Lewis County Sirens.com

Response at Centerville Western Store on Lum Road / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority

Updated at 6:12 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Three fires broke out within less than an hour overnight in Centralia, causing damage at two church buildings and a third at the Outlet Mall.

They are under investigation.

It began about 3:20 a.m. when a female showed up at the front door of the downtown fire station and said she thought there was a fire next to the Centralia Church of the Nazarene on the 1200 block of West First Street, according to Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Tim Adolphsen.

At 3:35 a.m. crews were called to the Centerville store off Lum Road, he said.

And just after 4 a.m., they were notified of another at a church on the 2500 block of Seward Avenue, he said.

Nobody was injured, he said.

Investigators have concluded already the last fire, at Calvary Chapel in north Centralia, was from an electrical issue, but the other two are arson, Chief Jim Walkowski said.

Fire investigators and police going to have a busy day, he said.

“We’re trying to find people who may have wanted to do harm to these buildings,” Walkowski said.

The most seriously damaged was the house just west of the Nazarene Church, which is used for youth activities, according to firefighters. The bulk of the fire was in its garage area however, Walkowski said.

He estimated the loss to as much as $50,000.

“That has been deemed a set fire, that’s an arson,” Walkowski said. “From where it started and the burn patterns, it was definitely a set fire, not an accident.”

The chief said he was just arriving at the scene when they were informed of an alarm activation at Centerville, the western store at the north end of the Centralia Outlets, so he headed that way instead.

Flames there originated in a hot water tank enclosure attached to the east end of the structure, he said.

“We were able to get inside quick enough so they will be open for business today,” Walkowski said.

The chief is asking residents who may have surveillance cameras to take a look at their footage to see if they show any vehicles or even people walking down the streets. And to please call him at 736-3975 or the police department if they find anything.

“We’ve solved lots of fires with these,” Walkowski said.

Four other fire departments, from Rochester to Napavine, assisted, he said.

The fire damage at the church on Seward Avenue was minimal, although it sustained some smoke and water damage, according to Walkowski.

By 10:30 a.m., crews learned of an attempt to burn yet another building, Cooks Hill Community Church on the 2400 block of Cooks Hill Road. They don’t know when it occurred, because it failed.

“One of the workers walked outside and found the side of the church had scorch marks,” Walkowski said.

The chief said they are asking folks to be hyper vigilant, and be sure to move any combustible materials away from the exterior of their homes or buildings.

A fire earlier in the night at the north end of Chehalis remains under investigation as well, he said.

Crews were called about 1 a.m. to the Firehouse Espresso stand on the 2300 block of Kresky Avenue. Flames were found on the backside, which were quickly knocked down, according to Chehalis Fire Department Firefighter-Investigator Jay Birley.

Birley said they had a garbage can behind the structure, and he’s suspicious about cigarette butts.

“It’s looking toward accidental, but I won’t know more till later today,” Birley said.

He’s described the damage to the coffee stand as moderate.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Centralia police found stolen guns, signs of gang activity and more than a “personal use” amount of suspected methamphetamine when they searched a Logan district house yesterday as they investigated the stick up of a motorist who said she got lost on Centralia streets the night before.

Two people have been arrested for the robbery that occurred about 12:15 a.m. Tuesday at the 100 block of Harrison Avenue.

Centralia Police Department detective Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald said the Olympia area woman told officers she came to town to help someone move, got lost and pulled into a church parking lot to use her cell phone.

A male appeared of out nowhere and stole her purse and phone at gunpoint, Fitzgerald said. She was reportedly unhurt.

The thief was described as a white male with a distinctive tattoo on his neck wearing jeans and a dark hoodie, according to police. Police were told he fled to a red or maroon sedan which was driven away by a blond female, according to police.

Officers searched the area and eventually located a similar car parked outside a residence on the 1500 block of Delaware, according to Fitzgerald.

Two of the individuals who live or were staying there were arrested. Anthony F. Johnson, 28, from Morton, for first-degree robbery and  Kaylie J. Longmire, 18, of Centralia, for being an accessory to robbery, according to the Centralia Police Department.

A patrol sergeant separately indicated that a 25-year-old Centralia man, David J. Eslick, was arrested just after midnight today, in connection with the robbery as well as for allegedly breaking into the concession stand at the high school football stadium earlier in the night.

Fitzgerald said today detectives were investigating a possible link and believed the participants in the purse theft drove Eslick to the stadium.

Yesterday, a police sergeant said the Olympia woman knew the robbers and was meeting them, but Fitzgerald said that’s not information he was given.

“There may be all kinds of stuff that comes out of this, cause we’re not finished yet,” Fitzgerald said.

During the search of the house, detectives found three stolen firearms, one of which its owner didn’t yet know was missing, according to Fitzgerald.

They also discovered photographs and graffiti in the house that was evidence of gang activity; mostly the so-called Tiny Dukes and some that could be Crips or Surenos connected, he said.

Also found were unspecified items police believe have been stolen in local burglaries as well as the Olympia woman’s purse, according to police.

Updated at 1:25 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Onalaska man imprisoned after he fatally shot a suspected burglar outside his house three years ago has lost his appeal.

A panel of three judges upheld the manslaughter conviction of Ronald A. Brady in their opinion filed yesterday.

Brady, 60, was sentenced to just over five years for the death of 56-year-old Thomas McKenzie of Morton.

Through his attorney, Brady appealed on several grounds, including his contention the court erred when it refused to give his proposed jury instruction on the right to resist a felony.

Brady’s attorney argued self defense in the summer 2011 trial in Lewis County Superior Court and Brady avoided a first-degree murder conviction, but the jury found him guilty of second-degree manslaughter. He was acquitted of an assault charge upon McKenzie’s wife, Joanna McKenzie.

Brady admitted shooting at the pair outside his house he was renovating on the 2100 block of state Route 508, describing to deputies opening his garage door and finding flashlights shined in his face. He also testified he was firing at the truck to keep it from leaving.

He told sheriff’s detectives he was staying overnight at the unoccupied house in case burglars from earlier in the day returned. Brady resided in a nearby rental home.

The Washington State Court of Appeals stated the facts of the case did not support such an instruction, as any felony that may have been committed did not pose an immediate threat of death or great bodily harm to Brady.

The only crime being committed at the time he opened fire with a .22 rifle was criminal trespass, the judge’s stated.

Among the judges’ references was a 1955 case and decision saying that a homicide committed while resisting the commission of a felony is not justified “unless the attack on the defendant’s person threatens life or great bodily harm.”

The decision was authored by Judge Christine Quinn-Brintnall, with Judge Thomas R. Borgen and Judge Jill M. Morgan concurring.

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For background, read “Breaking news: Onalaska murder trial: Guilty of second-degree manslaughter” from Friday June 24, 2011, here

Read the decision

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The case of the Dryad woman whose numerous foxhounds were seized from a living area overrun with feces last fall has been settled with a plea agreement and a sentence handed down by a judge, but dissatisfied  prosecutors are now asking another judge for a stiffer penalty.

Nancy Punches, now 80 years old, made a so-called Alford plea in which she admitted no wrongdoing but pleaded guilty to 10 counts of second-degree animal cruelty.

Punches’ dog kennel Oct. 19, 2012

Lewis County District Court Judge Michael Roewe gave Punches a 364 day jail sentence but then suspended it for two years, providing she abides by certain conditions.

According to court documents, Roewe said that during the 24 months while her sentence is suspended she may own up to two animals, which must be spayed or neutered, and she may not engage in any animal selling, dealing, breeding or related commercial activity.

Punches was also ordered to pay more than $19,000 in fines, fees and restitution; not suspended.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Nelson hoped the restrictions would last longer.

When county employees and volunteers descended upon Punches’ River Road property last Oct. 19, a deputy said he could not see the floor of some kennels because the water, mud and feces was so deep. One puppy was found dead and others were sick.

Her 65 dogs were confiscated, including three which survived the December 2007 flood with her.

Punches, who works in a hospital lab in Morton, started showing dogs in 1960 and has been breeding them for decades.

At the time, and at her sentencing on Jan. 25, Punches said she didn’t intend for the animals to multiply, but her fencing had deteriorated; she was in the process of cleaning up and finding homes for some and then the rains came “everything broke loose.”

The judge’s decision was largely in keeping with the agreement made between Nelson and Punches’ attorney, Bart Ricks, according to court documents.

However, according to the documents, the recommendation to the judge was the animal prohibitions be kept in place for 20 years. Roewe told them he had no authority beyond two years, the documents state.

On the same day as sentencing, Nelson filed a motion asking Roewe to reconsider, suggesting the law indicates Punches should be permanently banned from having similar animals because she has multiple convictions for animal cruelty.

Roewe said he understood the law to mean she would be banned after getting convictions on multiple occasions.

“The whole purpose of that statute is to impose greater sanctions on people who don’t learn from their first conviction,” Roewe said. “There’s only one conviction in the court’s mind, and that conviction includes 10 counts.”

Now Nelson has filed an appeal to Lewis County Superior Court, asking it to find that Punches should be prevented permanently from owning similar – unaltered – animals.

Ricks indicated he is contesting the prosecutor’s request, and expects to file a motion within the next week.

The Chehalis attorney declined to talk further about the case.

He did say his client has no animals now, not even the two the judge allowed for.

Ricks said he expects he and Nelson will argue the issue before a Lewis County Superior Court judge when a hearing is scheduled at a future date.

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For background, read “Aged flood survivor loses her stock of prize-winning canines for the second time” from Sunday October 21, 2012, here