Posts Tagged ‘news reporter’

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Medical marijuana users rally in Centralia

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
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Advocates for medical marijuana wave to passing motorists outside Centralia City Hall.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – A small group of medical marijuana users held a little “rally” across from Centralia City Hall yesterday hoping to gain support for making the substance easier rather than harder to obtain.

“Really, we just want to end criminal penalties for adults who use medical marijuana,” 34-year-old Ryan Shewell of Chehalis said.

Shewell, who organized the gathering, was pleasantly surprised to learn after they arrived the city council was scheduled last night to have the issue on its agenda.

Shewell prefers marijuana to the Vicodin and Percocet he takes for phantom pain; he lost his lower legs and fingers to a disease he contracted as a child.

“I take a handful pills, and they’re killing my liver,” Shewell said.

He’s been fairly active in initiative campaigns and voicing his opinion.

He was one of only two people who spoke at a public hearing last week held by the Lewis County Commissioners on the topic of collective medical marijuana gardens.

Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield told the three county commissioners he thinks more harm than good will come out of the new state law went into effect on July 22, but he wants to make the best out of a bad situation as the county considers how to reconcile conflicting federal and state law on the subject.

Shewell told the commissioners collective gardens are not a problem, but a solution for those like him who can’t easily grow their own.

Yesterday, the dozen or so individuals who joined Shewell in Centralia voiced similar thoughts, but the placards they held up to passing passing motorists broadcast a variety of philosophies, such as:

“Cannabis Cures” and “Help end marijuana prohibition” and “No prison for pot”.

And not all were willing to speak quite as openly as Shewell.

“Please don’t use my last name, I have a job,” one woman from Rochester said.

“I really don’t want to tell you my last name, cause of the feds,” a 56-year-old Centralia man in a wheelchair said.

Several of them however enthusiastically spoke of what they viewed as signs of support from passing motorists on Pearl and Maple streets.

“We’ve got nothing but high-5’s, peace signs, smiles and honks,” Sarena Haskins of Rochester said. She’s an activist who focuses on Lewis County for a group called Sensible Washington.

Shewell said only “a couple” of drivers flipped them off.

The city council last night passed a six-month moratorium on collective gardens, A public hearing will be held Sept. 27 on the topic.

They are approaching it similar to the county, according to City Attorney Shannon Murphy-Olson.

Lewis County commissioners last week enacted a 60-day moratorium, while the sheriff’s office, the prosecutor’s office and likely the planning commission devise a plan.

•••

For more about the county plans, read “County leaders want your opinions on how to grow (medical) marijuana” from Tuesday Aug. 2, 2011, here

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A medical marijuana user displays her sign at the corner of Pearl and Maple streets.

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Mossyrock man gets a year in jail for encounter with police chief

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
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Mossyrock Police Chief Jeremy Stamper is surrounded by police, deputies and troopers after today's sentencing of Wayne Burdette.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – More than two dozen uniformed law enforcement officers dominated the courtroom gallery, figuratively and then literally standing behind Mossyrock Police Chief Jeremy Stamper today.

They were there to observe the sentencing of Wayne Burdette, a 44-year-old man convicted last week of obstruction and acquitted of a more serious charge of felony harassment.

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Wayne Burdette

The charges stemmed from a June traffic stop in which Burdette got out of his truck with his right hand behind his back and advanced on Stamper – after being told to stay put – prompting the officer to draw his pistol and retreat behind his patrol car. Burdette was arguing he wanted to see the radar reading.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher told the judge Burdette willfully and egregiously placed the officer in fear he was going to be shot.

Meagher asked the judge to send Burdette to jail for one year, the maximum amount allowed for the crime of obstruction, saying the judge needed to send a message.

“You and I have a bad day (at work), I go home with a headache,” Meagher said. “This officer has a bad day, he may not go home.”

Meagher had argued unsuccessfully in the trial last week in Lewis County Superior Court that Burdette’s actions and manner amounted to a threat to kill.

Defense attorney Ken Johnson this morning reminded the court Burdette was convicted of a gross misdemeanor, not the other charge and suggested the punishment should fit the crime.

The delay in the speeding ticket getting issued was not extensive, Johnson said.

Normally obstruction would be dealt with in District Court and the outcome might be two days in jail with the balance suspended, he said. His client has already been held for 71 days, he said.

Since the judge agreed to consider writings found in Burdette’s home, Johnson said he needed to explain some background.

Johnson told the judge Burdette has experienced police misconduct first-hand, which colors his view of officers, and has been seeking avenues of redress.

“There is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it,” Johnson said. “Clearly arguing on the side of the road is the wrong way.”

Stamper asked Judge Richard Brosey for a sentence of one year, telling the judge Burdette is a danger.

“This guy is gonna kill one of us, given the first opportunity,” Stamper said.

Burdette took the judge up on his offer to comment.

“This is the third time I’ve been chained and caged,” he said.

“Words just really fail me, because what do you do about incompetence? What rights do you have?” Burdette asked.

Judge Brosey offered a lengthy soliloquy, telling Burdette that whatever may have occurred in the past elsewhere had nothing to do with any officers in Lewis County.

“Just because they choose to wear a uniform doesn’t make them inherently evil or out to get you,” Brosey said.

Brosey told him if he has issues with cops, he needs to take it up in court.

“You got a fair trial, perhaps the fairest I’ve ever seen,” he said. “That doesn’t alter the fact you did in fact obstruct, and you’re darn lucky you’re not dead.”

Brosey gave him 365 days in jail, with credit for time served.

The judge and the defendant exchanged more words after a statement was read about his appeal rights.

“You can say all the pretty legal words you want but it does not make it justice,” Burdette said.

Brosey once again tried to convince Burdette the system works, although it’s not fast or easy. And then the hearing was over.

“We’re done,” Brosey said.

•••

For more background, see “Breaking news: Burdette: Acquitted of felony harassment” from Friday August 19, 2011 at 5:23 p.m., here

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Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

THEFT

• A deep-fat kitchen fryer, a stereo and small amount of cash were taken when someone burglarized a Centralia restaurant, according to police. An officer called yesterday to the business on the 700 block of North Tower Avenue was told a door had been left unlocked overnight.

• Centralia police were called about 9:50 p.m. last night to the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue where someone stole two computers in a backpack from inside a vehicle. They broke the truck’s window to get in, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police took a report yesterday morning of a catalytic converter being stolen from a vehicle on the 1000 block of Mellen Street.

• The Morton Police Department reports that tools and equipment were missing from a storage unit at the 700 block of Airport Way in Morton. An officer who took a report last Wednesday was told it happened sometime since 2009, according to police.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning to the alley behind Southwest William Avenue about several “outbuildings” being tagged over the weekend.

• A driver reported their car was “egged” as they were traveling on the 800 block of Main Avenue in Morton last week, according to the Morton Police Department.

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News brief: Semi versus car on I-5 at Chehalis

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Winlock man escaped with a bruise on the arm but his car was totaled when a semi truck changing lanes on Interstate 5 hit him overnight.

Harry B. Allen, 61, was southbound near Chehalis’s Main Street interchange as was a 2005 Peterbilt tractor-trailer, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Allen’s 2006 Ford Fusion rotated off the front of the truck and hit the median facing backward, according to the state patrol.

A trooper called to the scene at 2:35 a.m. cited the Twin Falls, Idaho truck driver for an unsafe lane change, the state patrol reported.

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Home remedy for pest removal leads to explosion in Centralia

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A woman’s hair was singed when a man poured gasoline down his chimney in Centralia last night, causing an explosion that blew the insert right out of the fireplace.

It normally takes two grown men to move a fireplace insert, they’re heavy, Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Scott Weinert said. But when the fuel hit the fireplace, the blast shot the insert out about four feet into the room, he said.

“It was heard by a lot of people, it rocked the area a little,”  Weinert said.

The resident on the 200 block of West Walnut Street had a bees nest in the chimney and had started a fire to smoke the bees out, according to Weinert.

“That didn’t work, so he went up on the roof and poured old gasoline down the chimney,” he said.

No serious injuries were reported.

Firefighters who responded to the 7:43 p.m. call recommended he get his chimney inspected before using it again.

The resident said he thought since the fuel was old, it would be okay, Weinert said.

The man may need to call a professional exterminator as well; the bees survived, according to Weinert.

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News brief: Police investigating gunshot death in Chehalis

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Chehalis police are investigating the apparent gunshot death of a 59-year-old woman in Chehalis on Friday.

Police were called about 3 p.m. to her apartment on the 400 block in between Market Boulevard and Pacific Avenue, according to detective Sgt. Rick McNamara.

She was found by her husband and as far as he knows, there were no witnesses, McNamara said. A handgun was found as well, he said.

An autopsy is being conducted today, he said.

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Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

MAN AIRLIFTED AFTER CAMPFIRE ACCIDENT

• A 41-year-old man from Roy was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the sleeping man accidentally rolled into a campfire igniting his clothing in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest near Ashford on Friday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said it was about 6:30 a.m. at Cora Lake and the man’s brother threw him into the lake and then ran approximately six miles to use  telephone to call for help. An aid crew from Pierce County packed the man out, according to the sheriff’s office. Neither his name nor details about the extent of his injuries were released. Brown said there had been drinking going on the night before.

THEFT

• A 26-year-old Napavine resident was arrested yesterday after he allegedly forcibly took a purse from his ex-girlfriend at the 200 block of West Fir Street in Napavine. The contents were scattered in the yard and there was roughly $400 in the purse, according to Napavine police. It was related to an argument about money, and possibly about a dog, Officer Silas Elwood said. David G. DeHaven, 26, was picked up later and booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree robbery, Elwood said. He is being released by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office pending further investigation.

• Centralia police were called yesterday to a motel on the 1200 block of Alder Street where money had been stolen from a cash till overnight. The person who reported it said they had stepped out and someone came in through a window, according to police. The amount missing was not disclosed.

• A .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol was reported stolen from a home on the 2800 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia on Saturday evening. The victim said he returned after being away for a couple days and discovered the Federal Ordinance brand firearm missing, according to the Centralia Police Department. Police found no signs of forced entry into the residence.

• A deputy was called Saturday after somebody broke into a shop at a business on the 200 block of Hamilton Road in Chehalis and stole welding equipment and a 2001 Ford pickup truck. The deputy was told the break-in at RG Construction occurred sometime between 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is estimated at $3,200.

• A 52-year-old Toledo man was arrested Saturday for trafficking in stolen property in connection with a burglary discovered Aug. 12 at a home on the 100 block of Plomondon Road. Some $5,500 of items including fishing reels and life jackets had been taken. Randy R. Blair was booked into the Lewis County Jail for allegedly trying to sell the items, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A green 1999 four-door Honda Accord was stolen from the 200 block of Rainier Vista Drive in Mineral sometime between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Rings, necklaces and bracelets were stolen from a home on the 1700 block of Cooks Hill Road in Centralia, according to a report made to Centralia police on Friday.

• A “yard vac” was stolen from a shed on the 1200 block of North Schueber Road in Centralia, according to a report made to police on Friday morning.

• Centralia police were called jut before 7 o’clock this morning about a car prowl on the 1100 block of South Tower Avenue. Nothing was actually missing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called Friday about a car prowl on Southwest Saunders Way.

• Chehalis police were called to the 1100 block of South Market Boulevard at midnight on Saturday about a car prowl. Cigarettes, a coin purse and medication was reportedly missing.

NAPAVINE HIGH SCHOOL SPRAY PAINTED

• Somebody used blue and yellow spay paint and left graffiti at Napavine High School, on athletic facility buildings, according to police. It was reported Friday morning at the school on Fourth Avenue. An anarchy symbol left on the track and other designs appeared to be that of the Juggalos, a gang-like group of people who are followers of a band called the Insane Clown Posse, according to Officer Silas Elwood. Graffiti was also found on the scoreboard, he said. Images from a video tape appeared to be individuals older than high school age, he said.

DRUGS

• A 23-year-old Centralia resident was arrested about 3:15 a.m. on Sunday for possession of methamphetamine. Brandon W. Hackney was booked into the Lewis County Jail following contact with an officer on the 200 block of West Reynolds Avenue, according to the Centralia Police Department. He is being released by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office pending further investigation.

COLLISIONS

• A 15-year-old Tacoma boy who suffered broken leg bones in a motorcycle accident yesterday was found down a small embankment off a trail spur by individuals responding yesterday afternoon in north Skamania County. A deputy and fire personnel searched for the scene after an initial call for help about noontime, and took him to a trailhead, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It happened near Cat Creek off Forest Service Road 21, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. The teenager was flown to a Yakima hospital, she said.

• A 24-year-old Centralia resident was hospitalized after a single-vehicle collision just before 6 p.m. on Sunday at the 200 block of Big Hanaford Road outside Centralia, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Shinell N. Englund swerved when a small animal crossed the road and drove into a ditch, the sheriff’s office reported. Englund was arrested for possession of marijuana and third-degree driving with a suspended license but not booked, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. She was admitted to the hospital for observation, Brown said.

• A 40-year-old Centralia man was arrested for driving under the influence after a two-car collision just before 8 p.m. on Friday at West Main and North Pearl streets in Centralia. Michael A. Kellogg ran a stop sign, according to Centralia police. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for DUI and also for possession of marijuana, according to police.

VIOLATION OF PROTECTION ORDER, AGAIN

• John C. Baker, 68, of Centralia, was arrested and jailed Sunday morning for violating a protection order prohibiting him from going on property at the 1800 block of Van Wormer Street in Centralia, according to police. Baker, who lives nearby on Johnson Road and owns the Sticklin Greenwood cemetery there said Friday he has been arrested at least twice in the recent past for similar violations. Centralia Officer John Panco said the protected person is a 57-year-old woman, but Panco didn’t know if the woman was present when Baker reportedly went where he was not supposed to go.

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