Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Law enforcement concluded their investigation into the prison death of a former Lewis County man deciding it was a suicide.

Daniel W. Johnson, 54, was found dead in his cell with a plastic bag over his head at Stafford Creek Corrections Center near Aberdeen in July.

Johnson began his prison sentence in 1993, convicted of murder after a man and a woman were found stabbed to death in a home on Elk Creek Road near Doty. The victims were the resident, Paul Pilz, and his friend Eleanor Warden.

The Grays Harbor County coroner concluded the manner of death was undetermined, finding possible asphyxia and an irregular heartbeat, but the sheriff’s office said today they found several reasons to label it suicide.

Johnson had no defensive wounds, and according to his parents had mental issues and had tried to commit suicide before, Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office detective Sgt. Steven Shumate said.

“It’s a combination of a number of things, we’re very confident it’s a suicide and not a homicide,” Shumate said.

When Johnson was found by his cell mate the morning of July 27, he also had a cord around his neck, but no ligature marks from it, Shumate said.

Shumate said detectives learned Johnson rarely left his cell, and had collected some plastic bags even though the prison had stopped using them some time ago. It was a thin bag that was not secured around his neck, Shumate said.

Correspondence between Johnson and a relative of one of his victims also were looked at, Shumate said.

Johnson was serving a 27-year sentence following the December 1991 deaths in West Lewis County.

Johnson, then 34, had just been released from psychiatric treatment days earlier, and had a five-year psychiatric history, according to court documents.

Coroner Dan Burns said there was nothing to indicate homicide, but the cause of death was arrhythmia – even  though there was no disease that would explain it – and a significant condition was the asphyxiation due to the plastic bag.

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Read previous story from Saturday July 30, 2011, here

Updated 5:44 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The woman who died after she jumped from a moving vehicle on Interstate 5 in Centralia on Friday night has been named as Jamie M. Jacaway, 27, of Chehalis.

Jacaway had been at the Grace Foursquare Church in Centralia and asked for a ride from someone there who was heading to Chehalis, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Robert Hicks offered and they got on the freeway at Harrison Avenue, and as they reached about milepost 80 traveling at ordinary freeway speed, Jacaway opened the passenger door and jumped out, according to the state patrol.

Hicks stopped immediately and no foul play is suspected, Trooper Ryan Tanner said.

Jacaway had ended up at the church on Borst Avenue as she had caught a ride with someone heading to a program there; she was trying to get to the women’s shelter.

Tammy Carr, director of the Friday night 12-step recovery event that was under way, said Jacaway was acting erratic and clearly not doing well. They tried to get her help, tried to get her to eat, but to no avail, Carr said. They attempted to get her to stay for the 12-step meeting but she didn’t want to come in, Carr said.

The finally called police about 7:15 p.m.

Carr said Jacaway had left and came back, and then kept trying to flag down people outside, stepping into the road.

“We knew we couldn’t keep her here, we were afraid she would get hurt, or something horrible would happen,” Carr said.

By the time an officer arrived, she had left in the van, according to police.

By about 7:50 p.m., police learned of the fatality on southbound Interstate 5.

Centralia Police Department Cmdr. Jim Rich said this afternoon he’s met Jacaway several times on the job.

“Most of the calls where I dealt with her on patrol were from concerned passersby or neighbors, asking please take a look and check on this woman,” Rich said.

She’s been in the community for quite some time.

“We’ve tried to hep her, and connect her with various agencies,” he said. “I wouldn’t even try to guess what the cause of it all was.”

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office is working with her mother and father who are making funeral arrangements, according to Chief Deputy Coroner Dawn Harris.

Updated 11:30 a.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A woman in her 20s died after apparently jumping out of a moving vehicle on Interstate 5 in Centralia last night.

Troopers and aid were called about 7:50 p.m. to the southbound lanes south of the Mellen Street interchange, but the female died at the scene from massive head trauma, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Trooper Ryan Tanner said the van was traveling in the outside lane and she landed on the shoulder next to the guard rail.

The woman had opened the right front passenger door and jumped out near Salzer Creek at milepost 80, according to the state patrol.

Tanner said he didn’t know why.

“It’s obviously not cut and dry in this one, it’s going to take a lot of investigation on our part to try to figure out what happened,” he said.

Her hometown and age are not being released. She did not have any identification on her, he said.

“We’re still trying to figure out a positive ID on the deceased,” Tanner said. “That’s the big thing right now.”

The driver of the van is 49-year-old Robert B. Hicks of Chehalis, according to the patrol. There were no other passengers in the van.

Tanner said the two did not know each other, that Hicks was leaving from a location in Centralia heading to Chehalis and she asked for a ride.

No foul play is suspected, he said.

Troopers were interviewing Hicks as well as other witnesses that saw her prior to the incident when Tanner was briefed last night.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An 18-year-old Mossyrock resident jailed after six firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were stolen from a Mossyrock house in July pleaded guilty today.

Anthony S. Depuisaye-Greene was sentenced to almost 10 years in prison in exchange for giving information to law enforcement to help them recover the pistols, according to the plea agreement

Depuisaye-Greene went before Lewis County Superior Court  Judge James Lawler this afternoon and pleaded guilty to 14 counts instead of 20; they included first-degree burglary, possession of stolen firearms and theft.

Defense attorney Don Blair and Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer told the judge they both recommended Depuisaye-Greene should be sentenced to 116 months. Lawler agreed.

Depuisaye-Greene’s criminal history included only crimes as a juvenile.

Two females were also arrested in connection with the repeated burglaries over an entire weekend.

Depuisaye-Greene and his girlfriend, Dezarai B. Johnson, 18, had fled in a stolen Toyota RAVE to Sequim, where Johnson lives, according to charging documents. They were picked up there by police and one of the guns was recovered at that time.

Prosecutor Meyer said he expects a plea agreement for Johnson. He didn’t say today what was the status of the case against the 17-year-old Mossyrock girl.
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Read “Ammo, half dozen guns stolen in Mossyrock break-ins” from Monday July 25, 2011, here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Greenwood Cemetery owner John Baker pleaded not guilty yesterday to a multitude of charges related to him not staying away from the cemetery while under a court order that is set to expire the end of this month, the latest of which involved him allegedly hiding in the bushes trying to make sure photos were taken when temporary caretaker Jennifer Duncan was served with papers.

John Baker

Centralia police were called late last week when Duncan said she was working in the memorial park north of Reynolds Road and spotted the 68-year-old about 200 feet away from her in the brush.

An anti-harassment protection order prevents Baker from being within 500 feet of Duncan or on the cemetery property until Sept. 30.

According to charging documents, a man and a woman came to give her paperwork revoking her power of attorney over Baker, and Duncan ripped up the paper, told them to leave her alone and walked away. Then she saw Baker, who was directing the woman to take pictures of her, according to Duncan.

She told police she already had a copy of the letter and felt he was just harassing her, according to charging documents.

Baker was subsequently arrested at the Chevron station on Harrison Avenue, for violation of a protection order.

The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office however charged Baker with stalking for that incident, plus five counts of violating the anti-harassment protection order in connection with previous episodes going back to the beginning of July.

Baker’s bail was set on Monday at $50,000.

Baker and Duncan, longtime friends, were in court last month and partially resolved a dispute that grew out of an agreement she would operate the cemetery last year while Baker was incarcerated for assault.

After Baker was released, relations between the two deteriorated but she still had the power of attorney and held the license to operate the cemetery.

Duncan told Lewis County Superior Court Commissioner Tracy Mitchell  late last month if she couldn’t get a permanent order banning Baker from the property, she would walk away from care-taking of the cemetery.

The commissioner extended the order just long enough for Duncan to wrap up obligations she’s made to cemetery clients and ordered Baker to file a formal revocation of the power of attorney.

One of the seven current charges against Baker is trespassing, as on Sept. 14, he was found inside his home – adjacent to the cemetery – which now has no electricity and is unfit for habitation, according to charging documents.

He said he had nowhere else to sleep.

Baker’s trial was set for the week of Oct. 31.
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For background, read “Conflict: Who will bury the dead in Greenwood Cemetery?” from Friday Sept. 2, 2011, here