Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

November 27th, 2013

DOMESTIC INCIDENT

• Officers called about 8:30 p.m. yesterday to the 900 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia found a male whose had was cut from trying to take a knife from his girlfriend and arrested both for violating anti-harassment orders which were in place against each other, according to the Centralia Police Department. Police say Donald K. Gould, 56, was also booked for misdemeanor assault because he got angry and struck her in the head. Toni J. Lovato, 48, was cited and released, according to police.

INJURY ASSAULT

• Chehalis police were called about 1 p.m. yesterday to Green Hill School regarding an assault that sent  a 16-year-old student-inmate to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The suspect is a 20-year-old resident at the state juvenile incarceration facility on Southwest 11th Street, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The case is still under investigation, according to police.

SEXUAL ASSAULT

• A 20-year-old Centralia resident was arrested for second-degree rape yesterday following an ongoing investigation by the Centralia Police Department. Christopher T. Morrison was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

AUTO PART CUT FROM VEHICLE

• Centralia police were contacted yesterday by an individual who said the catalytic converter was stolen from their vehicle while at church Sunday on the 1100 block of West First Street.

IDENTITY THEFT

• An unknown person reportedly used the name and social security number belonging to a 15-year-old to obtain work in Puyallup, according to a report made to police from the 1000 block of Scammon Creek Road in Centralia yesterday.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants; responses for alarms, collisions, shopping cart in Wal-Mart parking lot striking a vehicle, chicken running loose near a parking lot, barking dogs … and more.

Read about Toledo child neglect case leads to suit against DSHS …

November 27th, 2013

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Kirotv.com reports a lawsuit has been filed against the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services on behalf of two Lewis County girls claiming the agency failed to stop years of abuse and neglect by their mother despite repeated warnings.

News reporter Kevin McCarty writes DSHS received two dozen reports over a period of six or seven years but allowed the children to stay with their mother Theresa Hutton at the rural property where she took in dozens of dogs, cats and horses.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2007 after a highly contagious disease prompted authorities to euthanize more than 40 dogs, and the eldest child at age 12 was found so malnourished she weighed only 60 pounds that the girls were removed from the Toledo area home to an aunt and uncle’s care.

The mother was convicted in 2009 of second-degree criminal mistreatment and sentenced to four years in prison.

Read about it here

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

November 26th, 2013

MAN SHOOTING UP HOUSE DRAWS POLICE

• Deputies were called about 3:40 p.m. yesterday to a residence on the 400 block of Blanchard Road outside Centralia where a 47-year-old resident had allegedly fired several shots inside the home including at a television and a mirror as well as allegedly struck his fiancee in the face leaving bruises. Darrin Corson was taken into custody and booked into the Lewis County Jail for reckless endangerment and fourth-degree assault, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Rob Snaza said he didn’t know what Corson was upset about but that he had been drinking.

ALLEGED BREAK-IN PLAN THWARTED BY SWAT TEAM

• A 21-year-old soldier and his wife from Lacey were intercepted by a SWAT team as they exited Interstate 5 suspected to be on their way to an planned burglary of a home in rural Chehalis Friday afternoon. According to authorities, the individual asked to be their getaway driver was a confidential informant working with a detective at the Centralia Police Department, who told the detective of the plan earlier this month. Their target was a house on the 200 block of Hewitt Road east of town, believed to have cash and other valuables and owned by a former employer of the wife, according to charging documents. Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Rob Snaza said it was about 4 p.m. when law enforcement stopped their car at the intersection of Maurin and Rush roads. Jason R. Stephens, 21, Catherine E. Stephens, 21, Lacey, were booked into the Lewis County Jail and charged yesterday with attempted residential burglary. Their car was to be subjected to a search, Snaza said this morning, presumably to look for the gloves they said they brought to avoid leaving finger prints and the 9 mm handgun they may have brought along. They each were allowed to be released from jail on $5,000 unsecured bonds.

OTHER THEFT

• Someone stole an $8,000 40 hp Briggs and Stratton motor from a fertilizer trailer off the end of Coleman Road outside Toledo, according to a report made yesterday to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It disappeared from the piece of farm equipment sometime in the previous two weeks, the sheriff’s office was told.

• Police were called about 4:30 p.m. yesterday to the 600 block of Centralia College Boulevard about an iPad and a debit card theft. Someone attempted to use the card minutes after stealing it but were unsuccessful, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A deputy took a report yesterday of more than $5,000 worth of items such as light fixtures, carpets and window trim removed from a bank-owned vacant home on the 1200 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Ethel. It occurred sometime since November of last year, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A couple in their early 40s were arrested for misdemeanor theft yesterday evening at the 200 block of North Railroad Avenue in Centralia after they allegedly jumped onto an Amtrak train without paying for tickets. Raul Marques, 42, from Alaska, and Kristi M. Servanty, 42, from Seattle, were booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with an officer about 7:15 p.m., according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• Centralia police arrested a 21-year-old individual overnight for having hallucinogenic mushrooms. Kessler E. Mooney-Gregonis, from California, was booked into the Lewis County Jail after officers were called about 2 a.m. to a motel on 700 block of Harrison Avenue to remove some individuals, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespassing, responses for suspicious circumstances, fraudulent charges on a bank card, shoplifting and other misdemeanor theft, someone throwing a rock at a vehicle following an argument … and more.

News brief: Residence heavily damaged by fire south of Tumwater

November 26th, 2013
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Firefighters battle a blaze at a single-wide mobile home

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

West Thurston Regional firefighters called about 9 a.m. today to a burning home north of Littlerock found flames rolling out the front door and most of the windows but the three occupants safely outside.

Damage to the single-wide mobile home on the 7700 block of Prine Drive off Littlerock Road was extensive, according to Fire Chief Robert Scott.

Twenty members of four departments responded, including the Tumwater Fire Department as it was just south of their jurisdiction, Scott said.

Crews remain at the scene this morning investigating the cause, he said.

The residents were referred to the Red Cross for assistance, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. Scott said he was waiting to hear if two cats there turned up.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

November 25th, 2013

Updated at 7:03 p.m.

TV TAKEN FROM CENTRALIA BUSINESS

• An officer was called about noon yesterday to a business on the 1400 block of Gold Street in Centralia where someone had pried open the back door and stolen a flat screen television. The investigation is ongoing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BREAK-IN IN ADNA

• A deputy was called to a burglary at the 300 block of Penning Road on Friday evening in which someone stole more than $8,000 worth of jewelry from a home. The 63-year-old resident said it happened sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Among the missing items are gold and pearl rings, watches and bracelets, according to the sheriff’s office.

THEFT AT CHEHALIS HOME

• Chehalis police were called on Saturday morning about a $1,300 custom-made acoustic guitar stolen from a home on Southwest William Avenue. An officer was given a suspect’s name, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

STOLEN CHECK ARREST

• A 37-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested on Saturday for forgery and second-degree theft in connection with checks taken from the 100 block of Bear Cat Court outside Chehalis and written for more than $6,000 between July and October, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. April L. Busby was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

CREDIT CARD THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 7:30 p.m. yesterday regarding a wallet stolen sometime during the day and a missing credit card which was subsequently used in connection with the 1300 block of Lum Road.

FOOTWEAR LIFTED

• Centralia police were called about 5 p.m. on Friday to the 100 block of West High Street where they were told five subjects stole shoes from a business and jumped into a car that fled north on Interstate 5. Police got a license plate for the silver Dodge Charger and are following up, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BAD BILL

• Centralia police were called just after 7 p.m. yesterday about a counterfeit $100 bill being passed at a business on the 100 block of High Street.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Someone stole a backpack from a vehicle at Ellsbury and Mellen streets in Centralia, according to a report made to police on Saturday morning.

DRUGS
• A 28-year-old Centralia man was arrested for a warrant and possession of cocaine after contact with a police officer about 11 p.m. on Saturday at the 400 block of East Main Street in Centralia. Raul Gonzalez-Gomez was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Police were called just before 9 a.m. yesterday to the 600 block of West Pear Street in Centralia where someone had broken out the window of a home. It didn’t appear anyone went inside, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 15-year-old boy was arrested for third-degree malicious mischief after newly painted gang-type graffiti was discovered on Friday morning on a wall near the bus stop and public restroom at the 500 block of North Market Boulevard in Chehalis. The subject was contacted at the bus stop and found to have paint cans in a backpack, according to the Chehalis Police Department. He was cited and released and the case forwarded to prosecutors for further action, according to police.

FIRE WINLOCK

• Nobody was hurt and the damage was minor when a chimney fire ignited south of Winlock on Saturday morning. Firefighters called about 7:30 a.m. to the 100 block of Wepsala Road extinguished the fire in the unattached shop building, according to Lewis County Fire District 15. Assistant Chief Kevin Anderson said it appeared to have been caused by a failure in the chimney.

FIRE MORTON

• The cause of a Morton house fire that killed several pets last week remains unknown, according to Fire Investigator Jay Birley. Birley said the resident of the single-story home on the 600 block of Division Street left for work about 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and around noontime, a passerby reported smoke coming from the eaves. The blaze began in the living room and left smoke damage throughout the house, but it was as though it may have smoldered awhile before it took off, Birley said. The woman and her two daughters had just moved in to the remodeled residence about two weeks earlier, he said. Five cats and dogs lost their lives, according to Birley.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A 28-year-old Glenoma man was arrested over the weekend for an incident at a Morton tavern two weeks earlier in which he allegedly lifted another patron into the air upside down and slammed him head first onto the wooden floor. “He literally piles drives him head first into the floor,” Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead told the judge today recounting what he said he watched on the Bucksnort Pub’s security video. William K. Bloomstrom was arrested at his home on Friday for the Nov. 9 occurrence. He is charged in Lewis County Superior Court with second-degree assault of Donovan Griffin. Morton police said at the time the 23-year-old victim, also from Glenoma, sustained a concussion and was treated at Morton General Hospital. When police met up with Bloomstrom to arrest him, he told them he’d already spoken to the victim who didn’t want to press charges and also that he had offered to pay the medical bills. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail but made bail of $25,000 before his appearance before a judge today.

COLLISIONS

• A 22-year-old Winlock man was injured when a car driven by a 20-year-old Napavine woman skidded on a slick road and wrecked yesterday morning on state Route 6 near Curtis Hill Road. Troopers called about 8:15 a.m. found the Chevrolet Cavalier had hit the ditch and came to rest blocking the westbound lane, according to the Washington State Patrol. James L. Nelson was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital and Brittany D. Compton was cited for speeds too fast for conditions, according to the state patrol. A 3-year-old child who was restrained was uninjured, according to the investigating trooper. The car was towed.

• A 30-year-old Chehalis woman was reportedly uninjured when she lost control of her vehicle about 9 a.m. yesterday on the 300 block of Bunker Creek Road in Adna. The 2004 Isuzu Rodeo was southbound when it hit some ice, then the ditch and rolled onto its top, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, driving with suspended license, domestic misdemeanor assault, violation of protection order, driving under the influence; responses for alarms, dispute, collisons; complaints of male urinating on the side of a building at bar closing time, noisy neighbors … and more.

Maurin murder trial: Final judgement to be handed down early next month

November 23rd, 2013

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The sentencing for the man convicted in the 1985 abduction, robbery and murders of Ethel residents Ed and Minnie Maurin has been scheduled for the week after next.

Ricky A. Riffe, 55, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A jury in Lewis County Superior Court found him guilty as charged early this week.

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Ricky A. Riffe

The resident of King Salmon, Alaska has been held in the Lewis County Jail on $5 million bail since his arrest in July of last year.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said yesterday he is in the process of looking at the details of the laws from 1985 to calculate the standard sentencing range for Riffe’s case. However, since the jury found there were so-called aggravating factors –  vulnerable victims, deliberate cruelty and egregious lack of remorse – the judge will be free to give Riffe more than the top of the standard range.

Meyer said he already knows what he will recommend.

Ed, 81, and Minnie, 83, Maurin were found dead of shotgun wounds on a logging road near Adna on Christmas Eve morning in 1985, five days after they withdrew $8,500 in cash from their Chehalis bank and vanished.

Riffe and his brother John Gregory Riffe became suspects in the early 1990s. The younger brother died last year before he could be charged.

Riffe was convicted on Monday as the principal or an accomplice with one count of burglary, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of first-degree murder.

The former Mossyrock man still faces charges filed earlier this year alleging that in the mid-1980s, he raped and molested his then-9-year-old step-daughter. The allegations were first investigated in 1986 but no charges were filed until this past February.

Meyer has said new information came up during the Maurin investigation.

Riffe’s attorney called it a ploy to smear his client as he faced murder charges. The attorneys disagree as to whether the statute of limitations has passed.

That trial is scheduled for the week of Feb. 18.

Riffe’s sentencing for the Maurin case is set for 1 p.m. on Dec. 3 in Lewis County Superior Court.
•••

For background, read “”Attorneys dispute statute of limitations rules on surprise child sex charge for Maurin double murder defendant” Saturday February 23, 2013, here

Lewis County coroner at dead end locating family of deceased veteran

November 22nd, 2013

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Authorities are turning to the public for help to find the relatives of a Centralia man who died last month

Robert Aita, 63, passed away at Providence Centralia Hospital on Oct. 3 of natural causes, according to Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod.

Among his office’s responsibilities is notifying next-of-kin but so far, they have found none, according to McLeod.

“Everyone we have spoken to during our follow-up investigations who knew the decedent stated he never spoke of any family,” McLeod said in a news release.

The coroner indicates he’d rather not have someone read about the death of a loved one in the news media, but after conducting various unsuccessful searches, felt it was prudent.

Aita lived in Centralia with his girlfriend who also recently passed away, and a law enforcement database search turned up only his deceased wife Cynthia Aita, according to McLeod.

Some possibilities arose by looking at Facebook, including a Robert Aita Jr. but so far subjects contacted in Pennsylvania and Florida said he wasn’t their relation, according to the coroner.

Aita is a U.S. Army veteran, and if no family is located to claim his remains, he would be covered for burial under the Operation At Ease program established by the coroner’s office in 2011.

McLeod says they are developing information Aita may have come from Chicago and  was the son of a pediatrician. He’s learned the father and son founded a youth camp in East Troy, Wisconsin and is pursuing that lead.

McLeod asks anyone who may have known him who has any information regarding possible relatives of Aita to contact his office at 360-740-1376.