Posts Tagged ‘By Sharyn L. Decker’

Outdoor burning rules modified, for recreational fires

Thursday, October 5th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Campfires will be allowed once again under certain conditions beginning tomorrow in unincorporated Lewis County since weather conditions have improved, according to authorities.

The city of Centralia will rescind its temporary ban on outdoor recreational fires at the same time.

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A total outdoor burn ban was enacted at the beginning of August because of wildfire danger.

“After careful review of the current and extended weather forecast, the Lewis County community development director and fire marshal, in conjunction with the Lewis County Fire Chief’s Association … will modify the burn restriction to allow recreational campfires in designated campgrounds and on private lands if built in the following manner,” Lewis County Community Development Director Lee Napier stated in a press release today.

Here’s what’s required of your campfire and you:

• Shall be no greater than three feet in diameter and have a ring constructed of metal, stone, or brick which is eight inches above the surface with a two-foot wide area surrounding the outside of the pit cleared down to the soil.

• Shall have an area of at least 10 feet around it cleared of all flammable materials, with at least 20 feet of clearance overhead from flammable materials or fuels.

• Must be attended at all times by a responsible person at least 16 years old, with the ability to extinguish the fire with a shovel and a five-gallon bucket of water or with a connected and charged garden hose.

• When finished, someone must completely extinguish campfire by pouring water or moist soil into it and stir with a shovel until all parts are cool to the touch.

• The use of self-contained camp stoves are encouraged as an alternative.

The Lewis County fire marshal and fire chiefs strongly urge all county residents and visitors to be attentive to the conditions of their properties through proactive fire prevention measures.

The changes are effective at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, Friday.

Chehalis Fire Department Chief Ken Cardinale sent out a press release today also with the title “City of Chehalis Burn Restrictions Modified – To Allow Recreational Fires” which states that beginning at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, recreational fires using approved barbecues will be allowed at all city parks, including using charcoal briquettes.

For further information about what is and is not allowed in Chehalis, call the fire department at 360-748-3394.

For questions in the city of Centralia, call Riverside Fire Authority at 360-736-3975.

For information regarding unincorporated Lewis County, contact Lewis County Fire Marshal Doyle Sanford at 360-740-2696. The 24-hour automated information line can be accessed by calling  360-740-1133.

Lewis County’s Community Development Director Napier also noted today that the ban on open burning in unincorporated Lewis County will be modified again beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 16.

Outdoor burning of garbage, paper and other refuse is always prohibited.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Thursday, October 5th, 2017
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ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 29-year-old Centralia woman was injured in a three-vehicle collision early this morning on state Route 507 northeast of Rainier in which the causing driver reportedly fled the scene on foot with a head laceration. Rosa E. Garcia-Escobar was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers called at 5:42 a.m. to the area near Manke Road determined that Garcia-Escobar – who was driving a Chrysler Sebring – slowed to make a left turn, and a Ford F250 pickup as also slowing. A white 1988 Ford Econoline van struck the pickup, which struck the Sebring, according to the state patrol. A 24-year-old Yelm woman who was behind the wheel of the pickup, Johanna R. Martin, was also hurt and taken to Providence St. Peter, the state patrol indicates. Martin’s 4-year-old passenger was reportedly uninjured. All three vehicles were impounded. Trooper Brook Bova tweeted later a K9 was deployed to track the van’s driver. The roadway partially closed for two and a half hours.

BURGLARY CENTRALIA

• Centralia police were called to the 1900 block of Honeysuckle Lane about 7:35 a.m. yesterday to take a report that a computer and change were stolen from a home there.

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 7:35 a.m. yesterday about the theft of a 1995 Honda car from the 200 block of North Railroad Avenue. It has a license plate reading AWD 2152, according to the Centralia Police Department.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police took a report of missing mail from the 200 block of West Oakview Avenue in Centralia yesterday afternoon.

BAD BILL

• Police were called about 11:35 p.m. yesterday to the 1000 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia where an individual attempted to pass a counterfeit $100 bill.

CAR PROWL

• A CD player was stolen out of a vehicle at the 900 block of B Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police just before 8 a.m. yesterday.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, vandalism suspicious circumstances … and more among 160 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m

Suspect who accosted Morton senior citizen pleads guilty

Wednesday, October 4th, 2017
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Jason A. Brown waits to be escorted back to the jail after hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 35-year-old man accused of taking a wallet from an elderly man’s pocket in broad daylight in the parking lot of a Morton grocery store pleaded guilty today to amended charges and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.

Jason A. Brown, 35, was arrested in early September for the events of Aug. 29 at the Country Market. He was initially charged with second-degree robbery, with police and prosecutors alleging various slightly different versions than a deputy prosecutor described to the judge today.

The 83-year-old victim who lives in Morton was not present in the courtroom in Lewis County Superior Court this morning.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead told the judge he dropped the robbery charge and replaced it with a charge of first-degree theft. He said he and defense attorney Kevin Nelson agreed however to recommend the defendant be given a sentence above the standard sentencing range.

Halstead said for robbery, there has to be some kind of violence or threat of violence. He told the judge he watched the surveillance video and saw something slightly different.

The victim walks out of the store and the suspect asks him for a couple of dollars, and the victim says no, according to Halstead.

The images show the victim then gets to his car, the suspect comes up behind him and takes the wallet from his pocket, and then leaves, he said.

When it happened, Morton Police Department Chief Roger Morningstar posted photos of the suspect and the suspect’s car on Facebook, and later reached out to David Rose, host of the television show Washington’s Most Wanted.

On Sept. 8, someone recognized the suspect at the Mossy Mini Shell station, called 911 and followed the suspect to an RV park in Silver Creek, where police subsequently found Brown inside a motorhome and took him into custody.

Brown also pleaded guilty this morning to residential burglary, for an Aug. 21 incident on Southeast First Street when police found him walking out the front door of a house with various items and found the back door kicked in.

Defense attorney Nelson told the judge he felt the resolution was a fair outcome, and that he and his client had talked about pleading guilty from the very beginning.

“Mr. Brown accepts full responsibility for both these acts,” Nelson said.

Judge Joely O’Rourke accepted Brown’s pleas of guilty and sentenced him to one year and a day in both cases, with the time to be served concurrently.
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For background, read “Man who allegedly mugged Morton senior located at Silver Creek campground” from Monday September 11, 2017, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, October 4th, 2017
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PURSE SNATCHING

•  A Thurston County Sheriffs K9 unit was called in to help after a 22-year-old Centralia woman reported a white male in his 20s stole her purse off her shoulder and fled yesterday afternoon in Centralia. Officers called about 4:15 p.m. to the parking lot in the 500 block of Harrison Avenue learned a witness – a Centralia man – chased after the suspect and was able to recover the purse, according to the Centralia Police Department. The K-9 track was unsuccessful, according to police. The case is under investigation.

AUTO THEFT

•  A vehicle that had been reported stolen to the Chehalis Tribal Police was recovered abandoned in a parking lot at the 2500 block of Seward Avenue in Centralia about 7:30 a.m. yesterday.

FRAUD

• Centralia police were called about 5:35 p.m. yesterday from an individual who reported receiving a call from his bank regarding a male attempting to cash a check on the victim’s account, according to the Centralia Police Department. The victim responded to the bank and was able to verify that the check was unauthorized, according to police. The case is under investigation.

OTHER THEFT

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a deputy learned that a Honda E100 generator vanished from the 200 block of Stubb  Road in Onalaska on Sept. 20, between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Deputies called about 12:35 p.m. yesterday for a rollover accident along the 500 block of Tauscher Road found a totaled 2016 Kia Soul in a field off the east side of the road and a driver who smelled “overwhelmingly” of intoxicants, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The driver, Ruby M. Sprayberry, 26, of Chehalis, was reportedly uninjured and was arrested for driving under the influence and was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, protection order violation, misdemeanor domestic assault; responses for alarm, dispute, misdemeanor theft, disorderly person, suspicious circumstances … and more among 176 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017
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AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 8:45 a.m. yesterday to the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue where during the night a red 1998 Honda Civic had been stolen. The car has a license plate reading AYY 2010, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CARPORT PROWL

• Centralia police were called about 12:15 p.m. yesterday to the 1200 block of Marion Street where someone had stolen tools from a carport.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called about 9 a.m. yesterday to the 1900 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue where a Jeep Cherokee was broken into during the night. The passenger side window was broken, there was damage to the dash and various items were missing including a socket set and a fishing pole, according to the Chehalis Police Department. An LED light bar from the roof was missing as well, according to police.

• Centralia police took a report yesterday from the 1800 block of North Pearl Street that someone got into an unlocked vehicle over the weekend and stole a driver license, vehicle registration and a phone cord.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, reckless driving,  driving with no license, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, misdemeanor domestic assault; responses for alarm, dispute, trespassing, civil issue, hit and run, shoplifting, vehicle collision,  misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances … and more among 176 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, October 2nd, 2017
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WINLOCK RESIDENTS DISCOVER FIRE AT BEDTIME

• The resident had just gone to bed when he heard crackling in the walls, went outside and discovered a chimney fire at the 100 block of Creek Road in Winlock. Firefighters called about 9:45 p.m. yesterday found a suspected malfunction with the wood stove pipe caused fire in an exterior wall, according to Lewis County Fire District 15. “The home owner for the most part had it knocked down by the time we arrived,” Firefighter Patrick Jacobson said. Everything was contained to the wall, which had to be torn apart, Jacobson said. Jacobson said it’s a good reminder that this is the time of year to get chimneys inspected and/or cleaned.

AUTO THEFT

• A red 1986 Nissan Pulsar was reported stolen about 10:30 a.m. yesterday from the 3300 block of Fords Prairie Avenue in Centralia but was later recovered by the owner approximately two blocks away, according to the Centralia Police Department.

PORCH THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 11:50 a.m. on Saturday regarding the theft of packages from a porch on the 700 block of North Washington Avenue. They had contained medication and Ugg boots, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Police called about 3:35 a.m. today for vehicle prowl at the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia arrested two men for vehicle prowl. Robert W. Jones, 32, and Erik G. Spicer, 31, both of Napavine, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. Jones was also booked for possession of methamphetamine, according to police.

• Centralia police were called about 11:35 a.m. yesterday to the 800 block of North Pearl Street to take a report of the theft of a battery from a recreational vehicle.

• An amplifier and a subwoofer were reported stolen in a vehicle prowl at the 100 block of South Washington Street in Centralia, about 10:30 a.m. yesterday.

• Centralia police were called to the 100 block of Sunnyside Drive on Friday afternoon about the theft of RV batteries sometime during the previous month.

DRUGS

• A 29-year-old Chehalis woman who went to the Lewis County Jail on Friday in an attempt to retrieve items for someone who had been booked a few days earlier ended up being booked herself. Corrections officers said Ashely E. Howland had an outstanding warrant and when her backpack was searched, syringes with a dark brown liquid substance were located, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Howland was arrested for possession of heroin, according to the sheriff’s office.

EVICTED

• A 40-year-old person without a home was arrested yesterday about 10:15 a.m. when he was discovered living in a vacant house on the 1400 block of Delaware Avenue in Centralia. William F. H. Adams was arrested for first-degree trespassing and then released pending court, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 25-year-old Centralia man sustained minor injuries when his Chevrolet Camaro was totaled before he was arrested for driving under the influence early yesterday. A deputy responding about 1:45 a.m. to the 100 block of June Lane outside Centralia booked Spencer M. Churchill into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said the accident occurred about 11 p.m. on Saturday.

• A 22-year-old Napavine woman sustained minor injuries after she swerved to miss a deer and drove off the roadway at the 1000 block of Shorey Road on Saturday night. A deputy arriving just after 8 p.m. took note that her 2006 Chevrolet HHR sustained major damage, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. She was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital and cited for driving with third-degree driving with suspended license, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Four people were hurt when a pickup slowed for traffic northbound on Interstate 5 on Saturday near milepost 60 and a Nissan Sentra struck the center median and then the pickup from behind, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers called about 1:35 p.m. indicate the 36-year-old driver of the Sentra, from Portland, was cited for following too closely. His passenger, plus the driver of the Chevrolet Silverado, from Vancouver, and two other occupants of the Silverado, were all transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, obstructing, trespassing, probation violation, third-degree theft, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, protection order violation, misdemeanor  domestic assault, third-degree domestic malicious mischief, operating motor vehicle without required ignition interlock device; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, vandalism, shoplifting, vehicle collision, suicidal person, disorderly person, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, teenage driver doing doughnuts in parking lot … and more among 451 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

 

Mossyrock man charged with felony driving under the influence

Saturday, September 30th, 2017
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James G. Blunt is shown his seat in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  A 51-year-old driver with a half-finished Mike’s Hard Lemonade in his vehicle who allegedly told the deputy who stopped him for speeding he’d had about four hits of marijuana roughly five minutes earlier, was arrested for driving under the influence early yesterday east of Chehalis.

But James G. Blunt, who said he was headed home to Mossyrock, was arrested for felony DUI, not the more common offense that is a gross misdemeanor.

Back in 2001, Blunt had fatally struck a bicyclist near Mossyrock, while he was intoxicated and was convicted in Lewis County Superior Court of vehicular homicide while under the influence. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

He was booked into the Lewis County Jail early yesterday and then brought before a judge that afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Blye asked the judge to hold Blunt on $25,000 bail, noting the defendant had three DUI convictions even before the deadly collision in 2001. Temporary defense attorney Rachael Tiller requested it be set with a $5,000 unsecured bond, relating that her client had lived in Mossyrock nearly his whole life.

Judge James Lawler set bail at $50,000, citing community safety concerns.

Lewis County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said the possible penalty for felony DUI is 10 years in prison. Any person who gets arrested for driving under the influence and has ever in their past been convicted of vehicular homicide or vehicular assault – because of intoxication – can be charged with felony DUI, he said.

Alternatively, a person who has had three DUI convictions and is arrested for driving under the influence a fourth time within a 10-year period, can be also charged with felony DUI, Meagher said.

According to charging documents and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy pulled Blunt over about 1:30 a.m. on Friday on Centralia Alpha Road near Oppelt Road because he was traveling 65 mph in a 50 mph zone.

He didn’t have a valid driver’s license and allegedly told the deputy he’d taken the tabs off his girlfriend’s Mustang and put them on his truck. The Hard Lemonade container in his vehicle was about half empty, and Blunt said that’s all the alcohol he’d had. Field sobriety tests were conducted. Then he was arrested.

Tiller told the judge yesterday she believed he qualified for a court appointed attorney. Judge Lawler appointed Kevin Nelson.

Blunt’s arraignment was scheduled for Thursday.