Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office says an internal investigation into whether a jail guard had an inappropriate relationship with an inmate is nearing its end, although the corrections officer has turned in his resignation.

Jamie Rees, who had worked at the Lewis County Jail a little more than a year, was placed on paid administrative leave in early August, according to the sheriff’s office. He quit about a week later, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

“We were unable to find evidence he was involved with her while she was in the jail,” Brown said.

However, after the inmate’s release, the sheriff’s office concluded through surveillance of Rees’ home in Centralia that the woman was living with him, Brown said.

Corrections officers and other employees of the sheriff’s office, are prohibited by policy from having relationships with known felons, according to Brown. Such conduct jeopardizes the jail, the sheriff’s office and the employee, she said.

Rees, 32, resigned when confronted, according to Brown.

The former inmate – a 24-year-old Centralia woman – was sentenced in February to six months in jail in connection with a bar fight a month earlier in which she stabbed another woman who attacked her, reportedly with a pair of brass knuckles. She had no prior felonies.

The initial complaint came not from the young woman, but from an anonymous source, according to Brown.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A worker at Jack-in-the-Box in Chehalis was robbed of a bank bag this morning and police have yet to find the thief.

Officers called about 9 a.m. to the 100 block of Interstate Avenue near the freeway learned the manager was out back when she was confronted by a man in his late 20s, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

“The dude stepped out from behind a bush, grabbed the bag and ran,” detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said.

The woman was unhurt, he said.

A track was conducted a with a police dog, but was unsuccessful, he said.

The man was wearing a dark hoodie and described only as a white male wearing a dark hoodie, according to Wilson. The bank deposit bag contained only about $300, according to police.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 19-year-old Silver Creek resident is listed in serious condition this afternoon following a wreck last night in which his Ford Bronco ran off state Route 508 and into a tree.

Troopers called about 8:30 p.m. to the scene approximately two miles west of Onalaska found the vehicle was totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol. Cody G. Birdwell was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital and then transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with his injuries, according to the state patrol.

According to the investigating trooper, Birdwell was eastbound and traveling too fast when he lost control of his 1984 Bronco and served off the road. Defective tires contributed as well, according to the trooper.

Also yesterday, a 35-year-old Chehalis man was going too fast when he took the southbound Interstate 5 offramp at milepost 71 near Napavine, left the roadway to the right and came to rest in the ditch.

A trooper called about 10:50 p.m. reports Jared N. Collins was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital and then on to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. His GMC pickup was damaged and towed; Collins faces a charge of driving under the influence, according to the trooper.

And two women were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital following an approximately 5:15 p.m. wreck on the 400 block of Coal Creek Road in Chehalis. Firefighters responding to the scene found a van on its side, according to Lewis County Fire District 6.

One of the occupants was more seriously injured than the other, according to Firefighter Kyle Eiswald.
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CORRECTION: This news item has been updated to reflect the correct title for Firefighter Kyle Eiswald.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A powerful and damaging windstorm forecast for tonight is expected to make landfall much farther north but could bring gusts of up to 55 mph to the areas around Centralia and Olympia.

Also, several inches of rain are expected to drive the Newaukum River in Lewis County and the Skokomish River in Mason County above flood stage tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

The wind advisory and flood warning were issued around noon today. This is round two of weekend bad weather.

Winds in the local area could blow 20 to 35 mph, with the strongest expected this evening, according to the weather service.

Minor flooding is predicted with many roads and areas around the Newaukum and its forks to become inundated with water. The Newaukum River should crest about 11 a.m. tomorrow, about one foot above flood stage, according to the forecasters.

A flood watch was put into place through tomorrow morning for the lower Chehalis River in Thurston and Grays Harbor counties.

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Also, watch for up-to-the-minute reports from your neighbors around greater Lewis County on Lewis County Siren’s Facebook page.