Notes from behind the news: Let’s take a time out, and have some real fun

May 27th, 2014
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Coming to our town; early bird tickets until Friday.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – News reporting is a blast.

Chasing down stories of crimes, rescues, near misses and what-have-you and following how justice plays out can keep a person going, with an endless stream of intriguing stories.

But I have to confess, sometimes the cops, courts and fire beat gets seriously depressing. When you’re focused on the latest, looking for what’s new, it seems sometimes the trauma, drama and disaster will never end.

I even heard from one reader who took a little break from Lewis County Sirens.com, because the gloom got overwhelming. Heck, I’ve wanted to turn it off at times.

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Saturday, Aug 2, 2014

So, in the interest of the well-being of all of us, I say, let’s take a time out. How about one day where we can turn our attention to something uplifting, even … fun?

It’s time for a party.

That’s why Lewis County Sirens.com is co-media sponsor for a music festival this summer that should knock your socks off.

The DB Cooper Music Festival has decided to touch down this year in Chehalis / Centralia with its all-day event, at the mid-point of the famed 1971 Portland to Seattle flight skyjacking.

The gathering made its debut last year, somewhere up north, with one stage and seven or eight musical groups in the lineup. But its organizers found this year’s two dozen or so acts – enough for three different stages – are best suited for the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds.

It’s blues, it’s folk, it’s funk and some other upbeat types I’m sure I don’t know. But I’ve led a sheltered musical life.

I’m told the acts are top notch.

They range from the 2013 International Blues Entertainer of the Year Curtis Salgado who inspired John Belushi to create The Blues Brothers to The Voice finalist Vicci Martinez, whose acoustic-rock music comes out of Tacoma.

They include six-time grammy nominee Maria Muldaur best known for her 1974 huge hit Midnight at the Oasis, and Brittany Kingery out of McCleary whose tropical acoustic sounds were among those at last year’s festival.

There’s more. Blues pioneer Alice Stewart; Independent Music Awards winners The Brown Edition; an Olympia band; Capitol Records Rising Star Ethan Tucker, a Washington born singer-songwriter; Puget Sounds masters of funk Bump Kitchen; Mudcat, an Aberdeen native; Rick Ranum whose band during its early days opened for performers like Joe Cocker and BB King.

Soul, rock, jazz, bluegrass, blues, folk, funk, southern rock, beachy and more all mixed up in one place. Singer-songwriters who live to entertain.

These are people who’ve toured the country, toured the world.

And they’re gonna play our town.

All day on a Saturday.

It’s a 21 and over event, with food, merriment and a suggestion by one artist that people should plan to dance their behinds off.

The day is brought to you by the local Exit 104 Media Inc.

Why is it named for the historic outlaw who vanished with a parachute and gobs of cash from an airplane more than four decades ago? I’m not certain, though it almost seems as though Cooper – or possibly some intermediary – is like a behind-the-scenes host.

We can plan on so much amazing music, there won’t be one moment to spare for thoughts about sirens. For one day.

Early bird ticket prices are available until Friday.

Get yours now. I’m gonna be there. Why don’t you join me?

DB Cooper Music Festival
When: Saturday, Aug 2, 2014 doors open at 11 a.m. until it’s over
Where: Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, 2555 North National Avenue, Chehalis, Wash.
Ticket Price: $25 – $40
Early Bird Tickets $25: – Price good until May 31, 2014
Show Type: Festival
Restrictions: 21 & over, ID required
Parking: $5 per vehicle
For all the details: http://dbcoopermusicfestival.com/index.shtm
Tickets sales online, here

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

May 27th, 2014

Updated at 1:39 p.m.

VADER CHURCH, FLAG TARGETED BY TEENS

• Four teenagers were arrested after a vandalism spree in Vader over the weekend that involved a church and the old city jail, with one of them taking down a flag, tying it in a knot and setting it on fire before running it back up the flag pole. Deputies contacting the pastor at the  Assembly of God Church learned some of the events were captured on security video and took place between 10 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the youths broke down a door at the jail, cut phone lines at the church across the street, pried open a power box and destroyed security cameras. However, close up views of their faces were found on video images, Brown said. Two lights that shined upon the American flag were stolen as well, Brown said. The teens, all from Vader, ages 14, 15 and 16, were booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Justice Center for third-degree malicious mischief, theft and criminal conspiracy, according to the sheriff’s office.

MAN CONCEALS SELF WHILE RESIDENCE BURGLARIZED

• The sheriff’s office is investigating after an overnight break-in the north end of Centralia in which a 29-year-old resident said he hid in a bedroom while his home was burglarized. Deputies responded about 2 a.m. yesterday to the 3000 block of Lowery Lane following a 911 call in which a man was saying help me, help me repeatedly before the phone disconnected, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. There was a language barrier and it’s not clear what was taken or known who the intruder was, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. Evidence was collected from outside a broken bedroom window which will be analyzed, Brown said.

TENT FIRE

• A 28-year-old man from Lakewood is jailed after he allegedly tried to burn down someone’s tent during the night at a Toledo area campground early on Friday following a dispute. No injuries were reported, except the arrestee who suffered from a dog bite which had occurred earlier, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called about 1:15 a.m. on Friday to the Cowlitz Timber Trails Campground on the 1900 block of Spencer Road found friends of the 23-year-old victim, who is from Lynnwood, had detained the suspect who tried to run away and hide beneath a trailer, according to the sheriff’s office. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office didn’t indicate what the disagreement was about, but said that Justin E. Roberts who was unknown to the victim came to the camp site three times earlier and each time was told to leave.  Then later, someone heard the velcro to the tent being opened and saw the same person light it on fire, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Roberts was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital to be treated for the bite and then booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree arson, she said. Brown said the sheriff’s office had no information about the dog bite.

GIRL FIGHT GOES BAD

• Centralia police are investigating a nighttime meet-up for a fight between two young women that ended with a cracked eye socket for one and a head concussion for the other. Officers were advised yesterday afternoon by Chehalis police that the incident had taken place around 2 o’clock in the morning. The injured had gone to the hospital on their own, according to the Centralia Police Department. Sgt. Kurt Reichert said the initial investigation indicates the two arranged to meet in the Seminary Hill Natural Area to fight and then six or seven others, both males and females, jumped in. As for the reason for the dispute, Reichert would only say they didn’t like each other. The victims are ages 18 and 19 and both from Chehalis, he said. Someone could be in trouble for second-degree assault, according to police.

OUT-OF-CONTROL GROWN SON

• Deputies arrested a 43-year-old Ethel man on Sunday afternoon after a call to the 100 block of Pinkerton Road where his mother and sister advised he was in the house freaking out and broke a window. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office says that during the arrest, Lynn K. Jorgensen injured a deputy’s finger, grabbing it and squeezing it until it “popped.” Jorgensen was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree assault and disorderly conduct, according to the sheriff’s office.

JAIL ASSAULT

• A 24-year-old inmate at the Lewis County Jail found himself in further trouble when he was queried about a broken broom and responded by punching a corrections officer in the face on Sunday afternoon, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office says the jail employee was told Drake A. Lorber had busted the tip off the broom handle and wanted to retrieve it for safety reasons. When the guard told Lorber to come out of the shower, Lorber reportedly jumped out flexing his arms, puffing his chest and screaming “insanity”, the sheriff’s office reports. Staff managed to restrain Lorber who now faces a possible charge of custodial assault, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. The 24-year-old employee suffered soreness to his left cheek, she said. Staff indicated they tried to learn why Lorber acted the way he did, but couldn’t, Brown said.

CAT BURGLAR ENTERS FROM ROOF

• Chehalis police were called about 1:30 p.m. yesterday by the owner of a building on the 1200 block of Northwest Cedar Way after the discovery someone broken in by removing panels from the roof to get inside. Missing are automotive parts; it’s a structure used for storage, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT IN CHEHALIS

• A woman who was in the process of moving called police yesterday after finding while she was gone someone came into the residence near Southwest Seventh Street and Market Boulevard in Chehalis and went through her belongings, taking small items, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

THEFT FROM SELF STORAGE BUSINESS

• Padlocks were cut from three customer’s storage units in Randle and multiple items stolen including three ring-type crab pots and a Lincoln wire feed welder sometime between 2 p.m. on Thursday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. A deputy contacted on Saturday afternoon about the burglaries at CVS Storage on the 9400 block of U.S. Highway 12 noted the victims, all Randle residents ages 28, 57 and 80, also lost a rototiller, a Craftsman pressure washer and a chainsaw, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is estimated at $710.

FIREARMS TAKEN IN BURGLARY

• A deputy was called to a home on the 300 block of Howe Road outside Toledo about 6:20 p.m. on Friday where a 32-year-old man said while he was working out of town, someone broke in and stole a Remington 12-gauge shotgun and a Stevens 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

DRUGS

• A traffic stop and a warrant led to an arrest for possession of methamphetamine on Saturday afternoon on South Market and Main Street in Chehalis. When Levi G. Edmonds, 24, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, some suspected drugs were found, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

WRECK TAKES OUT TWO POWER POLES

• A 16-year-old driver from Chehalis was reportedly uninjured when she collided with two utility poles on Sunday morning, sheering one off at its base and coming to rest against the second one. A deputy responding just after 8 a.m. to the 500 block of Highway 603 west of Chehalis found the 1997 Ford F150 pickup truck totaled and learned the girl had taken her eyes off the road when she reached for something on the passenger seat, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. She was cited for speeds too fast for conditions, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, negligent driving, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarms, disputes, shoplifting groceries; complaints of barking dog, house and cars egged, penis drawn onto a car with a grease pen, young women pulling their pants down in public, tent pitched in gully across from mint factory, an energetic medium-sized dog repeatedly running into a retirement home … and more.

•••

CORRECTION: This has been updated to reflect the correct location for the nighttime break-in at the north end of Centralia in which a resident hid in a bedroom while his home was burglarized. It occurred on the the 3000 block of Lowery Lane.

Breaking news: Five-year-old feared drowned near Randle, father survives

May 27th, 2014

Updated

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Responders are attempting to recover the body of a 5-year-old Tacoma boy who fell into the Cispus River near Randle yesterday as he was riding his motorcycle at an unimproved campground.

His 32-year-old father jumped in after the child but was unable to reach him before the boy was swept away, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The father was able to reach the shore after being carried downstream about a half mile, the sheriff’s office stated in a news release this morning.

Teams working last night believed they spotted little one’s helmet snagged on a log approximately one mile down river from from where he went in, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. The recovery operation resumed at daylight this morning, according to Brown.

Deputies, firefighters and swift water team members out of Toledo responded about 7 p.m. last night to reports of possible drownings.

The site is beyond the Cispus Learning Center is in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which is about seven miles south of Randle.

Due to darkness and the extremely swift water, teams had to discontinue the search last night, according to Brown.

The boy was camping with his family over the weekend about 10 and a half miles south of Randle, along Forest Service Road 120, off Forest Service Road 23.

Brown said he was wearing full protective riding gear and a helmet, and it appeared he got to close to the river bank and went in.

The river is running very fast at this time of year due to snow melt, Brown indicated, and the water temperatures are extremely cold.

On the scene this morning are deputies, members of Lewis County Fire Districts 14 Randle and 2 Toledo, water rescue specialists from Lewis and Thurston counties, Packwood Search and Rescue and a Fish and Wildlife agent, according to Brown.

News brief: Child, adult missing along Cispus River

May 26th, 2014

Updated

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Deputies are on the scene looking for a 5-year-old and an adult missing near the Cispus River south of Randle.

“We’ve got really spotty information because there’s no cell service, but it’s possible they went into the river,” Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Steve Aust said.

Aust said he was notified around 7 p.m. Chief Criminal Deputy Gene Seiber is gathering up search and rescue personnel, he said.

Aust said the area is out Forest Service Road 23, possibly within a mile of the Cispus Center.

“It’s not sounding too good, but hopefully they’ll be found, and be just fine,” he said.

Swift water rescue team members out of Toledo were dispatched just after 7 p.m. for a possible drowning.

The Cispus Learning Center is in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, about seven miles outside Randle.

The search is expected to resume in the morning.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

May 26th, 2014

POLICE: WOMAN CHOKED BY BOYFRIEND

• A 30-year-old Centralia man was arrested for second-degree assault after police responded about 9 p.m. yesterday to an incident at the 500 block of Yew Street. Brandon K. Phelps allegedly choked his girlfriend and was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

POLICE: COP KICKED BY DETAINEE

• A 44-year-old Oakville man reportedly kicked a police officer for no reason after he was handcuffed following a domestic dispute early yesterday morning in Centralia. Alfredo Lopez-Menbreno was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree assault following the incident about 12:15 a.m. at the 3200 block of Fords Prairie Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SKATE PARK DISPUTE

• A 27-year-old Tenino man was arrested on Saturday afternoon after he allegedly tried to pick a fight with several kids at the skate park in Centralia. Officers booked Anthony W. Wells into the Lewis County Jail for disorderly conduct following the incident at the 700 block of Harrison Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY

• Centralia police took a report about 10:45 a.m. yesterday where someone tried to kick in the back door of a vacant home on the 1000 block of E Street. They didn’t’ get inside and nothing was taken, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Someone got into a vehicle overnight at East Pine and North Tower Avenue in Centralia and stole “items”, according to a report made to the Centralia Police Department yesterday afternoon.

BONFIRE MISHAP

• A woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after she fell into a fire near Dryad on Saturday night. Firefighters from Lewis County Fire Districts 16 and 11 responded around dinnertime to the incident along state Route 6 near Rainbow Falls State Park. She was transported to Adan High School where she was met by a helicopter, District 11 Chief Michael Krafczyk said. Krafczyk said he understood she suffered second and third-degree burns from the outdoor recreational fire. “How she fell in, I don’t know, or if she’s still at Harborview,” he said this morning.

WSP: SEAT BELTS WORK

• Three people walked away without injuries after a rollover accident involving an elk early yesterday morning on Interstate 5 near Grand Mound. Troopers called just before 5 a.m. learned a northbound semi truck hit the animal which was tossed in front of a car in the far left lane, according to the Washington State Patrol. The dead elk was dragged beneath the car for about 100 feet before the vehicle rolled, Trooper Guy Gill said. The driver and two passengers were all wearing seat belts, Gill said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, driving under the influence, misdemeanor assault, trespass; responses for misdemeanor theft, collisions on city streets … and more.

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Car ends up on its top after dragging a dead elk near the exit 88 freeway interchange on Interstate 5 yesterday. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

May 24th, 2014

TEEN LIFE FLIGHTED AFTER RV HITCHING MISHAP

• A 17-year-old boy was airlifted to Harborview Medical in Seattle yesterday after he was crushed between a pickup truck and a fifth-wheel travel trailer in Centralia. Police called about 11:15 p.m. to the 800 block of West Pear Street say the owner was trying to hook the two together when the vehicle rolled back too far and caught the teen. Arriving firefighters found someone else had already moved the truck and the boy had only been pinned briefly, according to Riverside Fire Authority. Centralia police say he was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital to be evaluated for possible injuries. Firefighter-paramedic Jennifer Ternan said he was then flown to the regional trauma center, but she didn’t have any information about his condition. The case remains under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT, THEFT, THEFT, THEFT …

• A 39-year-old Centralia man was arrested for being in possession of a vehicle stolen out of Port Angeles, which had license tabs on it taken off a different vehicle in Port Angeles and was affixed with a license plate stolen from Centralia. Kelly L. Beckley allegedly left the Ford F-150 pickup truck at Wal-Mart, where he stole a bicycle and pedaled over to K-Mart, where he shoplifted a pair of trousers, according to the Chehalis Police Department. He was greeted by an officer after he had changed into the pants in the restroom there, according to police. An employee from Wal-Mart had called 911 about 2:50 p.m. on Thursday to say Beckley was acting suspicious, when he got on the bicycle and rode away, police said. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday that someone broke into a home on the 3700 block of Russell Road in Centralia. A deputy responding there on Thursday learned that sometime between noon and 3 p.m. entered the residence and left with about $600 worth of valuables, including an HP laptop computer and jewelry, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Centralia police were called about 2 p.m. Thursday about someone stealing a purse from a shopping cart at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue.

DRUGS

• A 23-year-old from Forest Grove, Ore. was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after contact with an officer on Thursday night at the 600 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia. Alfredo Mendoza-Martinez, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• There will be no trial next month for the 2010 drive-by shooting at on Southwest William Street in Chehalis. Prosecutors in April brought their suspect back to Lewis County to face charges, from prison where he is serving more than 100 years for a gang-related shooting incident in Yakima County. Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Mark McClain asked a judge on Thursday to dismiss the charges, without prejudice, meaning they could be re-filed at a later time. “I think there’s something else going on here we need to investigate in a different way,” McClain told the judge when he made his request. Andrew Morales-Loberg, now 22, will be headed back to prison, with a release date in the year 2165. Prosecutors had issued a material witness warrant for one of the victims in the case, Rolando Carrillo-Cruz, who McClain said is in Mexico. The judge signed an order quashing that warrant on Thursday.

CANDLES ARE CULPRITS IN VADER HOUSE FIRE

• A fire that chased a family from it’s Vader area home on Thursday evening was caused by candles. Members of Cowlitz-Lewis Fire District 2 responding about 7 p.m. to the single-story house on the 100 block of Enchanted Valley Drive found smoke billowing out from all the back windows and a resident using a fire extinguisher from outside to get at the flames, according to Chief Richard Underdahl. His son had been working on a computer and noticed flames coming from an unusual interior room inside the residence, according to Underdahl. The father closed that door, made sure everyone was outside and helped contain the fire until crews arrived. The original property owner had built the house around a vintage Airstream-type travel trailer which couldn’t be seen from outside, but when one opened one of the interior doors, they found themselves inside the trailer, according to Underdahl. It’s a room one of the pre-teen-age children and friends had been burning a couple of candles in earlier and they were forgotten about, Fire Investigator Ted McCarty said. It’s interior was burned, but the home and its other contents were mostly saved, Underdahl said. Nobody was injured and some of the roughly 20 firefighters, which included adjacent districts, were on the scene until about 11 p.m., he said.

WRECKS

• A 31-year-old school bus driver was issued a citation after he backed his bus up into an occupied Saturn station wagon on the 100 block of Moon Road west of Chehalis on Thursday afternoon. A deputy responding after the 3:30 p.m. incident found the damage to both vehicles was minor and none of the teenagers on the bus – from Curtis and the Chehalis area – were injured, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday.

• A Tacoma man was injured in a rollover accident overnight on Interstate 5 south of Napavine when he collided with the center barrier causing a rear wheel to come off his car. Troopers responding about 12:40 a.m. to the northbound lanes near Koontz Road found the 1994 Buick four-door was totaled and the detached wheel had traveled to the other side of the freeway where it was was struck by a southbound vehicle, according to the Washington State Patrol. Ernest G. Hartwig, 56, was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, the state patrol reports. He was to be cited for wheels off the roadway.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, shoplifting merchandise such as liquor and groceries, stealing landscaping rocks; responses for alarms, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft, collisions on city streets, graffiti, someone shooting a BB at a car … and more.

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A 1994 Buick is prepared for towing after it wrecked on Interstate 5 south of Napavine. / Courtesy photo by Kristal Autumn

Explosion rocks Packwood flea market

May 23rd, 2014

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The massive highway-side flea market that Packwood becomes each Memorial Day weekend started off with a bang this morning, in a bad way.

A motorhome exploded right in the middle of the outdoor market, by the Shell gas station, according to Lewis County Fire District 10.

There were no serious injuries.

“There were actually four people in it, it was totaled,” Fire Chief Lonnie Goble said. “It blew the windows out, blew the door off. The people inside were very lucky.”

Firefighters responding about 7:30 a.m. found the ruined RV and four guys sitting off to the side, Goble said.

There were only a couple of minor burns, none had to go to the hospital, he said.

Goble said the four men are from Yakima, and they were in town as vendors, with their motorhome parked adjacent to their vendor site. He didn’t notice what they were selling, he said.

The chief said the men had been cooking breakfast when a heater leaking propane gas caused the blast. The RV didn’t catch fire, he said.

“They said it was very loud and knocked ’em all onto the floor, well, one onto the bed,” he said.