Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

September 20th, 2015
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CENTRALIA RESIDENTS WAKE UP TO FIRE

• A household of five is displaced after fire broke out in a Centralia home early this morning. Firefighters responding to the 5:50 a.m. call at the 200 block of East Chestnut Street were told the fire was burning in a back bedroom and everyone was outside and accounted for, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Nobody was injured and the majority of the damage was contained to the one room although the rest of the house sustained some smoke damage, according to Capt. Erik Olson. The specific cause is unknown, but firefighters believe it was accidental, according to Olson. The Red Cross is assisting with placement of the residents, Olson indicated. Damage is estimated at $15,000.

DISPUTE

• A 58-year-old man who allegedly picked up a piece of lumber and threatened to hit a person with it last night is being referred to prosecutors for a charge of harassment, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers who responded to the approximately 7 p.m. call at the 1100 block of West Chestnut Street found the suspect had dropped the board and left the area, according to police. The victim was not injured, police indicate.

BAD TOUCHING

• A 45-year-old man who allegedly groped a nurse a Providence Centralia Hospital on Friday morning was arrested for third-degree assault and also possession of methamphetamine, according to the Centralia Police Department. David A. Ramirez, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

THEFT

• Someone stole a stop sign from the corner of Main and Buckner streets in Centralia sometime before 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

CAR PROWL

• Police were called about 6:40 a.m. today to a vehicle prowl at the 400 block of East Carson Street in Centralia in which the registration was stolen.

• Police were called about 2:30 p.m. yesterday to the 600 block of Centralia College Boulevard where someone had taken a duffel bag containing clothing from the bed of a truck.

VANDALISM

• Police were called about 12:03 a.m. today to a dispute in which a car’s window was broken at Gold and Marion streets in Centralia. The case, involving a juvenile male suspect, is being referred to prosecutors for a charge of third-degree malicious mischief, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrant, misdemeanor assault, violation of no-contact order, driving with suspended license, driving under the influence, possession of liquor by a minor; responses for misdemeanor theft, collision on city street, vandalism including graffiti on bathroom walls at a tavern … and more.

 

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News brief: Campfires are cool again

September 19th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The city of Chehalis lifted its ban on recreational campfires yesterday following similar actions earlier in the week in the city of Centralia and in unincorporated areas of Lewis County.

But Chehalis Fire Chief Ken Cardinale wants the public to continue to be careful.

“I strongly encourage all city residents and property owners to still take proactive fire prevention measures,” Cardinale said in a news release yesterday afternoon.

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Lee Napier, the Lewis County community development director, acting as the county fire marshal, on Monday indicated she made a careful review of the current and extended weather forecast and determined conditions within Lewis County have improved.

Recreational campfires are once again allowed in designated campgrounds and on private lands if built in the following manner, according to Napier:

• The campfire shall be no greater than three feet in diameter and constructed of a ring of metal, stone or brick 8-inches above surface with a two foot wide area clears down to exposed soil surrounding the outside of the pit.
• The campfire shall have an area at least 10 feet around it cleared of all flammable material and at least 20 feet of clearance from overhead flammable materials or fuels.
• The campfire must be attended at all time by a responsible person at least 16 years old with the ability to extinguish the fire with a shovel and a five-gallon bucket of water or with a connected and charged water hose.
• Completely extinguish campfires by pouring water or moist soil in them and stirring with a shovel until all parts are cool to the touch.

The use of self-contained camp stoves is encouraged as an alternative, Napier stated.

The city of Centralia announced the rules there are the same as those imposed by the county.

The state Department of Natural Resources announced just before Labor Day weekend it would allow campfires in established fire rings in official campgrounds on western Washington lands protected by DNR.

Right after Labor Day weekend, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest lifted its ban on campfires outside of developed recreation sites.

The forest service advised common sense measures such as building a campfire away from overhanging vegetation, removing all flammable materials from around the pit; and recommended using existing pits keeping fires small.

Fire Chief Cardinale offers additional information on how the public can protect their property from wildfires on the department’s web site.

Other outdoor burning in Lewis County remains prohibited until the restrictions imposed in mid-June are lifted by the Board of County Commissioners.

Anyone with questions can call their fire department. For further information on outdoor burning, Napier can be reached at 360-740-1146. The fire marshal’s office is in the Lewis County Public Services building, located at 2025 NE Kresky Avenue in Chehalis.

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News brief: Identity released of fisherman who drowned

September 18th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The fisherman who was rescued from the current of the Cowlitz River but subsequently died has been identified as John S. Babbit, a 63-year-old resident of Gig Harbor.

Babbit was fly fishing about 500 yards downstream from the Blue Creek Boat Launch south of Ethel on Tuesday morning when witnesses saw him wade out into the water and he apparently slipped, according to authorities.

Another fisherman jumped in and pulled him to shore and a boater helped them across to the other side to meet an aid unit.

He was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital where he died that afternoon, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said.

Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock confirmed Babbit’s death was accidental and the result of drowning.

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News brief: Death in Winlock under investigation

September 18th, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Deputies are investigating a death at the 1700 block of Ferrier Road in Winlock, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The 44-year-old Winlock man was visiting people on the property, Cmdr. Dusty Breen said this morning.

Deputies were called about 4:50 p.m. when he was found deceased in the yard, according to Breen.

There were no obvious signs of trauma, he said, and detectives will be waiting for further information from the coroner’s office.

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Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

September 18th, 2015
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•••

Updated at 8:08 p.m.

FACEBOOK FIGHTING

• A case involving a 17-year-old girl allegedly threatening a 15-year-old girl via Facebook reported yesterday and associated with the 700 block of South Ash Street in Centralia is being referred to juvenile prosecutors for evaluation of charges, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BREAK-IN CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police were called just after 9 o’clock last night about a burglary at the 200 block of Southwest 16th Street. Missing were two game systems and some hand tools, according to the Chehalis Police Department. There were no signs of forced entry, but the victim had a suspect in mind, according to police.

BREAK-IN CENTRALIA

• Police were called to the 1300 block of Windsor Avenue in Centralia about 8:15 p.m. yesterday after a burglary was discovered. Sometime during the day, someone forced their way into the residence, according to the Centralia Police Department. Information about what if anything was taken was not available.

• A deputy was called about 7:30 p.m. yesterday to a burglary at the 600 block of Nick Road outside Centralia. Sometime during the previous week or so, someone damaged the back door, went inside and stole jewelry and coins from the victim’s dead mother’s home, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A deputy responding to a report of suspicious circumstances at 6 o’clock yesterday morning found two pressure washers and a Honda mower removed from a business at the 3800 block of Harrison Avenue and placed along the roadway. There was damage to the metal storage container from which they were removed, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A search of the area turned up a white Hyundai with switched license plates, according to the sheriff’s office. The car was impounded.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 8:30 a.m. yesterday about a license plate stolen from the 800 block of J Street.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called to the 100 block of Northeast Hillside Drive about 7:50 a.m. yesterday after the discovery someone prowled a vehicle in a carport there. Missing was some loose change and pictures, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• A wallet and sunglasses were stolen from an unlocked vehicle at the 100 block of Northeast Fair Oaks Terrace in Chehalis, according to a report made to police about 8:30 a.m. yesterday.

AID CALLED FOR SHOPLIFTING

• Police and aid were called to Wal-Mart about 12:30 p.m. yesterday for an unconscious person who had reportedly taken a can of air and been huffing it. The 31-year-old Chehalis woman had allegedly also eaten a package of Ding Dongs off the shelf. She was arrested for inhaling toxic fumes and third-degree theft and then released, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

• Deputies who contacted a 41-year-old Chehalis area woman last night, at the request of another police agency, on the 100 block of Bunker Creek Road discovered she had a misdemeanor warrant and then found suspected methamphetamine and marijuana on her, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Elisha K. Garrison was booked into the Lewis County Jail for a violation of the Controlled Substances Act and the warrant, according to the sheriff’s office.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A 28-year-old Centralia man was arrested at his home on Jefferson Street on Wednesday for allegedly previously delivering methamphetamine to a confidential informant and for allegedly cutting a short another exchange when he was alerted he was being watched by police. Saul Silva Rangel had been under investigation by the relatively newly formed Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, according to court papers. When his house was searched, police found a 25 caliber pistol in his closet he said he was holding for a friend. He was charged yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court with delivery of methamphetamine, attempted delivery of methamphetamine and alien in possession of a firearm without an alien firearm license. The amount of drugs or money involved in the alleged incidents is not mentioned in the court papers. Prosecutors asked his bail be set at $20,000 yesterday afternoon. Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge her client worked two jobs and has lived at the same address for the past two years with his wife and children and has no felony convictions when she asked for the bail amount be unsecured, but the judge granted prosecutors’ request. His arraignment is next Thursday.

• A now-34-year-old man who was nowhere to be found when sought for questioning two years ago about allegations he inappropriately touched his then-girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter was brought before a judge yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court. Jose M. Lopez-Bueno was booked into the Lewis County Jail the day before on a $50,000 arrest warrant. According to charging documents, a Lewis County sheriff’s detective interviewed the girl at the end of 2013 who told of four instances that had taken place over a period of a few months, including telling the detective her mother’s boyfriend had put his hand down her pants, his fingers into her “private part”. Court documents filed in February 2014 charged Lopez-Bueno with rape of a child in the first degree, an offense with a maximum penalty of life in prison. A document in his court file shows a residence in Curtis. Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told a judge yesterday afternoon Lopez-Bueno is currently unemployed, but his wife works, supporting a household of four. Given there is a hold placed on Lopez-Bueno by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, O’Rourke chose not to make any argument about lowering his bail. The judge left it at $50,000. Lopez-Bueno has no prior felonies. His arraignment is next Thursday.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrant, misdemeanor assault, anti-harassment order violation; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, misdemeanor theft, vandalism, protection order violation, misdemeanor theft, collision on city street … and more.

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Centralia woman arrested for the child assaults she blamed on her grown daughter

September 17th, 2015
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Victoria A. Cheney looks back to the benches in the courtroom as attorneys discuss her bail in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – After weeks of investigating how two little boys ended up bruised and swollen, and arresting and then releasing the girlfriend of their father, authorities arrested the girlfriend’s mother.

Victoria A. Cheney, 44, of Centralia, was charged yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court with  two counts of second-degree child assault.

Authorities came to believe the injuries occurred on July 22, while the children, ages 2 and 3, were staying with Cheney and her husband at their home on Little Hanaford Road, according to court papers.

Cheney’s daughter, 22-year-old Chandra M. Munsey, was arrested on July 23 and charged in the case, but prosecutors have since dismissed the charges against her after numerous interviews confirmed her alibi, according to the documents.

The boys stayed a few nights at the Cheney’s, and when their dad Casiano Baldovinos got a phone call telling him to come pick them up, he found both with bruises on their faces, the little one’s left eye almost swollen shut, according to court documents. He reported it to the sheriff’s office.

The boys were taken into protective custody and remain in foster care, the sheriff’s office said yesterday.

Charging documents allege Cheney gave varying accounts of what happened or may have happened, blaming her daughter and describing abusive behavior she said she’d witnessed.

Her husband Don Cheney said he saw the injuries when he returned home from work on July 22.

Cheney is charged also with three counts of witness tampering, as she told detectives she wasn’t even home the day the boys were assaulted, she’d gone to visit friends in Bucoda early that morning and came home to discover the injuries. The friends told detectives Cheney arrived around 1 p.m. and she allegedly asked them to tell detectives she’d shown up much earlier, according to the documents.

She also allegedly asked one of them to write a letter saying he’d witnessed Munsey assault the children.

Detectives spoke to the 3-year-old twice, and when he was asked who hurt him and his brother, both times he said “Grandma Vicky,” according to the documents.

Cheney is also charged with malicious prosecution, for attempting to incriminate her daughter.

“Based upon the investigation, it appears the only person who was with the victims during the time they were assaulted was Mrs. Cheney,” Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead wrote in charging papers.

When she went before a judge yesterday afternoon for a bail hearing, defense attorney Joely O’Rourke argued for lower bail, noting Cheney had a felony case in 2014, but her other history with the law was much older.

While she is currently unemployed, O’Rourke said, it was just two years ago Cheney worked for the county, driving a dump truck and snow plows. She’s a life long Lewis County resident, O’Rourke said.

Judge Richard Brosey set her bail at $100,000, and gave her a court appointed lawyer.

Her arraignment is scheduled for next Thursday.
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For background, read “Lewis County Sheriff’s Office investigating child assault, one arrested” from Tuesday July 28, 2015, here

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Winlock man confessed to trying to kill former girlfriend, gets 18 plus years

September 17th, 2015
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Joseph M. Lowery looks over court documents with his lawyer at his sentencing hearing yesterday.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The prison sentence he was given is almost as long as he is old.

Before the judge made the decision, Joseph M. Lowery, the 20-year-old who grew up in Winlock, turned toward his ex-girlfriend sitting in the very back of the courtroom and apologized for shooting her in the back.

“I hope you recover to the best of your abilities,” Lowery said. “I’m sorry for what I did, you didn’t deserve it. I truly am.”

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Joseph M. Lowery

Shyann Gallimore, also 20, and also a resident of the small South Lewis County town, chose not to make a statement to the court.

Lowery was arrested in July after the shooting on the outskirts of Winolequa Park in Winlock.

Prosecutors said Lowery and a 16-year-old boy found Gallimore on a Saturday evening; she was alone, sitting next to a stream and talking on her phone with a friend she’d asked to pick her up.

Authorities said Lowery leaned into some bushes from some 50 feet away and took aim with a 22 caliber pistol, pulled the trigger and then ran off.

“She underwent a procedure to have the bullet removed,” Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said. “She won’t know what the long term consequences are until time passes.”

Halstead told the judge, yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court, the defendant made a full confession.

He was cooperative with the sheriff’s office, going through a videotaped reenactment of what transpired, defense attorney David Arcuri said.

“What I thought was most striking, was the matter of fact, honest way Mr. Lowery just admitted it,” Arcuri said.

His client was contrite from the beginning, Arcuri said.

Lowery pleaded guilty last week to attempted first-degree murder. As part of the plea deal, Halstead dropped a firearm enhancement, which would have added five years to the sentence.

Halstead and Arcuri both recommended to the judge he be given 220 months – 18 years and four months.

Judge Richard Brosey agreed.

Before Lowery was taken back down to the jail, Brosey ordered him to have no contact for life with the victim. He also gave him three years of supervision following his release from prison.

Lowery’s mother and other family members were in the audience during yesterday’s hearing, but declined to comment.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in its investigation conveyed to prosecutors Lowery had grown tired of his former girlfriend disrespecting the “Juggalo family.” They said he identified himself as a Juggalo, a name for fans of performance artists called the Insane Clown Posse.

Arcuri after the hearing said he wouldn’t discuss what he understood to be the reason his client did what he did.
•••

For background, read “Prosecutors: Winlock park shooter grew tired of ex-girlfriend disrespecting gang” from Tuesday July 21, 2015, here

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