 block of Hillview Road in Centralia was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle as well as possession of methamphetamine. Kelly O. Moran was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• An officer was called just after 5 o’clock yesterday morning to the 500 block of Northeast Washington Avenue in Chehalis following the discovery someone stole a tool box from the back of a parked truck.

• Chehalis police were called about 7 p.m. on Saturday regarding a vehicle prowl at the 100 block of North Market Boulevard. Taken was a cell phone left on the front seat of the unlocked vehicle, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Police were called to the 2800 block of Russell Road in Centralia on Saturday about an overnight vehicle prowl. A radio was taken from the pickup truck, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ASSAULTS

• A 20-year-old woman getting picked up for a warrant at about 8:40 p.m. on Saturday at the 700 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia allegedly kicked an officer as she was resisting arrest. Eternity R.E. Bock, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree assault, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 22-year-old Chehalis man was arrested for fourth-degree assault after allegedly pepper spraying an individual during a fight at the 200 block of Railroad Avenue in Centralia on Saturday evening. Officers responding about 6:15 p.m. the altercation in front of the train station arrested Tyler A. Reeves, issued him his citation and then released him, according to the Centralia Police Department. A 17-year-old boy involved allegedly tried to physically block an officer from going into the public entrance of an apartment complex, according to police. A case for the teen will be referred to juvenile prosecutors for obstructing, according to police.

DRUGS

• A 19-year-old motorist contacted last night at 11 p.m. on North Gold Street in Centralia was cited for a “trip permit” violation as well as being in possession of marijuana. Police arrested, issued the citation and then released Quinn M. Rector of Chehalis, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 35-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested around 1:10 a.m.  yesterday following contact with an officer at the park and ride lot on the 800 block of West Main Avenue in Chehalis. Inside the vehicle in plain view were suspected drug-related items, including suspected heroin and methamphetamine, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Jennifer R. Brown was arrested for a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, according to police.

• A 26-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and an outstanding warrant after contact with police just after 8 p.m. on Friday at the 700 block of M Street in Centralia. Alisha A Holmes was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SUSPICIOUS FIRE

• Detectives were asked to determine if a fire that damaged the exterior of a building in Centralia on Saturday evening was arson or just reckless burning. An officer called about 6:45 p.m. to the 400 block of Centralia College Boulevard reported a neighbor saw flames and smoke and extinguished them before anyone arrived, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called about 8:25 p.m. on Friday to the 1000 block of Southwest McFadden Avenue where someone had slashed tires on a parked vehicle.

ON THE ROAD

• The driver of a Ford Expedition was issued citations for failing to yield to pedestrian and not having insurance after she struck a shopping cart being pushed by an individual and also a child in the parking lot at Wal-Mart at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Aid and police responding to the scene at the entrance to the store on  Northwest Louisiana Avenue report the 4-year-old fell to the ground and sustained scrapes. The child was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital. The driver said she didn’t see them because the sun was in her eyes, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• A 23-year-old Centralia man was arrested early yesterday morning after allegedly driving into a parked vehicle at the 700 block of South Pearl Street in Centralia and then leaving the scene. An officer responding about 2:15 a.m. booked Bret R. Baker into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence and third-degree driving with a suspended license as well as hit and run, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 34-year-old man from Camas is listed in fair condition this morning after an incident on Friday evening in which an allegedly intoxicated driver struck his car on Interstate 5 about three miles south of Tumwater. Troopers responding about 7:25 p.m. to the southbound lanes near milepost 93 report Michael J. Hartung’s disabled Honda Civic was parked on the shoulder when 26-year-old Tyler M. Pendleton’s southbound Subaru drifted to the right, according to the Washington State Patrol. The victim had been standing in front of his car with the hood up, West Thurston Regional Fire Authority Chief Robert Scott said. Hartung was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. The state patrol said his 27-year-old passenger was also injured, but Scott said she just rode along in the ambulance with her friend. The state patrol also reported Pendleton was injured, though Scott said that wasn’t his understanding. Pendleton, from Olympia, is facing a possible charge of driving under the influence, according to the state patrol. Both cars were totaled.

• One student on a school bus playing with a lighter and a leaking aerosol can of deodorant belonging to another student came together on Friday afternoon and ended with a flaming backpack being pushed out the window of the bus. It happened about 1:15 p.m. on Friday along the 100 block of Hewett Road outside Chehalis, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy reports one student sustained a minor finger burn and the case is being referred to juvenile prosecutors for a possible charge of reckless burning. The kids initially tried to put out the fire but weren’t able to, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, obstructing, malicious mischief, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, tagging, hit and run, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street … and more.

Vader toddler: Lawyers argue instead of proceeding with sentencing hearing

Saturday, November 21st, 2015
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Jasper’s family waits in the first row for Brenda Wing, far right, to be sentenced in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Though numerous individuals gathered yesterday for the sentencing of Brenda A. Wing regarding the death of the 3-year-old she and her husband were caring for in Vader, that’s not what took place.

Instead, lawyers on the two sides and the judge spoke for about 15 minutes about three issues: a written motion filed by the prosecutor, whether the defendant lived up to her end of the plea agreement and whether all the requirements of the agreement had yet been met.

Jasper Henderling-Warner died on Oct. 5 of last year from what the coroner called chronic battered child syndrome.

Among the many sitting in benches in Lewis County Superior Court were a handful of Jasper’s supporters who wore matching T-shirts, with an ominous statement across their backs:

“Rot in hell Danny & Brenda Wing; Evil has been seen.”

Danny Wing was sent to prison in September for 34 years and eight months.

Conflicting stories and an inability to figure out just what occurred led to deals with the Wings this past spring which required them to truthfully describe what happened, in exchange for guilty pleas on first-degree manslaughter and third-degree assault, and then recommendations they be locked up for about 16 years.

Danny Wing failed the lie detector test meant to evaluate his honesty, and prosecutors were free, under the terms of the agreement, to seek an exceptionally long sentence.

At issue, in part, yesterday was a passage in the plea agreement between the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office and Brenda Wing’s lawyer John Crowley that required the use of Washington state licensed polygraphers.

Washington state doesn’t license that profession.

That came to light when Danny Wing was sentenced and yesterday the judge repeated his surprise about the wording.

“I find it astonishing that is in there,” Hunt said. “I’ve known we don’t license them since I began practicing.”

According to Crowley and Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead, the plea agreement provided for both the state and the defense to conduct polygraph examinations.

Prosectors had an unlicensed Washington State Patrol polygrapher do theirs. The results for Brenda Wing were inconclusive.

Last month, prosecutors went ahead and got an Oregon-licensed polygrapher to conduct another test with Brenda Wing.

Halstead says she was found to be being deceptive. Crowley said she “supposedly” failed that test.

They are scored on a spectrum, with a gray area in the middle, Crowley said outside the courtroom.

During yesterday’s hearing, Crowley seemed to insinuate to the judge, he hadn’t yet gotten a polygraph done for his client because the agreement calls for a Washington licensed polygrapher, and there is no such kind of person.

Judge Hunt gave him a choice.

They could proceed with sentencing if Crowley would “endorse” the state’s polygraph done by the Oregon polygrapher, or they could return on a later date after Crowley got a licensed polygrapher from any state he chose to do an examination.

Hunt seemed to suggest by his questions that he considered the state’s first and inconclusive polygraph as a non-polygraph.

Crowley consulted briefly with Brenda Wing and then informed the judge they’d like to exercise the second option.

Judge Hunt apologized to the audience for the postponement.

“I want to be clear, the only reason I’m doing this is the stakes are high,” Hunt said.

Unfinished discussions before the hearing ended made clear prosecutors believe Brenda Wing didn’t fulfill her obligations under the plea agreement, because she omitted some information during her interviews. They will be seeking an exceptionally long sentence for her, according to Halstead.

Crowley indicated to the judge he didn’t believe the information she didn’t disclose was material.

Judge Hunt stated Brenda Wing did breach the agreement.

The two sides agreed to return to the courtroom for her sentencing on Dec. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
•••

For background, read, “Vader man gets 34 years for toddler death” from Friday September 25, 2015, here

Centralia: Driver escapes collision with train uninjured

Saturday, November 21st, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A man in his 70s was shook up but unhurt when his car was T-boned by a train yesterday morning in south Centralia.

It happened about 10:15 a.m. at the 700 block of South Street on the less-frequently used rail line that runs through the center of town, not the main BNSF rails that carry Amtrak and large freight trains.

He was headed eastbound and didn’t hear the train’s horn, according to the Centralia Police Department.

The engine and the handful of tanker cars it was pushing north were traveling only about 4 to 5 mph, Sgt. Kurt Reichert said.

“It was the train equivalent of a fender bender,” Reichert said.

Still, the mid-sized car was shoved 20 to 30 feet up the tracks, damaging the passenger side door, Reichert said.

There was no passenger in the car, Reichert said.

Reichert said the motorist didn’t have to go to the hospital, and his vehicle is likely repairable.

The area where the rail crosses South Street is somewhat overgrown and doesn’t utilize lights and crossing arms like the BNSF lines, according to Reichert.

Law enforcement reveals they think Kayla Croft-Payne died from overdose

Friday, November 20th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – As expected, authorities have gone public with further information about the missing Kayla Croft-Payne.

Earlier this week, law enforcement revealed they believed she died in northern Cowlitz County about the time she went missing. They said they had recently been looking for her body in Oregon.

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Kayla Croft-Payne

Yesterday, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office revealed they believe she died from an overdose and that it happened in an RV park in their county.

The then-18-year-old Lewis County resident was reported missing in early May of 2010.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has investigated the case over the course of the past five years and conducted numerous interviews of people that have knowledge of the case.

In a news release issued yesterday, Cowlitz County indicated the new information that got them to this point was obtained by Lewis County investigators. The suspected location of the death prompted the transfer of the case to Cowlitz detectives.

The new and credible information passed along to them included that Croft-Payne’s body was transported to a remote and heavily wooded area in Oregon and concealed, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.

The (Longview) Daily News reports detectives believe she was buried in northwestern Oregon, and it was because people were scared of notifying authorities and didn’t know what to do.

In yesterday’s news release, Cowlitz authorities stated that detectives from the two counties have conducted multiple extensive searches over the past six weeks in Oregon.

No human remains were found.

“Out of respect to the current property owners, we are not describing the area where Kayla is believed to be located,” the sheriff’s office wrote in its news release.

Early in the investigation, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said the last place they could verify her spending time was a trailer park in the Toutle area. Among their theories early on, was that she died of a drug overdose.

The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office is still looking for further information from anyone who knows something.

They offered up numerous ways to contact them.

Detective Cory Robinson and Sgt. Brad Thurman can be reached at 360-577-3092.

Callers who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers of Cowlitz County at 360-577-1206. People can also give tips by texting 847411 and downloading “CCSOTip”.
•••

For background, read “Law enforcement: ‘Credible report’ the missing Kayla Croft-Payne died in Cowlitz County” from Tuesday November 17, 2015, here

News brief: Wrecks shove I-5 center barrier into oncoming traffic

Friday, November 20th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Nobody was injured this morning when ice on the roadway started a multiple vehicle collision that wreaked havoc on both sides of Interstate 5 at Centralia.

A pickup truck entering northbound from Harrison Avenue hit a patch of ice, spun out and collided with the center barrier, according to the Washington State Patrol.

A northbound semi then hit the pickup and another car was struck by some of the displaced concrete barrier, Trooper Michael Johnson said.

The barrier was shoved into the oncoming lane, where a car-carrying truck hit it, he said.

Interstate 5 was blocked in both directions beginning at about 5:20 a.m.

Neither the pickup nor the car were drivable, and the semi was also towed because it had steering issue, Johnson said.

Still, nobody had to be transported to the hospital, according to Johnson.

The freeway wasn’t entirely opened up again until 8:15 a.m.