Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Chehalis father accused of writing himself some $8,000 in checks from the W.F. West High School’s senior class fund went before a judge today and pleaded not guilty.

Robert N. Downs Jr. remains free on his personal recognizance but was ordered to visit the jail to get his finger prints and picture taken.

Downs, 43, hired Centralia attorney David Arcuri to represent him. He was charged last month with first-degree theft and 14 counts of forgery.

The Chehalis Police Department began investigating in January following a complaint from students’ parents the account had less money in it than they thought there ought to be.

The fund comes from a a tradition of adults collectively fundraising during their children’s high school years to pay for graduation-related activities.

When Chehalis police announced their findings in March, they indicated only that $8,200 was taken out and that Downs’ wife, who was in charge of the account, replaced the missing money after she learned of the losses.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer wrote in charging documents an analysis is being conducted on the bank records to determine how much, if any, additional money is missing.  His office is still looking into that, Meyer said today.

Downs was charged on April 30, the same day he was served his summons at his workplace, Green Hill School, the state juvenile corrections facility for boys in Chehalis.

It’s not clear what his job is there or if he is still employed.

Charging documents allege Downs wrote checks between June and August of last year in amounts ranging from $275 to $850. The total is $8,075, according to the court documents. Prosecutors state he forged his wife’s name.

Charging documents don’t offer any indication of what he may have spent the money on.

Downs sat to the right of his attorney this morning in the Chehalis courtroom, sporting slacks, a dress shirt and tie.

Arcuri told the judge he didn’t think it was necessary in the conditions of release order to restrict his client’s travel. His family has a sports tournament in Idaho in June, Arcuri said.

Meyer said the pre-trial limitation to Western Washington is typical.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey ordered Downs not to go outside Washington, Oregon or Idaho.

Meyer said outside the courtroom it doesn’t change the fact of a theft – under Washington state law – even if all the money was put back in the account.

“So, can I take $10,000 from your account, and put it back when I get caught?” he asked by way of an illustration.

Meyer contended the funds were not returned to the account until after questions were being asked.

A trial date was set for the week of August 5.

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For background read “High school senior class fund in Chehalis under scrutiny” from Tuesday March 19, 2013 at 9:45 p.m., here

Jerrell S. Redmill, right, listens as defense attorney Bob Schroeter speaks on his behalf in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 54-year-old Kelso husband who until recently was employed was driving a gold Chrysler PT Cruiser like the one which pulled out of the front parking lot at Chase Bank in Chehalis after it was robbed.

When law enforcement officers stopped Jerrell S. Redmill’s car on Interstate 5 near Kelso about 30 minutes later, and patted him down, money was falling out of his shorts pockets, dropping onto the ground.

“He didn’t run or fight,” Chehalis Police Department detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said.

He asked to speak with an attorney.

Redmill was in Lewis County Superior Court today, charged with first-degree robbery for yesterday afternoon’s events at the bank on South Market Boulevard.

He doesn’t have any criminal history, Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead told the judge.

In the benches behind him were his wife, grown daughter and another family member. The longtime Cowlitz County resident owns a home worth about $100,000, defense attorney Bob Schroeter said. He collects about $1,000 a month from unemployment, according to Schroeter.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey set his bail at $100,000.

It was a casual and quiet holdup, according to Wilson.

Court documents say the teller told police she watched an older man enter the bank, pace back and forth for a short period of time in the lobby, and then approach her counter and hand her a note.

He was wearing a baseball cap and dark glasses.

She handed over about $1,000 in $20s, $10s and $1 bills, according to charging documents. He took the cash and the note then walked out.

Wilson said it was a good description given by employees and the manager running over to look out the window to see the car, along with a sheriff’s detective being in the right place at the right time that brought it all together so quickly.

“We relayed that (information) to all the officers in the area,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the PT Cruiser was first spotted by the sheriff’s detective who was driving an unmarked car near milepost 68, the U.S. Highway 12 interchange. But it took time for enough officers to catch up to make a safe traffic stop, he said.

Redmill was pulled over and arrested near milepost 42.

According to charging documents, the cash that fell onto the ground totaled $775. When the car was searched, $270 was found on the driver’s side floor.

In the driver’s pocket door was a note which read, “Give me all your money now!” according to the documents.

Police also collected a baseball cap from the car – blue with a white logo – that appeared to match what the robber was wearing in bank photos.

Charging documents state Redmill has charges from 1982 of criminal mischief and disorderliness.

He will return to court on another day to make his plea.

The same Chase Bank branch was robbed a little more than a year ago by two men who were captured less than 30 minutes later after a brief pursuit by a Centralia police officer and his police dog.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 54-year-old man was picked up on Interstate 5 just north of Kelso following a bank robbery in Chehalis this afternoon.

Police were called just before 3:30 p.m. to Chase Bank on the 600 block of South Market Boulevard. An employee told officers a man in his 50s handed a teller a note demanding money and left in a gold colored PT Cruiser, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

No weapon was displayed and nobody was injured, according to police.

Shortly after the 911 call, a Lewis County sheriff’s detective spotted a vehicle and driver matching the given description traveling southbound on the freeway, police stated in a news release. The car was stopped near milepost 42 and police concluded he was their suspect.

The suspect is identified by police as Jerrell S. Redmill, 54, of Kelso, according to police. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree robbery.

How much money was stolen or if it was recovered was not reported by police.

The same bank was robbed in March of last year, by a pair of local men who got away briefly with less than $2,500 from Chase, moments after a failed attempt at the nearby Twin Star Credit Union – which keeps no cash in its drawers.