Lewis County Sirens.com

Grass and brush off Central Boulevard burn in Centralia today. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority

WILDFIRE BREAKS OUT IN NORTH CENTRALIA

• Flames spread over approximately four acres of grass and brush behind an abandoned mill next to the Skookumchuck River in Centralia today. Firefighters were called at 10:10 a.m. to the area off Central Boulevard at the north end of town, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Crews took hoses to it after gaining access to a road that bordered the backside of the Agnew Mill property, the fire department reports. They were able to partially contain it quickly by utilizing a large front end loader from a nearby mill to dig a fire line around the east flank of the fire, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert. The scene was turned over to personnel from the Department of Natural Resources for final extinguishment and overhaul, Weinert indicated. A transient’s campsite was discovered in the area, but it’s too early to say if that’s where the fire originated, according to Weinert.

SERIOUS INJURY ACCIDENT

• A motorcyclist sustained major injuries in a collision last night at Marsh and Mellen streets in Centralia. Officers called at about 10:10 p.m. report the patient was flow to Harborview Medical Center. Further details were not readily available.

FREEWAY ROLLOVER WRECK

• Two people were hospitalized after a blown tire caused their truck to run off Interstate 5 and roll into a ditch yesterday day evening about three miles north of Winlock. Troopers called at about 6:50 p.m. found the 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup was totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol. Transported to Providence Centralia Hospital with unspecified injuries were the driver, Owen O. Lee, 43, of Coquitlam, British Columbia, and his passenger, Siahaan K. Biwtawg, 39, from Indonesia, according to the state patrol. The truck was impounded and a citation was to be issued for defective equipment, the investigating trooper reports.

UNRULY AT THE HOSPITAL

• A 29-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested overnight after allegedly spitting on a security person at Providence Centralia Hospital. Police were called just before 1 a.m. to the 900 block of South Scheuber Road and subsequently booked Amanda J. Martin into the Lewis County jail for third-degree assault, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DOWN BY THE RIVER

• Centralia police responding about 5:44 p.m. yesterday to the area off of the 1300 block of Central Boulevard arrested three men who had been drinking and fighting near the river. Arrested for fighting in public and then released were Benjamin J. Davidson, 29, Michael L. Powell, 40, and  Mark W. Powell, 43, all Centralia residents, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 1:50 p.m. yesterday about a work truck reported stolen from the 400 block of West Magnolia Street in Centralia. The truck was believed to have been taken by someone the victim knows, according to the Centralia Police Department.

JEWELRY THEFT

• Centralia police were called to the 1400 block of Oxford Avenue yesterday morning about the theft of jewelry.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Police responded to an approximately 8:45 a.m. call yesterday about a phone charger stolen from a vehicle at the 400 block of West Cherry Street in Centralia.

• A drill and an interlock device were stolen from a vehicle at the 300 block of Latona Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday afternoon.

• Police were called about 3:10 p.m. yesterday about a radio removed from a vehicle parked at the 600 block of South Iron Street in Centralia.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, driving with suspended license; responses for vandalism, misdemeanor theft, hit and run … and more.

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Updated at 6:57 p.m.

DEMONS, TRENCH COAT AND A RIFLE

• A man wearing only a black trench coat and his underwear, and carrying a rifle, caused a stir yesterday morning in Glenoma when he walked into two businesses and made mention of evil animals. Deputies called about 9:20 a.m. to the 8000 block of U.S. Highway 12 were told he was acting bizarrely, walking along the highway and waving his gun, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Tim English and Morton Police Chief Dan Mortensen arrived, found a trench coat laying outside of East End Auto Center and ordered everyone out of the business, according to authorities. They contacted Aaron C. Sprinkle, 41, who said he’d taken his father’s rifle from their home and it was outside on the ground wrapped up inside the coat, court documents state. “He was talking to people about demons being after him, and things of that nature,” Sheriff’s Cmdr. Dusty Breen said. Breen said it wasn’t clear why he was acting the way he was, as there were no obvious signs of intoxication. Sprinkle’s prior convictions mean he is ineligible to have a gun, Breen said. An individual at the other business said Sprinkle had asked if he could store the gun there, the documents state. He was arrested and subsequently charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. A judge this afternoon set his bail at $50,000. Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke said her temporary client has lived with his parents in Glenoma for the past 11 years.

BURGLARY DOWNTOWN CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police responded about 4:15 a.m. today after someone used a rock to break the window to a business on Northwest Boistfort Street. Missing were about 30 pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The loss is listed at $3,000, police said.

BREAK-IN CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called about 12:50 p.m. yesterday to the 1300 block of Alexander Street where an individual reported a burglary to their residence. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FRAUD

• Police were called yesterday by an individual who lost their wallet in Centralia and discovered their bank card was used at a retail business on Northwest Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis.

CAR PROWL

• A 53-year-old woman was arrested by Centralia police yesterday for alleged vehicle prowling. Kristina L. Craighead, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail last night in a case associated with the 600 block of Harrison Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police took reports of tools stolen from vehicles yesterday morning at the 600 block of North Gold Street and then at the 1100 block of Scammon Creek Road.

• Someone broke into an 86-year-old Toledo man’s vehicle and stole a garage door opener, a gate opener and a Garmin GPS unit, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It happened at the 200 block of Lone Yew Road sometime after April 1 and before the very early morning hours of Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, misdemeanor theft, protection order violation, suspicious circumstances, collision on city street; request to have a business partner removed from premises; complaints about people “panhandling” … and more.