Lewis County Sirens.com

Courtesy photo by Gharrett Lamping

Updated at 11:15 a.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters are on the scene this morning at the vacant Riverside Motel on Harrison Avenue near Bridge Street in Centralia across from the Goodwill.

Crews called just before 2 a.m. found heavy fire in the northwest portion of the single story buildings.

Riverside Fire Authority was joined by the Chehalis Fire Department and members of West Thurston Regional Fire Authority out of Rochester.

Assistant Chief Rick Mack said at about 10:45 a.m., they are continuing to put out hot spots and conducting overhaul with the help of an excavator.

“We are doing that rather carefully because we had reports transients were living here and they are unaccounted for,” Mack said.

A homeless person told authorities they brought dinner to one inhabitant there last night and he and police are currently trying to locate him, Mack said. They are also trying to find a second male believed to have been staying there, he said.

The property has long been vacant and was on track to be demolished for development, Mack said. It had a fire three or four years ago, one in which a cause was never determined, he said

It’s owned by a Centralia woman, who is in the process of selling it, he said.

Harrison Avenue was closed but has been reopened.

One firefighter was injured with a laceration to their hand, and was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital where they were treated and have been released.

More than 20 firefighters operated together until getting control of the blaze about 6:45 a.m., according to the fire department. Mack said two of three mobile structures separate from the original building were destroyed. Each held eight motel rooms, he said.

Crews will remain there today sifting through the debris as they look for the cause, according to Mack.

Update at 2:15 p.m.: The fire department is done for the day there. They did not find any body amongst the rubble. And it’s not safe enough to continue at the site in their effort to determine the cause, according to Mack.

Courtesy photo by Gharrett Lamping

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Courtesy photo by Gharrett Lamping

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Remains of two of the sections from the northwest corner of the single-story complex are strewn about after they burned and were sifted through with an excavator.

Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield will retire from law enforcement at the end of this year.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield announced to his employees yesterday he will retire at the end of the year, telling them the last time he ran for office, he knew it would probably be his final four years.

Mansfield, 56, said part of it was for his family.

“It’s not good, it’s not bad, it is what it is,” he said. “I’ll miss all of you.”

The rural Winlock resident was first elected in 2005, after being appointed almost a year earlier to fill out the term of former Sheriff John McCroskey.

His words came yesterday afternoon at the sheriff’s office annual gathering to recognize and reward exemplary performance. The meeting was held at Bethel Church of the Assemblies of God in Napavine.

The final honor he bestowed was one of his engraved coins he handed to his wife, Jill Mansfield who joined him on the stage in the large chapel.

“You don’t sit in this chair and deal with what you deal with and come out alright without someone like this,” he said.

With sometimes unconcealed emotion, Mansfield shared his shifted view of their law enforcement role as warriors to that of guardians of the community.

Mansfield recounted to the group the four days in December some of them spent in a standoff with a suicidal and mentally ill young man in Winlock. He commended Deputy Chris Ruben for the compassion he showed the parents, who sent a card saying they knew all did their best, even though their son shot himself.

Mansfield said while their organization has faced challenges, he feels that together they have made a positive difference in each others lives and in the community.

“You are the protectors, you are the ones that people call when there’s no one else to call,” he said. “Thank you all for an interesting, sometimes painful, and all in all very rewarding ride.”

Mansfield, whose law enforcement career began at the sheriff’s office in the early 1980s, rose to the top among four members of the office who sought the appointment after McCroskey stepped down in mid-term.

A Republican, he won the office again in 2006, but in 2010, one of his sergeant’s, Ken Cheeseman, made a strong showing, following a controversy over Mansfield’s handling of a runaway case involving the teenage girlfriend of his son.

He said he’s unaware of anyone other than Rob Snaza, another one of his sergeants, planning to run for sheriff in November.

Among the honors Mansfield presented before making his announcement was a meritorious service medal to detective Bruce Kimsey for working the decades old Maurin murder case like a puzzle and helping gain a conviction last fall.

He gave four individuals a Guardian Award, which replaced his previous Warrior of the Year Award. They are Deputy Sue Shannon, Sgt. Snaza, Jail Chief Kevin Hanson and Lisa Arthur who works with the sex offender registration.

Also named employees of the year for 2013, were the following:

• Operations Bureau: Deputy Tim English
• Support staff: Kari Lupo
• Corrections Bureau: Daniel Spanski-Dreffin

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An attempt was made to settle their differences through mediation but instead, Lewis County and the family of the unarmed man fatally shot by a deputy in Napavine two and half years ago will meet up in federal court.

The trial is on track to begin the end of this month in Tacoma in the case involving Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Matthew McKnight and the death of 33-year-old Steven V. Petersen.

Steven V. Petersen

An attorney representing Petersen’s family claims that despite the fact backup was mere seconds away, the deputy made a reckless decision to engage in an unnecessary confrontation.

The attorney representing the county and McKnight called the claims baseless when the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in October 2012. Michael A. Patterson stated McKnight made the split-second decision to shoot out of fear for the safety of himself and neighboring residents during a rapidly unfolding situation.

It happened on June 20, 2011 in Napavine, when police and deputies responded to an approximately 2 a.m. call that Petersen left stab holes in the door of his ex-girlfriend’s mobile home while trying to get inside and then left on foot.

Deputy McKnight found Petersen a few blocks away, got out of his patrol car and after Petersen refused to take his hand out of his pocket and began to charge McKnight, the deputy fired four shots, according to the account given by local authorities. Petersen had no knife.

The Napavine resident left behind a 10-year-old son.

The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages, but the claim that preceded it asked for as much as $10 million.

Lewis County RIsk Manager Paulette Young said the two sides met with a mediator in early January in an attempt to avoid a trial. The effort was mandated by the court, according to Young.

Still to be decided by a judge is a motion for a summary judgement which, if the county prevails, would mean dismissal of the case.

“We’re moving forward as if there is going to be a trial, because we have to prepare for it,” Young said yesterday.

It’s scheduled to begin Feb. 24 and run for seven to 10 days.

McKnight, who had been with the sheriff’s office a little more than four years, was cleared by an internal review and the county prosecutor concluded his use of deadly force was justified, based on an investigation conducted by outside law enforcement officers.

Last year, McKnight took a job with the Chehalis Police Department.

Yesterday, Young approached the Lewis County Board of Commissioners to request the county pay his wages while he attends the trial because he has no time built up with the city.

The amount would go toward the county’s deductible for its liability insurance with Washington Counties Risk Pool, she said.

The suit names Lewis County and former Deputy McKnight. It was filed by the father of the deceased, Steven O. Peterson as representative of the estate and on behalf of the younger Petersen’s son.

The plaintiffs are represented by John R. Connelly Jr. of the firm, Connelly Law Offices in Tacoma.

The Seattle law firm of Patterson, Buchanan, Fobes, Leitch and Kalzer represents the defendants.

Patterson said in a news release previously that McKnight properly complied with sheriff’s office policies and procedures, which provided adequate guidance.

Attorneys for the Petersens said when the suit was filed their investigation would focus on the sheriff’s office training, supervision and decision-making in the field when using deadly force.

They called it a ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ approach to law enforcement.

The jury trial will be presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald B. Leighton.
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For background, read “Multi-million dollar lawsuit coming in deputy-involved shooting in Napavine” from Wednesday June 6, 2012, here