Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 7:52p.m.

CLEAN A CHIMNEY, SAVE A HOUSE

• Since this is the time of year when folks start firing up their wood stoves and fireplaces to keep warm, Riverside Fire Authority is taking the opportunity to remind the public that chimneys should be inspected and cleaned at least once a year. “You get a lot of soot build up,” Fire Capt. Erik Olson said. Just yesterday evening, crews were summoned to a house on the 200 block of North Rock Street in Centralia when a passerby noticed flames above a chimney, Olson said. The fire was basically out, but firefighters had to douse a roof beam which had ignited and was left charred, Olson said. A similar incident occurred in Morton less than two hours later. In that case on Westlake Avenue, firefighters found smoke but only had to unclog the chimney, according to Lewis County Fire District 4.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE

• Chehalis police were called to Northwest Chehalis Avenue yesterday afternoon about a suspicious manila envelope filled with papers left outside Security State Bank. A similar package was found this morning at the farm store on Main Street. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said the writings inside of it make no sense, as though perhaps someone with some type of mental disorder is accusing someone else of doing something. The documents were not threatening, WIlson said.

COMPUTER HACKED

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning to the home of a woman in her 20s on Southwest 11th Street who said someone hacked into her computer. Detective Sgt. Gary WIlson said it began with a phone call earlier that day from someone who said they were from Microsoft and then a link to click on, a request for her password and then her computer froze up. There was nothing he could do for her except advise her in the future not to give out that kind of information to anyone who makes the initial approach with any kind of pitch.

THEFT

• Police responded yesterday morning to the 1400 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia where someone had cut through a fence to steal recycled batteries. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Someone stole tires and various car parts from the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

• Centralia police were called about 3:45 p.m. yesterday to take a report of medications stolen from a purse at the 900 block of South Schueber Road.

DRIVING DRUNK

• A 44-year-old motorist traveling the wrong way on North Tower Avenue was stopped about 8:40 p.m. yesterday and arrested for driving under the influence. Michael D. Hellem, from Auburn, was contacted in the 500 block of the downtown street and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. He was also driving with a suspended license, according to police.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A now 23-year-old man has come forward to claim past sexual abuse by his youth pastor, after initially denying the incidents that allegedly occurred when he was 12 and 13 years old in Winlock. The young man in speaking with a detective said he decided to talk because he now sees the damage that was done, according to court documents. The accused, Michael D. Whitson, now 51, go before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court next week to make his pleas to two counts of second-degree rape of a child. Whitson, who now lives in Vancouver, Wash., made a brief appearance in court Tuesday afternoon where his conditions of release were set with a $25,000 unsecured bond. According to charging documents, the young man said he two had a sexual relationship that began when he was 12. He said he spent quite a bit of time at Whitson’s home as part of the youth group, and because he was having problems at home with his parents, according to charging documents. Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said today often times victims of sexual abuse will delay reporting. The young man told the detective that previously he felt he needed to be loyal and believed he loved Whitson, charging documents state. The charges were filed on Sept. 6. Whitson was not arrested or jailed but summonsed to court for his Tuesday appearance.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants; responses for collision, disputes, suspicious circumstances, possible stolen vehicle; complaint of a computer getting hacked, car doing doughnuts, dogs using neighbors yard for a potty … and more.

Updated at 2 p.m.

THEFT OF FUNDS

• Chehalis police were called to a business yesterday evening on the 1700 block of North National Avenue regarding possibly thousands of dollars missing over a period of time. The case is under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

BURGLARY

• Someone broke into a metal storage container at the 2200 block of state Route 6 west of Chehalis and  stole a Stihl chainsaw, clothing, glassware, fishing gear and other items, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The victim who reported it yesterday believed it occurred sometime since the day before, according to the sheriff’s office. The loss is more than $1,000, Sgt. Rob Snaza said.

• A deputy called last night to the 1100 block of Garrard Creek Road northwest of Centralia about a residential burglary found someone forced their way through a back door and left with a large television valued at about $1,900, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The break-in occurred between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police took a report yesterday from the 1000 block of Eckerson Road regarding the theft of a debit card. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DISORDERLY PERSON

• Centralia police were called about 5:15 p.m. yesterday to a restaurant on the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue where an intoxicated person was reported to be acting belligerent to staff an customers. When officers contacted 33-year-old Giovanni L. Revetria, they discovered he was wanted on a warrant, according to the Centralia Police Department. Revetria, a homeless person, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

CAR PROWL

• Police were called about 8:25 a.m. yesterday about a vehicle prowl at the 800 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia. A tool box was taken out of a work truck during the night, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A 29-year-old Centralia resident was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after contact with an officer last night about midnight at the 100 block of North Barner Drive in Centralia. Saul A. Paguaga was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. The case is also being referred for a possible charge of domestic misdemeanor assault, according to police. Further details were not readily available.

VANDALISM

• Someone threw a rock through the window of a vehicle at the 400 block of South Diamond Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 11:35 a.m. yesterday.

COLLISIONS

• A 25-year-old Centralia woman was reportedly unhurt when she lost control of her vehicle and ended up in a ditch along the 300 block of Big Hanaford Road outside Centralia yesterday morning. Rachel L. Meyers was booked into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence of alcohol after the 11 a.m. wreck, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A high speed pursuit and wreck on Interstate 5 through Chehalis yesterday ended with the 14-year-old driver and 16-year-old passenger in custody, according to the Washington State Patrol. A trooper ran the plate about 6:30 p.m. and it came back with a flag about a missing and possibly suicidal teen from California, according to the state patrol. Trooper Will Finn said the chase began in Cowlitz County and ended just north of the Chamber of Commerce Way interchange when the driver ran off the side of the road taking out a sign and a fence. Two occupants fled on foot but were detained, Finn said. The teens were unhurt and were taken to the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center, according to Finn.

RESIDENTIAL FIRE

• A fire investigator was called to Mineral last night to look into the cause of a blaze that destroyed a fifth wheel trailer in which man was residing. The fire occurred about 9 p.m. at the 200 block of Mineral Creek Road South. Nobody was hurt as the resident wasn’t there when it happened, Fire Investigator Jay Birley said.

BONUS CAUTIONARY TALE

• The Seattle Times published a story yesterday about a family that sustained only minor injuries while on a drive when a six-point buck flew through one side of their mini van and out the other. Read about it here

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, driving with suspended license, shoplifting; responses for alarm, protection order violation, minor collisions, hit and run, suspicious circumstances, other crimes or arrests for which information is not readily available from law enforcement, lots of aid calls; complaint of a woman in a post office screaming at people … and more.

ASSAULTS

• Chehalis police received a call from Providence Centralia Hospital yesterday regarding a man who said he was assaulted over the weekend in Chehalis. He was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle before an officer got a chance to talk with him, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said he didn’t yet have any other details.

• One man was arrested for misdemeanor assault, two for outstanding warrants and a fourth person for possession of drugs when officers responded about 10:45 a.m. yesterday to a dispute at a motel on the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia. Booked into the Lewis County Jail for allegedly having heroin and methamphetamine was Ryan A. Enlow, 26; and booked for fourth-degree assault was John L. Lininger, according to the Centralia Police Department. Enlow and Lininger also had warrants, according to police. All are Centralia residents.

THEFT

• A deputy was called about 2 p.m. yesterday to the 700 block of Meskill Road west of Chehalis after the discovery someone had broken into a shop building. Missing was a Stihl chainsaw, a Dewalt drill and a newer gas can, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The 33-year-old victim said the burglary occurred sometime after 7 p.m. on Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Police responded about 7 p.m. on Sunday regarding a burglary at the 200 block of Williams Street in Mossyrock in which computers and other items were taken, according to the Morton Police Department.

• Morton police reported yesterday they arrested a 54-year-old man who allegedly took $216 cash from a person’s wallet that lay on a table between the two in a waiting room at a business on the 500 block of Adams Avenue. Keith A. Indish, of Morton, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for third-degree theft, according to Police Chief Dan Mortensen. It happened on Thursday, according to police.

HUSBAND CALLS POLICE ABOUT NAUGHTY PHOTO

• Chehalis police were called yesterday by a man who said someone sent dirty pictures to his wife. Further details were not readily available, but it appeared since nobody could identify the male whose private parts were shared in the image, nothing further could be done at this time, according to detective Sgt. Gary Wilson. Emailing or texting such pictures can be considered cyberstalking if they are unwelcome by the recipient, WIlson said.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Police took a report yesterday morning of prescription medications and unspecified electronics stolen from a car at the 800 block of Park Way in Centralia.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called to the 400 block of South Pearl Street about 8:15 p.m. yesterday regarding damage discovered to the garage door of a vacant home.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault; responses for minor collisions, , parenting and roommate conflicts, suspicious circumstances, shoplifting and other misdemeanor theft, disputes; complaints about a growling dog, a pet “doing its business” in a neighbor’s yard … and more.

Updated at 3:40 p.m.

THEFT BY FRAUD

• A Chehalis man was tricked into wiring money to Haiti after getting a call from someone who said he was his grandson, was in trouble and needed funds to get of of jail. An officer contacted by the victim was told the caller sounded like his grandson and so he went to Wal-Mart to send $1,900 by Western Union, Chehalis police said this morning. Afterward, he checked with his grown children and learned his grandson was not in Haiti, police said. Detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said it’s the kind of scam that plays on a person’s heart strings and can cause them to act before they think about it. The incident was reported on Friday, there’s nothing more police can do WIlson said. His best advice is the man should have called his family before sending money, he said.

GUN THREAT LANDS MAN IN JAIL

• Deputies were called about 8 p.m. on Saturday to the 100 block of state Route 131 in Randle where a 38-year-old woman said her boyfriend had pulled out a handgun and pointed it at her during an argument. “He threatened to harm her,” Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Rob Snaza said. Robert R. Feddersen, 32, from Puyallup was subsequently located nearby and arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault, according to Snaza.

PARTYING ENDS BADLY

• A 20-year-old member of the military from Fort Lewis was arrested in Chehalis early on Sunday morning after he allegedly crashed his car through a planting bed on North Market Boulevard but walked down the street and called to report it had been stolen. Police responding about 1 a.m. conducted a dog track from the 2007 Ford Mustang and the dog followed a scent directly to the 20-year-old, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Riese K. Doyle was arrested for driving under the influence, false reporting, initially allegedly trying to use fake identification that said he was a 21-year-old from New York as well as hit and run, detective Sgt. Gary WIlson said. he was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

• Chehalis police were called about 6 a.m. on Saturday about a 25-year-old man whose car and wallet were stolen after he left with some people in Centralia to a house party in Chehalis. Possibly he was taken also, in his car and he was missing his shoes, detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said. It’s just not clear what happened, Wilson said. The vehicle turned up at Ace Hardware on South Market Boulevard, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The man was not hurt, his vehicle was not damaged, Wilson said.

ANTI THEFT CAMERA SWIPED

• Police were called to a business on the 200 block of Downing Road in Centralia yesterday morning to take a report of an outdoor security camera being stolen. A person wearing a hoodie and a partially covered face could be seen for about one and half seconds around 3:30 a.m. removing the camera from outside the market, according to the Centralia Police Department.

BREAK-INS

• A deputy responding to a residential burglary alarm about 4:45 p.m. on Saturday at the 200 block of Howe Road near Toledo discovered someone had forced their way inside and left with a computer and other valuables, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A Honda dirt bike, a mower, tools and other items were reported stolen from a shop on the 100 block of Oak Drive outside Chehalis on Saturday. A responding deputy was told the items were talked sometime since the end of May, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

DRUGS

• A 33-year-old Centralia woman riding her bicycle on North Gold Street in Centralia about 2 o’clock this morning was recognized by an officer as having a warrant and arrested for possession of methamphetamine, according to police. A search of her purse turned up cotton balls and needles which field-tested positive for the drug, according to the Centralia Police Department. Kristy A. Price-Alvarez was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

SPARE TIRE TAKEN OFF VEHICLE

• Chehalis police took a report about 5:25 p.m. on Saturday at the parking lot of K-Mart when an employee discovered someone had stolen his spare tire which was stored beneath the bed of the truck. It’s not clear exactly where the theft occurred, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Someone broke in through the back window of a vehicle parked off state Route 7 near Morton while its owner was hunting and stole about $1,500 worth of clothing yesterday. The 46-year-old man from Yelm had left his vehicle at the turnout near milepost three about 7:30 a.m. and when he returned at 2:30 p.m. discovered the theft, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A wallet was reported stolen from a vehicle at Southeast 12th Street and Market about 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The victim thought someone got into his vehicle while he was checking his mail, according to police.

VANDALISM

• An officer was called about 7:45 p.m. yesterday to an apartment building on the 300 block of Southwest Third Street in Chehalis when a teenager discovered three tires on his father’s Ford Explorer had been slashed.

• Someone tagged a building on South Market Boulevard in Chehalis, according to a report made to police on Friday.

WRECK

• A 22-year-old Centralia woman was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after a deputy arriving to the 500 block of Reynolds Avenue about 4:15 a.m. on Saturday found front end damage to a 2006 Hummer according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The driver Casaundra M. Rodriguez said a Dodge Neon which tried to pass her forced her off the road, Sgt. Rob Snaza said. Rodrigues wasn’t injured but she booked into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence, according to Snaza. The deputy was unable to locate the Neon, he said.

SUNDAY DRIVING

• Some vehicles were towed and others were able to be driven away from the scenes following a pair of rear end accidents on Interstate 5 in Chehalis  yesterday afternoon. The Washington State Patrol described them both as minor injury collisions. A 7-year-old boy from Woodburn, Ore. was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital after an incident about 2 p.m. in the northbound lanes near the Chamber of Commerce Way interchange, according to the state patrol. About 40 minutes later near the 13th Street exit, an 18-year-old girl from Battleground was treated at the scene and then released when her car was struck by a pickup trying to avoid getting hit by a semi truck, according to the state patrol. The semi truck rear ended a Subaru Outback, the investigating trooper reported. Citations were issued for following too closely.

SATURDAY FLYING

• An 80-year-old Mossyrock man escaped serious injury when his ultralight experienced problems with its motor as he was flying over Riffe Lake on Saturday afternoon. He was able to navigate toward dry land where he put his small aircraft down, sustaining only a minor laceration to one hand, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called about 3 p.m. to the 100 block of Lake Terrace Place south of the lake reported there was no major damage to the ultralight, Sgt. Rob Snaza said.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving under the influence, misdemeanor assault; responses for alarm, suspicious circumstances, shoplifting, disputes, minor collisions … and more.