Posts Tagged ‘By Sharyn L. Decker’

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014

Updated at 12:40 p.m.

SEX CRIME ALLEGATIONS

• A 22-year-old Winlock man was arrested about 9:30 a.m. yesterday at the 400 block of Sears Road in Winlock in connection with an ongoing investigation in which he allegedly had sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports the two considered themselves in a dating relationship and Michael A. Ryan Jr. was arrested for three counts of third-degree rape of a child for instances occurring between August and December of last year. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

• A 30-year-old Centralia man was arrested yesterday evening following allegations he touched the private parts of a 6-year-old female friend of the family. Allen A. Clark was contacted about 6 p.m. in connection with an incident that allegedly took place previously at Newaukum Golf Drive in Chehalis and arrested for first-degree child molestation, according to the  Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. However, he is to be released with no criminal  charges filed pending further investigation.

MISSING MEDS

• Police took a report last night about the theft of medication from the 900 block of F Street in Centralia.

MISSING MONEY

• Police were called to the 900 block of South Schueber Road about 12:10 p.m. yesterday about the theft of money while the victim was in the hospital. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MISSING HEADLIGHT

• A 34-year-old Centralia resident on a bicycle who last night reportedly tried to evade an officer attempting to stop him and warn him about not having lights was arrested for obstructing a public servant. Levi P. Hart was cited and then released, after contact with police about 10:50 p.m. at the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DISORDERLINESS

• A call yesterday morning about a woman chanting and throwing rocks at passing motorists along the 9000 block of U.S. Highway 12 ended with a warrant arrest for the agitated suspect at the Gas Plus in Morton, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. As a deputy arrived about 10:30 a.m., the woman had just boarded a bus and when it stopped in Morton and she was contacted, the deputy learned she was wanted by Chehalis police in connection with a previous disorderly person case, according to the sheriff’s office. Thirty-six-year-old Heather Villalba of Mossyrock was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

DOG FIGHT

• Chehalis police were called about 3:20 p.m. yesterday to the parking lot at Yard Birds Mall to a report one dog attacked another dog inside a vehicle. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said he didn’t have all the details yet, but believed it involved a Healer and a Dachshund and understood it was fairly horrific. The smaller dog was taken to a veterinarian severely injured, he said. The pets both belong to the same man who was inside Yard Birds, he said. The animal control officer is investigating.

BARN FIRE AVERTED

• Firefighters were called about 7 p.m. yesterday to a barn fire near the 200 block of Cousins Road west of Chehalis. There was a little bit of fire inside the structure that had begun working its way up a wall but the owner had put it out with a garden hose before the crew arrived, according to Lewis County Fire District 6.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for dispute, shoplifting, collision on city street, suspicious person … and more.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014

SWITCHED PLATES

• A 75-year-old man called Chehalis police yesterday to report someone had stolen his license plates after he got a call from the Seattle Police Department telling him his van was used in a robbery. The man took a look at his vehicle and realized neither the front or back plates he saw were his, according to the Chehalis Police Department. He suspects it could have happened while the van was at property he owns on the 1100 block of North National Avenue, according to police. His van wasn’t involved in the robbery, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said.

STOLEN COMPUTER

• Centralia police were called about 3:15 a.m. today to the 500 block of East Magnolia Street about the theft of a computer from a residence.  The case is under investigation.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called about 11 a.m. yesterday about a wallet taken from a vehicle while parked at the McDonald’s at Airport Depot on the 1400 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue.

VANDALISM

• A Centralia police officer took a report about 6:40 p.m. yesterday of a window at a local business shattered by an unknown suspect on the 600 block of North Tower Avenue.

MISSING CHILD

• Chehalis police were called at 3:05 p.m. yesterday about a missing 5-year-old boy from Cascade Elementary School who didn’t get off his school bus. Officers searched the area and by about 4:20 p.m. the child was located at Southeast Sixth Street and Washington Avenue, according to the Chehalis Police Department. An officer took him back to the school where he was reunited with his mother, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said.

WRECK

• Two people were transported to Morton General Hospital after a wreck yesterday evening on U.S. Highway 12 near at the east end of Savio Road near Randle. Lewis County Fire District 18 Chief Ed Lowe said they assisted District 14 with the approximately 7 p.m. call. Firefighters had to extricate the occupants by cutting the truck, which was hauling a car trailer, Lowe said. “I don’t know what caused it, it was in the ditch with the truck on its side,” Lowe said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor  theft, violation of protection order, driving under the influence; responses for alarms, disputes, suspicious person … and more.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, September 22nd, 2014

Updated at 6:13 p.m.

DOGS GONE WILD

• A 59-year-old Chehalis-area man will be issued a citation after five dogs reportedly ran from his yard and surrounded a passerby, barking and growling at her. The 28-year-old woman was bit in the calf by one of the dogs, in the Friday afternoon incident along the 100 block of Hillcrest Road south of Chehalis, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The dog’s owner was just cited in July for the same offense, prohibited activities by dogs, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Chehalis police were called about 3:45 p.m. on Friday to the 300 block of James Street where a dog attacked and killed another dog. The family had brought home a pit bull that was otherwise friendly, but  took a dislike to the smaller canine that already lived there, according to the Chehalis Police Department. An animal control officer removed both animals at the request of the owners, according to police.

• On Saturday morning, a deputy was called to the 200 block of Klein Road south of Chehalis after four to five black pit bulls came to a woman’s yard, growled at her and then attacked her dog who ran out to defend her. She was able to chase them off and rescue her dog, but it sustained multiple cuts and a broken leg, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The 62-year-old owner will be issued a citation, according to the sheriff’s office.

BREAK-IN RANDLE

• A Randle residence on the 9000 block of U.S. Highway 12 was burglarized sometime between 6 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. Someone came through an open window in the home that being renovated and stole a horse collar, a can of paint, a small antique clock and a figurine of a man playing a fiddle, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

DRUGS

• Conrad J. Perry, 31, was arrested this morning after police were called about a man asleep behind the wheel parked at a fuel pump at the 600 block of West Main Street in Chehalis. An arriving officer noted a pipe on the center console, which tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Perry was awakened and then booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession, police said.

RIDING THE RAILS, INTO THE JAIL

• A 48-year-old man from California was arrested for trespassing after a 911 call from a train heading into Chehalis, saying a man with a duffel bag was traveling on one of its engines around 12:15 a.m. yesterday. The train stopped at West Street and a man walking away was contacted, according to police. Cristopher S. Hazen was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

FROM PARADISE TO JAIL

• A 68-year-old woman was arrested on Saturday after a deputy was dispatched to the 100 block of Paradise Drive in Ashford about a trespasser. Virginia V. Creim said she used to own the property and was waiting for its new owner to arrive to see if she could buy it back, but a deputy contacted the 53-year-old Tacoma man who owns it and he said he wanted her off his property and wanted to pursue charges,  according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Creim, who is described by the sheriff’s office as transient, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree trespassing as well as a warrant for failing to appear in court for a previous trespass case, according to Chief Ciivl Deputy Stacy Brown.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police took a report about 11:30 a.m. on Saturday of stereo equipment stolen from a vehicle parked at the Twin City Town  Center on the 1400 block of Louisiana Avenue.

• Centralia police were called to a vehicle prowl about 1 p.m. on Saturday at the 2500 block of Mount Vista Road where someone had smashed the window and stole a purse.

• An officer took a report that someone got into a car parked at a business at the 200 block of Williams Street in Mossyrock  and stole a Kindle, a CD holder and prescription medication, last Monday morning, according to the Morton Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Someone slashed a tire on a vehicle at the 200 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 11 a.m. yesterday.

BRUSH FIRE WINLOCK

• Local firefighters spent a few hours on Saturday shuttling water for personnel from the Department of Natural Resources as they extinguished a brush fire in Winlock that may have been smoldering for a couple of days before it was found. Firefighters were called just before 4 p.m. on Saturday to the 100 block of Brady Lane after a neighbor that smelled smoke went out to investigate, according to Lewis County Fire District 15. Firefighter Patrick Jacobson said it it was an area of about 100 feet by 100 feet beyond the yard behind a house, a place that looked like it had been cleared of brush. It was not a very active fire, but a lot of smoldering Jacobson said. The property owners were away, he said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespass, obstruction, shoplifting, probation violation,  misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for disputes, collisions on city street, collisions on county roads … and more.

News brief: Firefighting efforts in forest outside Pe Ell winding down

Monday, September 22nd, 2014

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Authorities reported yesterday morning the timberland fire southwest of Pe Ell is entirely contained.

More than 200 firefighters battled the blaze about five miles outside of town that began Sept. 11 in an active logging area, on property owned by Rayonier.

A dozen individuals expect to be out there a few more days continuing to mop up, according to Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Jay Guthrie.

Guthrie said there is no fire activity within 200 feet of the edge. One hundred twenty-six acres of so-called slash, recently harvested timber and standing timber burned.

Some logging is expected to clear areas so crews can access remaining hot spots, according to Guthrie. It is unlikely after this point that any smoke will be visible from Pe Ell and surrounding communities, he said.

The property is in Pacific County, at the Lewis County line. The command center was set up at the Falls Creek Retreat Center about 10 miles west of Pe Ell.

The cause is under investigation.

News brief: Chehalis lawyer given lifetime service award from state peers

Saturday, September 20th, 2014

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Washington State Bar Association has posthumously honored Chehalis attorney James A. Vander Stoep with its 2014 Lifetime Service Award, in recognition of his 53-year career of service to the legal community.

Vander Stoep’s highest priorities were reflected by his ongoing dedicated service to family, his profession and his community, WSBA Governor Brian J. Kelly said in a prepared statement shared with the news media yesterday.

“Jim’s accomplishments to our profession were made as a small-town lawyer.” Kelly stated. “His time was a valued commodity, but he unselfishly shared it with us. Jim exemplified service above self through his life.”

The award was presented to his wife Suzi Vander Stoep at the group’s annual awards dinner on Thursday night at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel.

Vander Stoep began practicing law in Chehalis in 1950, when only one judge worked in the county courthouse on Main Street in Chehalis, and fewer than 20 lawyers practiced in the Twin Cities. He retired in 2003 from the firm Vander Stoep, Remund, Kelly & Blinks.

During a career that spanned five decades, he also chaired the committee to bring a public swimming pool to Chehalis and co- founded the Chehalis Little League.

According to the WSBA, Vander Stoep was a former WSBA president and Board of Governors member, a former Lewis County Bar Association president, a life member of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, and a member and former state chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

His longtime law partner Rene Remund offered formal praise as well.

“Jim was a person who was fierce in the courtroom and courteous outside it,” Remund stated. “His practice of law was based on competence civility, and honesty. He was a credit to his profession and a contributor to his community.”

The WSBA is authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state’s lawyers and other legal professionals, regulating them under the court and acting as a professional association for its members.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Saturday, September 20th, 2014

Updated at 4:17 p.m.

TENINO HOUSE FIRE

• Tenino firefighters were called to a house fire last night on Vantime Road about three miles northeast of town. “On arrival we had smoke coming out of the house, on the second floor,” Thurston County Fire District 12 Battalion Chief  James Fowler said. “The interior crew got upstairs and found fire in a closet.” Crews were joined by personnel from three other fire departments and were on the scene about two hours, Fowler said. Nobody was hurt, he said. He estimated the damage at perhaps $50,000 because of wallboard that will have to be replaced. The bedroom sustained smoke damage and the first floor just a little water damage, he said. The contents of the closet were consumed. The two-story structure is like a mother-in-law house where the property owner’s band practices, according to Fowler.

ASSAULTS

• Centralia police booked a 23-year-old man into the jail this morning in connection with an incident reported yesterday at the 200 block of North Iron Street in which he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and took her cell phone. Officers called about 1:40 p.m. yesterday learned David J. Rangel had left before they were called, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers later went to the residence because Rangel was there and he fled out the back door, according to police. Police dog Lobo was called to the area and located their suspect hiding in some bushes several blocks away. He was booked for second-degree robbery. Officers also arrested an 18-year-old Centralia resident for obstructing, contending they had delayed Rangel’s arrest, giving him time to escape. Baylor Jackson Scott was cited and then released, according to police.

• Centralia police were called about 7 p.m. yesterday to a dispute at Centralia College Boulevard and Silver Street where witnesses said a male pointed a gun at several people and pulled a female into his dark-colored sport utility vehicle and assaulted her. The participants are all known to each other, according to the Centralia Police Department. No arrest has been made, police report this morning.

DRUGS

• A 22-year-old Centralia man was arrested yesterday for a warrant and possession of methamphetamine after contact with an officer about 1:15 p.m. at the 1000 block of Scammon Creek Road in Centralia. Jarrin A. Smalley was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FORK PEAK FIRE UPDATE

• The Fork Peak Fire southwest of Pe Ell has been held to 126 acres and is now 95 percent contained. “There is still some heat in the interior of the burned area that is also being mopped up to minimize the chance of wind-thrown embers,” the Department of Natural Resources states in its morning report. There is very little fire activity near the fire’s edge, according to DNR spokesperson Jay Guthrie. The forest fire about five miles southwest of town began Sept. 11 in an active logging area, on private timberland owned by Rayonier. Still, 103 personnel are working the site, with three hand crews, seven fire engines, two water tenders and one piece of heavy equipment, according to Guthrie. Guthrie notes he expects the update he sends out tomorrow will be the final one for this fire. DNR took the opportunity to suggest to the public that autumn is a great time to improve your property and implement a firewise home and community. For more information about Firewise Communities check out the website www.firewise.org

WSP WELCOMES NEW TROOPERS

• A new trooper is joining the state patrol detachment in Morton  following his graduation from the Washington State Patrol Academy. Justin R. Schaffer, from Centralia, is among 39  individuals sworn in this week at a ceremony at the Capitol in Olympia. Also presented their official commission cards on Wednesday by Gov. Jay Inslee and WSP Chief John Bastiste were Centralia resident Jacob D. Payne, who will be working out of Yakima and Christopher L. Hendrickson from Tenino who is assigned to the Hoquiam detachment, according to the state patrol.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor theft; responses for collision on city street, misdemeanor assault … and more.

Centralia man questioned about dead man’s vehicle, home, belongings

Friday, September 19th, 2014

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Police are investigating a man who allegedly falsely claimed he was a relative of a Chehalis resident who died in January, and left all of his property to him.

Chehalis police were contacted by Walter Pettit’s family last week, who went to Pettit’s house near Chehalis Middle School and found it had been cleaned out and someone was remodeling it, Chehalis Deputy Police Chief Randy Kaut said.

A detective interviewed 46-year-old Michael J. Dobbs yesterday and subsequently arrested him on suspicion of theft and forgery. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

Court papers state Dobbs transferred the decedent’s car into his own name, by claiming to be the decedent’s son, and the detective learned from the funeral home they released the cremated remains to Dobbs’ on Dobbs’ representation he was the nephew.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Eric Eisenberg however, charged Dobbs today only with possession of methamphetamine.

The detective found a baggie of suspected meth in Dobbs’ pocket when he was searched following his arrest, according to Eisenberg. He said it wasn’t his, court papers state.

Eisenberg said Dobbs produced a will from 2011 which made Dobbs personal representative and sole heir of the estate.

“The presence of the will makes it unclear if Dobbs’ behavior regarding the decedent’s estate was lawful,” Eisenberg wrote in court documents, explaining why he filed only the drug charge at this time.

Kaut said this afternoon detectives are continuing to investigate. He didn’t yet know how the two men were acquainted or what Pettit died from, only that the 55-year-old was transferred to a hospital in Thurston County where he passed away.

Dobbs appeared before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court and was released on a $10,000 signature bond.

Defense attorney Bob Schroeter said Dobbs is not employed, but is a full time parent of three children in Centralia.

Kaut said police don’t yet know what happened to Pettit’s belongings. Eisenberg stated in court documents Dobbs offered several improbable stories about how they’d been stolen, returned and then stolen again.

The will, ostensibly signed by Pettit and witnessed by two individuals, looks valid, Eisenberg said this afternoon. But detectives are looking into that issue further, he said.

Court papers state Dobbs has prior convictions in California, including receiving stolen property in 1999 and 2001.