Posts Tagged ‘news reporter’

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Sunday, January 7th, 2018
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Near Schaefer Park Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority

CREW EXTINGUISHES BURNING RV

• Firefighters called at 12:25 a.m. today about a fifth-wheel trailer burning, possibly with someone inside, at the 800 block of state Route 507 north of Centralia knocked down the flames but found no victim. A fire investigator was called to the scene. The trailer was a complete loss, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

MUGGED IN CENTRALIA

• Police and aid were called about 1:30 p.m. on Friday after a 21-year-old reported he was headed to a pawn shop with some items when a male wearing brass knuckles hit him in the face and stole the items. It happened at Ash Street and Centralia College Boulevard, according to the Centralia Police Department. The injury was minor but police had not been able to contact the victim after he left the hospital to get a suspect description, police said yesterday morning.

THEFT, THEFT, THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 12:30 p.m. yesterday for a burglary to a shop at the 1200 block of West Chestnut Street. The lock was broken and stereo equipment was stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police were called about 3:50 p.m. yesterday to take a report of the theft of tools from a job site at the 2600 block of North Pearl Street.

• Two people were arrested for organized retail theft after police were called about 5:40 p.m. yesterday to the 1300 block of Lum Road in Centralia. Rachel C. Reyburn, 30, of Seattle and Armed A. Ovchiyan, 35, of Burien, were booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A 52-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after contact with police just before 1 p.m. yesterday at the 400 block of West Main Street in Centralia. Rodney D. Oleachea was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. A charge for third-degree driving with a suspended license was to be forwarded to prosecutors, according to police.

• Police were called just before 2 p.m. on Friday to the 800 block of Eshom Road in Centralia regarding a student who allegedly brought marijuana to school. A case is being referred to juvenile prosecutors for possession of marijuana, according to the Centralia Police Department.

INTRUDER

• Centralia police were called about 1:45 p.m. yesterday to take a report of someone entering a vacant house at the 500 block of Hillkress Street. It appeared someone had been staying there and consuming goods inside the home, as well as sealing unspecified items, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A black Dodge pickup was found crashed and abandoned about 2:40 a.m. on Saturday at Marion and Golds streets in Centralia. It was towed from the scene, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, obstructing, warrants, obstructing, fourth-degree assault, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, shoplifting, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft … and more among 320 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 48-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Divorce drama brings felony criminal charge for cop’s ex

Saturday, January 6th, 2018
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Tami McGinty appears before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Chehalis area woman was jailed this week for allegedly demanding property she believed she should have been awarded in divorce proceedings from her ex-husband, a law enforcement officer, and telling him she’d “hate” to turn him in to internal affairs at his workplace.

Tami McGinty, 42, was charged yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court with second-degree extortion as well as a violation of a civil anti-harassment order.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer told a judge the order had been served in November out of Lewis County District and McGinty violated it the same day.

“After that, she escalates her conduct,” Meyer said.

Charging papers in the case state the court order allowed contact via text message regarding the children.

Chehalis police were called just after 9 a.m. on Tuesday to the 300 block of West Main Street where the ex-husband reported she had been repeatedly violating the order.

Among the text messages shown to police were ones in which she suggested she wanted a table, her dog and then a riding lawn mower, according to the documents.

“Because I know a LOT. So do the right thing and bring them to us,” McGinty allegedly texted.

When Chehalis officers contacted McGinty on Thursday, she reportedly said their child was mentioned in a text exchange so it wasn’t a violation.

She denied threatening to contact internal affairs, but then indicated she was “giving notice” about being honest on paperwork, Prosecutor Meyer wrote in charging documents. She was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge Andrew Toynbee yesterday afternoon imposed a no contact order. Defense attorney Kevin Nelson was appointed to represent McGinty.

Her arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 18.

Salkum fire chief puts out fire at his own house

Friday, January 5th, 2018
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Electrical outlet and the plug in Pest Repeller which burned, along with another Pest Repeller. / Courtesy photo by Duran McDaniel

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – When he and his wife saw smoke coming out from under the kitchen sink, fortunately he knew what to do, but more importantly they had a fire extinguisher handy.

Lewis County Fire District 8 Chief Duran McDaniel said luckily, they happened to be home when it happened, or it may have ended differently.

“I grabbed an extinguisher, got in there, got it out and shut off the power,” McDaniel said.

They called 911 shortly after 11 o’clock yesterday morning and the fire crew arrived to their home on Gore Road north of Salkum.

What happened was about five years ago, the McDaniels got an electronic device called Pest Repeller that emits a tone of some sort to keep mice away, McDaniel said. His wife plugged it into an outlet beneath the sink, he said.

And then they forgot about it, he said.

They disassembled the electrical outlet to examine the area. McDaniel said it didn’t spread beyond the device and outlet and into the wall, only because the two were home to catch onto it immediately.

The chief said it is a good reminder of just how valuable keeping a fire extinguisher in a home can be. He’s definitely not going to plug the rodent repeller back under the sink, where it’s out of sight, he said.

He recalled responding to a wall fire in the recent past that appeared to have been ignited from a cell phone charger plugged into an outlet. He said his neighbor, who works for an insurance company, told him she had been seeing claims for similar problems stemming from plug in air fresheners.

It’s probably a good idea to pay some attention to the various devices we plug in at home, the chief said.

“I guess we ought to check them every once in awhile to see how warm they are,” McDaniel said. “And replace them every once in while.”

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Friday, January 5th, 2018
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•••

Updated at 2:21 p.m.

BURGLARY CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police responded about 5:10 a.m. today to a coffee stand on the 700 block of West Main Street which had been burglarized during the night. Someone broke a window to get inside and it appeared cash was stolen, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called just before 8 a.m. yesterday about a theft from a storage unit at the 200 block of Southwest Alfred Street in which a child’s green electric-powered scooter was stolen.

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police were called just after 7 o’clock this morning to take a report of the theft of a blue 2017 Subaru Outback from the 700 block of F Street. The car went missing between 10 p.m. yesterday and 6:45 a.m. today, according to the Centralia Police Department. A spare key to the Subaru and a purse had been removed from another vehicle on the property, according to police.

DRUGS

• A 37-year-old Chehalis area woman was arrested for possession of methamphetamine when a glass smoking device with residue was located as she was detained for driving with a suspended license following a traffic stop just before 11 p.m. yesterday at South Tower Avenue and Summa Street in Centralia. Georgia J. Zillyette was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, third-degree theft, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, physical control of motor vehicle while under the influence, driving without required ignition interlock device; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, trespassing,  vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft, unfounded report … and more among 137 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Theft charge filed for alleged misappropriation by volunteer firefighter

Thursday, January 4th, 2018

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 25-year-old Mineral resident has been charged with  alleged misuse of a fire department department gas card while he was a volunteer firefighter.

Brady J. Mounce was summonsed into Lewis County Superior Court and appeared before a judge yesterday afternoon.

Temporary defense attorney Rachael Tiller said her client works as a farm hand and his earnings indicated he was eligible for a court appointed lawyer.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer requested Mounce’s bail be set with a $10,000 unsecured bond and Judge Joely O’Rourke agreed.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said this summer a detective investigated after a Washington State Auditor’s Office report came back showing misappropriation of fuel from Lewis County Fire District 9 in Mineral. Mounce was a volunteer and his father was fire chief.

In June, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said the information showed some of the activity occurred in the Morton area and some in Eatonville. Theft charges were filed in Pierce County, Breen said.

Lewis County prosecutors filed a charge of second-degree theft against Mounce on Dec. 5.

The affidavit regarding probable cause states the issue arose at the Jan. 24, 2016 fire commissioner’s meeting after the acting fire chief scrutinized a fuel bill from Stanley’s Oil Company and found Mounce’s use of the card did not match the run sheets. The matter was forwarded to the state auditor.

Sheriff’s detective Gene Seiber spoke with a fire commissioner who said she had recently resigned because of the issue.

Seiber wrote in his police report that the auditor’s findings showed Mounce made 20 purchases of fuel at Stanley’s Petroleum in Morton, totaling $1,503.12.

The time period of the activity is shown as three years during 2013, 2014, 2015 and through Jan. 1, 2016.

Detective Seiber spoke with the acting chief who told him Mounce had admitted to the “whole thing” in both counties, but when Seiber attempted to talk with Mounce, Mounce denied doing anything in Morton, according to charging documents.

After his court hearing yesterday, outside the courtroom, Mounce said he didn’t have any comment about his case. He will be represented by Centralia attorney David Brown.

His arraignment is scheduled for next Thursday.
•••

For background, read “News brief: Mineral Fire Department audit shows fuel misappropriation” from Wednesday June 14, 2017, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Thursday, January 4th, 2018
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•••

PHONE STOLEN

• Jason A. Landry, 40, of Centralia was arrested for second-degree robbery after police were called about 9:20 a.m. yesterday to Harrison Avenue and First Street in Centralia. Landry was was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. The incident reportedly involved a phone and a shove, police indicated.

FRAUD

• A Chehalis resident on Southwest 16th Street called police yesterday evening to report the discovery of fraudulent charges on her credit card and that she needed a case number for her bank, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Centralia police were called about 9:35 p.m. yesterday to take a report that a wallet was stolen from a vehicle and a credit card it contained was used at an ATM a short time later. The case is associated with the 2200 block of Cooks Hill Road, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Police were called just after noon on Monday to the 100 block of Engle Drive in Mossyrock by an individual who said she discovered more than $900 had been wrongfully charged to her credit card.

MISSING MAIL

• Centralia police were called about 7:50 a.m. yesterday regarding the theft of mail from the 700 block of West Third Street.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report just before 8 a.m. yesterday about a sign on the 400 block of East Summa Street getting spay painted during the night.

UNHAPPY NEW YEAR

• A 22-year-old Randle resident was arrested after police were called about 2 a.m. on Monday to the 400 block of First Street in Morton where a resident said he woke up to a stranger urinating in his driveway and then wanting to come inside. The suspect reportedly told an officer he was told he could crash at the home because he was intoxicated, according to the Morton Police Department. Mark D. John was booked into the Lewis County Jail for causing a breach of public peace, according to police.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports seven deputies conducted a traffic emphasis on Jackson Highway in Chehalis between 3 p.m. and midnight on Saturday issuing 44 warnings and three infractions as well as finding one person wanted on an outstanding warrant and two drivers with suspended licenses.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, fourth-degree assault; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, trespassing, hit and run, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor assault, third-degree theft, protection order violation … and more among 163 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Caretaker who spent deceased client’s money headed to prison

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Winlock woman who admitted to second-degree theft from the estate of an individual she was a caretaker for was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison.

The attorney for Aurora S. Fulmer, who also uses the last name of Contreras, hoped to persuade a judge to impose a parenting sentencing alternative, but Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler said no.

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Aurora S. Fulmer

Fulmer was arrested in June following an investigation by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, after the estranged daughter of a Centralia woman who died found Fulmer at her mother’s home and discovered she had taken over bank accounts.

The sheriff’s office initially suggested Fulmer wrongfully withdrew more than $43,000 from two of the woman’s accounts.

But Fulmer, 34, pleaded guilty in November to one count of second-degree theft (more than $750 but less than $5,000) and three counts of second-degree identity theft in a plea deal with prosecutors.

Defense attorney Shane O’Rourke pitched what he called a pretty elaborate program of supervision and said it included being sent to prison if she failed to comply. He called it a complicated case, for the mother of six who had gotten clean and is working full time.

“There was some indication my client made arrangements to have some of the money in exchange for taking care of her,” O’Rourke said. “She did take care of her for a significant time

“But that’s irrelevant, it would still be a crime for her to rifle through the money like this without probate.”

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joel DeFazio said the state opposed the sentencing alternative.

The deceased woman’s daughter told the judge the past year has been a nightmare and she didn’t want anyone else to have to deal with what she had to.

Fulmer told the judge she understood better the stress she put the woman’s daughter through, after hearing her speak in court.

Judge Lawler ordered Fulmer directly into custody from the hearing.
•••

For background, read “Caretaker who spent deceased client’s money pleads guilty” from Friday November 10, 2017, here