Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County coroner’s year-end report shows roughly the same number of suicides here during 2011 as the year before.

The number of homicides dropped however, from what many called an extraordinarily high number in 2010 of seven, down to four last year.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod

Coroner Warren McLeod after his first year in the elected office made public this week his annual report, which primarily describes his office’s purpose, mission and accomplishments.

His staff has strengthened “chain of custody” procedures, acquired a response vehicle and developed a policy and procedure manual, among other changes.

They are in the midst of becoming an accredited facility.

McLeod noted the October coroner’s inquest into the 1998 death of Ronda Reynolds in Toledo cost $35,000.

During 2011, there were 767 deaths in Lewis County, although the coroner’s office also handled two out-of-county deaths as a courtesy for Mason and Yakima counties, according to McLeod.

The vast majority of those deaths were due to natural disease processes, while 29 were accidental and three are undetermined, according to his statistics.

Nine were suicide; while the year before eight deaths in the county were suicide, according to the state Department of Health data.

No details were provided about more specifics in any of the categories.

The coroner’s office has yet to determine the cause and manner of death of three sets of remains found during last year.

McLeod said the remains are still in King County with a forensic anthropologist who specializes in figuring out those types of cases.

One of them is a partial skull found in March in a wooded area north of Mineral, determined to be Michael Lloyd Riemer, who was 36 years old when he went missing from Pierce County in 1985.

The two others remain unidentified, according to McLeod.

Skeletal remains found off the side of a logging road near Morton in April are believed to belong to a small woman between 20 and 35 years old when she died.

Authorities have said they don’t know how long ago she died, but doubted the remains had been there very long, because it was a well-used logging road.

Human remains found in September in a field on Joerk Road in Randle could possibly belong to Trisha McKenzie-Fire, 57 years old when she vanished from her home about a mile and a half away in April, but positive identification has not been made, according to authorities.

McLeod’s office operated with a budget last year of about $296,000. Forty autopsies were conducted during 2011.

His position is half-time, but he has a full time chief deputy coroner and four deputy coroners.

He currently has five individuals in training to become deputy coroners as well as four reserve (volunteer) deputies in training.

The coroner is also advertising for two or three others who live within 35 miles of Packwood so he can cut down on the mileage reimbursements paid out to deputy coroners.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Joshua Vance, the suspect in the stabbing death of his father in Onalaska and Weston G. Miller, the suspect in last week’s fatal shooting in Centralia will both be evaluated by psychiatrists from Western State Hospital before further court proceedings can take place.

The men are charged with first-degree murder in separate cases and are being held in the Lewis County Jail.

Joshua Vance

Centralia J.P. Enbody who represented both before a judge today said the requested evaluations are to find out if they are competent to stand trial and able to assist their lawyers in their defense.

“Just to make sure he understands the nature of the proceedings, in a nutshell,” Enbody said.

Vance, 25, had been off his medication for several days two weeks ago when he allegedly attacked his father Terry Vance while he was asleep in bed, according to his family. The Centralia College student was hospitalized himself for lacerations to his fingers after telling a first responder he cut them to make himself stop.

His lawyer, David Arcuri, said he made the request for reasons he wouldn’t discuss based on attorney-client confidentiality. He called it a 15-day evaluation.

Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said while sometimes the competency evaluations are done by Western State staff at the jail, they would make sure Vance got his conducted at the state mental hospital near Steilacoom.

Both men were on the court schedule today to make their pleas and have trial dates set. But that didn’t happen.

Vance was brought into the courtroom but taken away before his case was addressed. Miller was not brought up from the jail at all.

Centralia attorney Enbody said it wasn’t necessary for his client to be present.

Miller, 29, was arrested on Tuesday of last week after police were called to his home on B Street in Centralia and found his house guest dead of two gunshot wounds to his chest area.

Prosecutors say it was an unprovoked attack inside the out-of-work welder’s house on B Street but Miller claims 43-year-old David Carson rushed him with a knife.

Enbody said the reason for the request was because the charges are “about as serious as they get” but declined to offer a more specific reason for wondering if his client might not be competent.

Deputy Prosecutor Kjell Werner said both sides “thought it was a good idea.”

Western State has up to 90 days to complete their evaluations, according to Enbody.

However, it took almost 15 months after a Centralia woman was arrested last spring before a judge was able to get the outcome of her mental evaluation.

A court date to review the progress of the evaluation for Miller was scheduled for April 5. A similar date was set for April 12 for Vance’s case.

Train traffic is stopped at Floral Street in Centralia after a dump truck struck a train.

Updated at 10:04 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – Police are searching for the driver of a large dump truck that collided with a train earlier this evening in Centralia.

When police arrived at the crossing on Floral Street between South Gold and South Tower Avenue, the light blue  truck sat in the middle of the tracks, its front end smashed.

Neighbor Michael Nichols said he didn’t see it happen but heard it.

“Big boom and it shook my house,” Nichols said.

Officers walked along the tracks and contacted a northbound train that was no longer in sight, Nichols and his neighbor Andrey Puris said.

They had another train back up to just south of the scene, the men said.

It appeared the driver got out and left on foot, Centralia Police Sgt. Brian Warren said.

There wasn’t blood or enough damage on the train to suggest the driver had been dragged away, according to Warren.

A spokesperson for BNSF said the truck struck the side of a freight train hauling soybeans from Vancouver to Seattle, rupturing one car and spilling soybeans.

Spokesperson Gus Melonas said it happened shortly after 6 p.m. and he was told the dump truck’s brakes locked up.

Several trains were delayed, he said.

One track opened up about 7 p.m. and the adjacent track is expected to reopen about 10:30 p.m., Melonas said.

BNSF crews are investigating and inspecting their equipment, he said.

A crossing arm on the west side of Floral Street was bent forward as though it had been hit.

“There you can see, he ran through the gate,” Nichols said.

Officer Warren said the truck is registered in Thurston County and police were attempting to reach its owner.

Centralia Police Department Officer Angie Humphrey at Floral Street / Courtesy photo from Matthew Kramer

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A judge today said no to a defense motion to dismiss the charges against a now-former Pe Ell softball coach accused of sexual misconduct and rape of a 16-year-old girl.

Todd D. Phelps

Todd D. Phelps, 52, of Pe Ell, is scheduled for trial next week.

Defense attorney Don Blair told the judge prosecutors changed the date of one of the alleged incidents while they have long known the defense of alibi has been asserted.

“That just smacks to me of misconduct,” Blair said this afternoon.

Prosecutors also withheld potentially exculpatory evidence, according to Blair.

Blair only learned recently of a police report about a call to the victim’s home about a runaway the same night as the alleged rape, according to Deputy Prosecutor Debra Eurich.

Eurich said the newly discovered police report came to her attention during conversations with people involved in the case.

Phelps is charged with third-degree rape as well as second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor in connection with encounters last spring and summer with a member of the softball team he coached.

Pe Ell School District authorities said he resigned at the end of last April  because of a violation of school policy regarding social contact with students.

Phelps has pleaded not guilty. His trial was originally set for early January and has been postponed six times.

The parties are expected in court again tomorrow to confirm if they are ready for trial.

Among the reasons noted have been both sides asking for a continuance, new information given to the court and newly discovered evidence.

Lewis County Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt said today changing the dates was not an issue, and that the defense still has plenty of time to interview new witnesses if it needs to.

Hunt said he was not sure what to make of the motion.

“This is to me, is a tempest in a teapot,” Hunt said.

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For back ground, read “Former Pe Ell coach faces charge of third-degree rape of teenage student” from Tuesday November 29,  2011, here