Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 1:12 p.m.

DRUGS

• Centralia police arrested an individual for possession of methamphetamine when he was observed without a seatbelt in a vehicle stopped because one of its occupants was wanted on a warrant. It happened about 7:30 p.m. yesterday at Harrison Avenue and Alexander Street, according to the Centralia Police Department. Sgt. Kurt Reichert said there were four people inside and because of the “furtive movements” in the backseat and being unrestrained, Matthew M. Morris, 21, was patted down and the substance turned up. When Morris was booked into the Lewis County Jail, a baggie with suspected heroin was discovered as well, according to Reichert.

PROWLING

• Centralia police responded about 2:15 a.m. today to car prowls in the 3000 block of Galvin Road in which windows were broken. A lunchbox, CDs and the rearview mirror were stolen in one case and in another nothing appeared initially to be missing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A backpack was stolen and a window broken out from a vehicle at the 500 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 10:15 p.m. yesterday.

• An officer took a report yesterday of medication stolen from an unlocked car overnight at the 400 block of Ash Street in Centralia.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• The Onalaska man serving a five-year sentence for fatally shooting a suspected burglar outside an uninhabited house he owns is scheduled to go before a judge this afternoon as prosecutors seek payment of their costs for the appeal he lost. Ronald A. Brady claimed self-defense in the 2010 death of 56-year-old Thomas McKenzie of Morton but the 60-year-old was convicted the following summer of second-degree manslaughter. He appealed on several grounds, including contending the trial court erred when it refused to allow testimony to prove McKenzie and his wife were at his property to steal and didn’t allow the jury to consider a right to resist the commission of a felony. The appeals court said the only crime being committed at the time he opened fire with a .22 rifle was criminal trespass. Brady is set to appear in Lewis County Superior Court at 4 p.m. today.

WRECK

• Police and aid responded about midnight when a Volvo slammed into a parked sport utility vehicle at the 300 block of Southwest Chehalis Avenue in Chehalis. The 24-year-old driver from Chehalis was not injured but a trooper took over because of the possible involvement of alcohol, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, violation of protection order, drug arrests for which information is not readily available from law enforcement; responses for alarms, disputes, apparent computer scammer on the phone … and more.

Updated at 5:25 p.m.

STEALING GAS IN THE NIGHT

• Chehalis police were called to an auto dealer’s business on the 2500 block of North National Avenue yesterday morning regarding the discovery someone during the night had tried to steal gasoline by cutting fuel lines on seven vehicles. The loss is estimated at as much as $1,500, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Earlier, police were called about fuel drained from the tank of a rental car at the 500 block of East Summa Street in Centralia when a line was cut.

UNRULY INDIVIDUALS

• Police arrested a 50-year-old old Centralia man last night after he allegedly dented a door with a bat at the 300 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia. David D. Nelson was cited for third-degree malicious mischief and then released, according to Centralia Police Department.

• A 32-year-old Centralia woman was jailed after she allegedly began breaking things and refused to leave a residence at the 300 block of West Magnolia Street in Centralia yesterday evening. Officers responding about 6:30 p.m. arrested Electra J. Swan for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest before booking her into the Lewis County Jail, according to Centralia Police Department.

PROWLING AROUND

• Chehalis police were called about 7:40 a.m. yesterday to the 100 block of Northeast Fair Oaks Terrace where someone had  rifled through two vehicles parked inside an unlocked garage during the night. Nothing appeared to be missing, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• An individual on the 100 block of Leona Drive in Chehalis woke up yesterday morning to discover the door to their sport utility vehicle ajar and change missing from the console. A neighbor’s vehicle was found partially open as well with a pack of cigarettes stolen, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

•  A 19-year-old Centralia resident was arrested for a warrant and possession of methamphetamine after contact with an officer about 9:50 p.m. yesterday at the 700 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia. Nathan A. Cheney was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report yesterday morning from the 700 block of M Street regarding two slashed tires and other damage done to a vehicle.

COLLISION

• A motorist was reportedly uninjured when they were knocked to the ground by their own vehicle as it rolled away from them yesterday morning at the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia. The vehicle rolled across the street and struck a building, causing minor damage,  according to Centralia Police Department.

LAYOFFS LIKELY AT CENTRALIA’S FIRE DEPARTMENT

• A significantly smaller budget for the coming year means Riverside Fire Authority likely will cut up to five personnel and lose a sixth position through attrition. The fire department that protects the city of Centralia and its surrounding area yesterday adopted a budget of about $3.9 million for 2014 compared with last year’s roughly $4.6 million, according to Chief Jim Walkowski. The abrupt and large drop in revenue comes from a massive decrease in the assessed value of TransAlta’s power plant, according to the chief. Walkowski said the department previously understood the Washington State Department of Revenue would be depreciating the value of the facility – in anticipation of its 2020 closure – more gradually. The organization currently operates with a chief, two assistant chiefs, the equivalent of three office staff and 27 firefighters, several of whom are paramedics as well, along with its volunteers. During the next 45 days, RFA will be addressing the impacts more specifically and keep the community updated, according to a news release this morning.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence; responses for alarms, other misdemeanor theft, possible large dollar amount theft of gift cards, request to check on a person tweaking outside a convenience store … and more.

Updated at 4:39 p.m.

FIRE CHASES ONALASKA FAMILY FROM HOME

• Firefighters spent about three hours last night chasing flames up through the walls and into the attic of an older two-story house in Onalaska. Crews called about 10:40 p.m. to the 200 block of Railroad Avenue found a smoke alarm had alerted the resident and his children who got themselves outside, according to Lewis County Fire District 1.  The original brick and mortar chimney had been enclosed at some point over the years, Chief Mark Conner said. “It looked like it had been burning round the chimney for sometime before it broke through,” Conner said. Nobody was hurt, he said, and the owner later found the pet cat hiding inside the house. The actual fire damage was limited to the areas around the chimney, according to Conner.

NEIGHBOR STOPS ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN

• A Centralia resident was awakened about 11:45 p.m. yesterday when two males broke a window trying to get into the home on the 200 block of North Buckner Street and were chased off by a neighbor. They didn’t get inside but also had tried to kick a door in before fleeing in a silver car, according to the Centralia Police Department. Sgt. Brian Warren said he didn’t know what their intent might have been. The case is under investigation, according to police.

CHASE LEADS OUT WINDOW

• A Centralia police officer who chased a subject who fled a home through a broken window last night sustained several minor cuts to his hands, according to police. Officers were at the residence on the 700 block of North Tower Avenue about 11:30 p.m. looking for someone with a warrant when 27-year-old Kevin B. Kempf dived out the window and an officer followed, according to police. Kempf was apprehended in the yard and booked into the Lewis County Jail for resisting arrest, according to Sgt. Brian Warren.

THEFT

• Someone broke into an equipment yard on the 300 block of Hamilton Road south of Chehalis over the weekend and carted away about $3,500 of items including two radiators and some aluminum, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It happened sometime after 4 p.m. on Friday and 7:30 a.m. on Monday, according to the sheriff’s office.

DRUGS

• Centralia police responding about 3:40 p.m. yesterday to the 1200 block of Alder Street about two individuals hanging out for more than an hour in vehicle in the parking lot found the two men fighting and subsequently arrested them for drugs. Vincent B. Fulginiti, 41, was arrested for possession of heroin and Kevin A. Dawkins, 24, was arrested for possession of heroin and methamphetamine, according to the Centralia Police Department. The Chehalis resident were booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. Fulginiti was to be released from jail without charges pending further investigation.

• A 28-year-old Chehalis man was arrested by Centralia police about 7 a.m. yesterday for allegedly driving under the influence of an unspecified drug and leaving the scene of an accident. The arrest in connection with the 900 block of E Street in Centralia resulted in Joshua K. Roberts getting booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Police were called about 9 p.m. yesterday about a pair of car prowls that had just occurred at the 100 block of Northeast Sky Lane in Chehalis. An officer contacted a male who was attempting to locate the suspect and a K-9 track was conducted without success, according to the Chehalis Police Department. A purse was taken from car and some items were recovered in a parking lot, Officer Linda Bailey said.

• Centralia police responded about 7 p.m. yesterday regarding a vehicle prowl at the 400 block of West Main Street in which a window was broken out and a purse taken from the front seat.

VANDALISM

• Someone broke several windows out of a car during the night that was parked on the 300 block of West Magnolia Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday morning.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants; responses for disorderliness, dispute, suspected exchange of stolen merchandise for gift cards, minor collisions such as vehicle into a ditch, deer stopping in front of a moving car in the middle of a road … and more.